Hopscotch articles from August 2000

Hopscotch archives from August 2000

Little Ladybug Lost.(Short Story)
August 1, 2000... Miss Penelope Pettigrew Poindexter Primm had gray hair. She had deep blue eyes that sparkled like a brook in the sunshine and a friendly smile that always seemed to say, "How are you, my dear?" Miss Penelope Pettigrew Poindexter Primm had a...

Bug Business.(ladybugs sold to control garden pests)
August 1, 2000... Would you buy a bug? A ladybug, that is. If you would, you're not alone. Thousands of ladybugs are sold every year. Gardeners buy the bright red insects to release into their gardens. The ladybugs help to control insect pests without the use of...

A young Ladybug.
August 1, 2000... There once was a young Ladybug. She wanted a spider to hug. In its web she got caught. Thus she learned she should not Ever give a spider a hug.

Fuzzy, Buzzing Dynamos.(bumblebees)
August 1, 2000... What is fat and fuzzy and shouldn't fly, but does? If you guessed a bumblebee, you were right! This plump little bee must beat his wings 2 1/2 times faster than his cousin, the honeybee, just to stay in the air. That's 160 times a second! To...

If Bees Didn't Buzz.(Poem)
August 1, 2000... If bees didn't buzz, What would they do? Would they whistle, tap their feet, Or hum while they flew? Would you like to hear a bumblebee sing a little tune While he flits from flower to flower ...

THE HONEY FACTORY.(how bees make honey)
August 1, 2000... To make one spoonful of honey, bees must visit 2,000 flowers. They collect a few drops of sweet liquid from the heart of each one. Some flowers make nectar at only one time during the day. Bees somehow know the right time to visit those...

The Grasshopper.(Poem)
August 1, 2000... He's a happy-go-hopper, A green garden guy, With his zigzag legs And his knees so high, With his legs at the ready, Set to bounce like a ball. He looks like he's hopping When he isn't at all.

Invite a Butterfly to Lunch.(gardens that appeal to butterflies)
August 1, 2000... If you invite a butterfly to lunch, it will walk all over its food. Butterflies don't do this to be rude. It's because their taste buds are located on the bottom of their feet. When a butterfly's taste buds detect something sweet, a long,...

Getting Together.(Poem)
August 1, 2000... The butterfly and the beetle were laughing and having some tea. Along came a little, red ladybug, and soon they were numbering three. They drank and they laughed till the tea was no more. Along hopped a cricket, and...

Advice to a Fly.(Poem)
August 1, 2000... A spider's web is sticky Which makes it very tricky. It's easy to get caught, little fly. Built by a hairy spider, He plans to sneak inside there In hopes that something tasty soon crawls by. ...

Build a Bug.(how to build a model of an insect)
August 1, 2000... There are many thousands of different kinds of insects in our world. You can find insects anywhere -- in woods, in fields, in deserts, in jungles, in water, on ice, in your yard, and sometimes even in your house. In fact, scientists believe...

BUGS IN MUD.(rice cereal snack)(Recipe)
August 1, 2000... There are lots of little critters busy working in the garden right beside you, even if you don't notice them. There are leaf hoppers, stink bugs, maggots, spiders, weevils, beetles, grasshoppers, centipedes, among a zillion others! Most of us...

Guess What!(facts about insects)
August 1, 2000... GUESS WHAT! Moths taste, not with their mouths, but with their feet! The emperor moth male can smell a female from a mile away. GUESS WHAT! The death's head hawk moth mimics the sound of a queen honeybee. It has no trouble getting...

A Bit About Beetles.
August 1, 2000... Have you ever held a Japanese beetle or a June bug? If so, you were holding one of the most interesting and talented insects in the world -- a beetle! Like other insects, beetles have three main body parts: a head, a thorax, and an abdomen. But...

Socks.(Poem)
August 1, 2000... These socks won't do! No, not at all! They're scratchy, scrunchy, way too tall, And at the toes are maddening bumps. I can't wear socks with all these lumps! My toes need socks that feel just right, That slip on...

The Aardvark.(Poem)
August 1, 2000... The aardvark eats ants by the dozens: Ant uncles, ant aunts, and ant cousins. He'll fry them or toast them Or grill them or roast them, Then gobble them straight from his ovens.

Careers For Ants.(ant behavior)
August 1, 2000... And you thought ants only stole food from picnics! Ants herding cows, hunting fresh meat, growing food on their own farms? Get out of here. But it's true! A FUNGUS AMONG US Farmer ants grow food in little "fields" that they water,...

Find the Door.(Poem)
August 1, 2000... Miss Muffet's little spider Has walked around some more. He wants to go back home again But cannot find the door. So will you lead the way for him? He says that if you do, ...