Hopscotch articles from February 1998

Hopscotch archives from February 1998

Contrary Mary.(19th century physician Mary Edwards Walker)
February 1, 1998... Mary Edwards Walker stood only five feet tall, her body resembling that of a young girl. But she had big ideas, contrary ideas. At least that was the way society in the mid-nineteenth century viewed them. In 1852, at age 20, she announced...

Freckles.(poem)(Brief Article)
February 1, 1998... I birthday wished for freckles, But got a bike instead. I sat in the midday sun, Waited for freckles to come, But got sunburn speckles instead. I penciled in some gray dots Across my nose and chin, But no one noticed, Not even my freckled...

Penelope's polka dots.(chicken pox; short story)
February 1, 1998... Penelope had just gotten over the chicken pox, but she still had spots. There were more spots than she thought possible, from her head to her toes and everywhere in between. She stuck her tongue out at herself in the mirror. "Horrid old...

The mysterious yawn.(yawning)
February 1, 1998... People do it. Most animals do it. Everybody does it. We all yawn, but nobody's really sure why we do it. We begin to yawn about five minutes after we're born. We continue to yawn all of our lives. We do most of our yawning when we first...

Every day.(physiological statistics)(Brief Article)
February 1, 1998... * Our heart beats 103,689 times. * Our blood travels 168,000,000 miles. * We breathe 23,040 times. * We inhale 438 cubic feet of air. * We eat 3 1/ 4pounds of food. * We drink 2.9 pounds of liquids. * We perspire 1.43 pints. * We give off heat...

Hugs and kisses.(dessert recipe)(Brief Article)
February 1, 1998... You will need: * 6 oz. white chocolate chips or white candy coating * 1 tablespoon solid shortening * 4 - 5 dozen small pretzels or 2 dozen large pretzels * waxed paper Working with a grown-up, melt the chips (or candy...

Isn't it strange.(human anatomy; poem)(Brief Article)
February 1, 1998... There are nails on your fingers And nails on your toes, An arch on each foot, And a bridge on your nose. There's a roof in your mouth, And a drum in each ear. Each eye has a pupil. Now isn't that queer? Each knee has a cap And each shoulder a...

The first American nurse.(Linda Richards)
February 1, 1998... "I am taking you to St. Johnsbury Academy tomorrow," said the elderly man to his granddaughter. "There you will learn to be a schoolteacher." "But Grandfather," said Linda Richards in despair, "I don't want to be a schoolteacher. I want...

My room.(bedroom; poem)(Brief Article)
February 1, 1998... My mom walked into my room one day And cried out in distress, "Where is the bed? It's hidden in this Ghastly, awful mess. "There's jewelry on the window sill, Stuffed bunnies down below. The clothes are piled like mountains high With white...

Round is strong.(science experiment)
February 1, 1998... "Structural engineers" are scientists who know how to make things stronger. If you look at the beams in a bridge, you will see they are not flat, but are in different shapes which are called "beams." shaping metal, structural engineers make...

The doctor and her sunshine girl.(Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell; 19th century physician)
February 1, 1998... Seven-year-old Katharine Barry, her hands clasped behind her, sadly stared out the orphanage window at the sunset over New York City. As the clouds turned pink and orange, she hardly noticed the short woman with wavy blond hair looking over...

The itch.(itching; poem)
February 1, 1998... A little itch starts on my nose And moves and jumps and slides and grows. I feel that itch slip to my mouth; From there I think it's heading south. And then it leaps, to my surprise, And plants itself between my eyes. It's sliding south and...

Dead or alive?(human hair)
February 1, 1998... Have you ever wondered whether your hair is dead or alive? Carefully pull one hair out of your head (and keep it). I expect you could feel it leave your scalp. Perhaps it even hurt a little. Each hair has a bulb, called a follicle, buried in a...

What is a home?(poem)(Brief Article)
February 1, 1998... A home is WARM like soft blankets, red mittens, and hugs. A home is FUN like popcorn, birthday cakes, and bedtime stories. A home is SAFE with someone who worries if you're late and keeps a light...

A pebble and a pen.('Father of American Penmanship' Platt Rogers Spencer)
February 1, 1998... Twelve-year-old Platt Rogers Spencer's favorite place to play was the beach. He liked to skip stones across the surface of Lake Erie and watch the motion of the waves as they crashed over his toes and scattered pebbles upon the beach. Spencer...

Grapho-analysis.(includes list of suggested related books)
February 1, 1998... Have you ever admired someone else's handwriting? Did it look almost too perfect to come out of a pen? That's just what Ruth Plummer thought. Ruth was always curious about the reason people write in so many different styles. All through school...

Make cool envelopes out of old maps.(Brief Article)
February 1, 1998... When maps become out-dated, don't throw them out! You can use them for envelopes. Just follow these simple directions, and you can make letter-size envelopes. * Cut out a template, or guide, you can use to trace onto your map. * Face...

A simple, little bumble bee.(poem)(Brief Article)
February 1, 1998... There was a bee Who thought that she Could never be But what you see - A simple, little bumble bee. As long as she Can not see That she can be More than she Thought that she Could ever be - That's all that she Will ever be - A simple, little...

A good samaritan.(good deed done by Abraham Lincoln)
February 1, 1998... In the early 1830s, two settlers moved to territory surrounding the log-house village of Salem, Illinois. One, a tall young man burdened with debt, found work as a land surveyor, a fence-rail splitter, and a part-time postmaster to pay back...

It up and went.(humorous poem about forgetfulness)(Brief Article)
February 1, 1998... Between my ears, behind my brow, I used to keep my brain, but now It's disappeared without a trace And left an empty, airy space. I don't know why It up and went - It didn't even Have a dent! It didn't show Much wear and tear. If only I had...