Hopscotch articles from April 1997

Hopscotch archives from April 1997

Inviting birds to visit.(make and fill a feeder, and provide nesting materials)
April 1, 1997... Listen. Chick-a-dee-dee-dee! Peter-peter! What-cheer! Can you hear them? They are the birds that live all around you. Would you like them to come closer? Erin, nine, is a third grader from New Hampshire. She says getting birds to visit...

If I were a bird.(poem)
April 1, 1997... If I were a bird I'd live in a tree, And everyone Would listen to me. They'd hear what I thought About everything When I opened my mouth And started to sing. If I were a bird I'd spend all day In the sun and wind, Then fly away -- I wonder...

Bird notes.(fill-in-the-blanks quiz on different meanings for bird names)
April 1, 1997... Give meaning to each sentence by filling the blank with the name of a bird. Choose from the list of birds given. swallow crane goose crow sparrow wren parrot canary cardinal duck jay cuckoo woodpecker martin finch...

Road runner.(a bird)
April 1, 1997... Most of us have seen the road runner in cartoons, at the movies, or on TV. He is usually running very fast and doing something silly. Perhaps you think the road runner is just a make-believe bird. Well, the road runner is a very real bird. ...

Do birds have ears?
April 1, 1997... With her kitten Mittens sitting on her lap, Amy sat in the warm sun on the window seat. She glanced out the bay window across the yard and saw two robins. "Sue," Amy called out to her sister. "I see some robins. Spring must be here!" ...

How to draw a blue and yellow macaw.
April 1, 1997... We'll be drawing the bird you see at your right for our lesson today. Before we begin, however, let's talk about some important words artists use. VALUE. Value is a word artists use to describe light and dark areas in a picture. You're...

The cockatoo.
April 1, 1997... The cockatoo, a native of Australia and the East indies, is a climbing bird. Although the cockatoo looks similar to the parrot and can be easily tamed, it can only learn a few words. Their cry is harsh and unmusical. These birds have...

Name that tune.(identifying bird songs)
April 1, 1997... In a forest of pines, a high-pitched whistle shrills, "Drink your tea-e-e-e-e!" From a thicket of wild blackberries another whistle chants, "Old Sam PEAbody, PEAbody, PEAbody." And yet another happy whistle celebrates with, What cheer, what...

The birds in your yard.(poem)
April 1, 1997... There's a bird in your yard. She's small and rather plain. But don't be too surprised, If she just flew in from Spain. "Hola!" she says in Spanish. Can you comprehend? It means hello, of course, To you and feathered friend. "Ni hao!"...

Frieda's pet cardinal.(short story)
April 1, 1997... Frieda watched as the red cardinal flew against the kitchen window -- again and again. How beautiful he was! What if he hit the glass too hard? Frieda had her answer shortly. There was a thud and down dropped the cardinal. "Oh, Mother,"...

Birdie, birdie, in the sky.(arithmetic word problem; includes answers)
April 1, 1997... A red bird, a gray bird, a brown bird, and a black bird were sitting together in a big oak tree. All took off flying at the same time. The red bird flew three miles east, the gray bird flew four miles north, the brown bird flew five miles...

She's for the birds.(11-year-old birdwatcher Jenny Brumfield)
April 1, 1997... When Jenny Brumfield was a baby, one of the first words she could say was "grackle." Her father had pointed out and named the black bird that sometimes came to the Brumfields' yard. Since then, this blonde, pony-tailed, 11-year-old has not...

Migration.(poem)
April 1, 1997... The southern sun climbs higher daily. Fattened geese grow too warm in thick down coats. They hanker for the north where lakes thaw; rivers push away ice-choked winter; wild grain ripens under a constantly circling sun. They build simple nests...

Feathered friends to find.(quiz on birds; includes answers)
April 1, 1997... Clues 1. A meal of insects I capture in flight; I'm commonly seen on a warm summer night. 2. So very tiny from feet to bill tip, I visit flowers for nectar to sip. 3. I wade through the shallows on semi-webbed feet; My sharp bill spears...

Do hummingbird really hum?
April 1, 1997... The world is full of unusual birds. The ostrich, for example, stands eight feet tall and can't fly, but can run thirty-five miles an hour. The owl can turn its head more than half a circle in either direction. And the kiwi bird hunts...

The woodpecker.(poem)
April 1, 1997... The lovely crested woodpecker has little on the ball. He sits up in a tree and bangs his head against a wall. He's digging after insects, which I'm told he likes to munch, But isn't there a better way to order out for lunch?

Crowing!(poem)
April 1, 1997... It struts and squeals to show The birds that play below That it's a threat. But you can bet It's just a shy and harmless crow.

Birds' nests.(cooked shredded-wheat and candy treat recipe)
April 1, 1997... Are you enjoying watching the birds build their nests this spring? Would you like to make a bird's nest too? You can. Only your nest will be good to eat. Below is a simple recipe for birds, nests. Birds' Nests Ingredients.. * 1...

Science: flower power.(make a paper flower that blooms by opening one petal at a time)
April 1, 1997... Imagine taking a piece of paper and making a flower that actually opens its petals and blooms before your eyes. This is an art project that uses science to have a surprise at the end. Once you know the science secret, you can make it work even...

Sentries of the scrub: the Florida scrub jay.(a threatened species)
April 1, 1997... Florida has many unique plants and animals. One of these is the Florida scrub jay, a threatened species. These birds can live only in a special kind of dry habitat called scrub. Florida scrub jays, close relatives of the blue jay, are...