Highlights for Children articles from December 2008

Highlights for Children archives from December 2008

Easy gift ideas.(Fun This Month)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 1. Paint a flowerpot. 2. Create a coloring book using a marker and paper. 3. Make seasoned popcorn (with an adult's help). 4. Set a timer for 30 minutes and clean up! 5. Write and illustrate a poem...

95 years of crosswords.(Fun This Month)
December 1, 2008... On December 21, 1913, the first known crossword puzzle, created by Arthur Wynne. was published in the New York World.

Design a parade boat!(Fun This Month)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Fort Lauderdale, Florida, hosts the Winterfest Boat Parade on December 13. If you could decorate a boat, what would it look like? Use paper, paint, string, aluminum foil, and other items to make a 3-D picture of it.

End-of-year charades.(Fun This Month)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... With family or friends, take turns acting out events that took place this year. (Actors: No talking!) The person who correctly guesses the event performs the next charade. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Tongue twister.(Fun This Month)
December 1, 2008... Say this five times fast. Lara sang Sarah's long song. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Winter is on its way.(Fun This Month)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... On a separate piece of paper, trace the chart at the right. Then draw (or name) an object in every empty box so that each column and row has one hat, a pair of boots, one cup of hot chocolate, a pair of mittens, and one snowflake. Answer...

A good "bug" to catch.(Dear Readers)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2008... I loved reading your stories about catching the "nice bug" (pages 18 and 19). I wondered what I might have written about, and I remembered the time my Family bought two Christmas trees. I had a Friend whose Family was going through some hard...

Mice's Song.(Poem)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Mice's Song Cheese on toast delights us most. Please leave a little beneath the table. Crackers and cheese are sure to please, And we shall eat as much as we're able. Cheeseless food ...

A crocodile tale.(Short story)
December 1, 2008... "I have a problem." That's what Jack says to me just before Ms. Sanchez tells us to get back to our seats this instant or no recess for a week. I scramble into my seat at the front of the classroom. Too bad Jack has to sit all the way in...

Your best self.(Cartoon)
December 1, 2008... We'd like to make a cake for Mom and Dad. Will you help us? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

[Cartoon].(Cartoon)
December 1, 2008... Why is everybody standing in line? I don't know, but with a line THIS long it HAS to be for something FANTASTIC! [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Matching.
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Look at each train car on the left. Find one like it on the right.

Thinking.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Everyone finds something good at the bakery! * What jobs do people do in bakeries? * What equipment might you Find in the back room of this bakery? What ingredients might a baker use to make cakes? Cookies? Bread? * Which treats...

All of Spain celebrates Three Kings' Day.
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Trumpets sound in the distance. People's lively conversation comes to a halt. Children smile and elbow each other. "They're coming," is the buzz. Adults lift children on their shoulders. The trumpets...

Donkeys play a role, too.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Alcoy was the first Spanish city to celebrate the Cabalgata de Reyes. Some traditions established then are still around today. One of them is Els Burretes, or Donkeys' 'Day. On January 4, donkeys decorated with ribbons carry large baskets...

Three Kings' dinner.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Three Kings' dinner is similar to Christmas dinner except for dessert. Roscon, a special ring-shaped pastry, is prepared on this day. Decorated with pieces of candied fruit, it is baked with all kinds of fillings. A...

Panda makes a bookmark: Panda kept knitting and knitting and knitting ...(Short story)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Panda went to the store to buy some needles and yarn. "I'm going to make a bookmark so I won't lose my place when I'm reading," he said. He went home and began to knit. Clack, clack went the needles. "This is...

Ski buddies.(Hidden Pictures[R])(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In this big picture, find the paintbrush, snake, tweezers, bell, paper clip, cherry, cane, spoon, tack, light bulb, toothbrush, lollipop, crown, scrub brush, and mushroom. Can you find these Hidden Pictures[R]...

The Christmas Story.(Poem)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... The Christmas Story It's such a simple story: a star soft hay some sheep a donkey in a stable a baby sound asleep. They say it was in winter. They say the air was chill. They say that angels sang...

Jokes.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Shivani: Why was the T rex afraid to go to the library? James: I don't know. Why? Shivani: Because her books were millions of years overdue! Shivani Surati, North Carolina George: What would you do if a bull charged you? ...

Watching wild baboons: how do they hunt for food?
December 1, 2008... Baboons in the wild eat a lot of different foods. I have seen them do it. I am a primatologist, which means I study monkeys and other primates. Baboons eat fruit from baobab trees and fruit that looks like raspberries. They eat roots from...

Catching the "nice bug".
December 1, 2008... There are some things you don't want to catch--like colds. But kindness can be contagious, too! Thanks for your stories about catching the "nice bug." One time I set the table, and my sister Lily washed the dishes. We must have had the...

How empty is it?(Science Corner)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Lower a balloon into an empty water bottle and stretch the opening of the balloon around the mouth of the bottle. Try to blow up the balloon. Why can't you do it? The reason is that the bottle isn't really empty....

Do you dig archaeology?(Science Corner)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... This drawing shows objects buried in layers of soil. A fire left the dark layer of ash. Which things came before the fire, and which came after? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Science Corner Do You Dig Archaeology?-The arrowheads are From...

I wonder ... how a soft squid can chew its food.(Science Corner)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A squid does not have bones and teeth. But it does have hard parts inside its mouth for crushing and grinding food.

Dino days.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Which was more dangerous, a male or female T. rex? Ella Bryant, Age 10 Kansas The female T. rex was usually bigger than the male, so maybe it was more dangerous. Some scientists think the most dangerous kind of T rex was the...

The Timbertoes[R].(Brief article)(Cartoon)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Tommy was painting. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mabel took a look. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Why is the sky green? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Hmm," said Ma. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Is Pa's...

My super-sensitive friend.(Ask Arizona)(Column)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Dear Arizona, My friend has a medical condition that makes him act in unusual ways sometimes. Before we became friends, I thought he was kind of weird, but now I understand him better. Am I a bad person for...

Goofus and Gallant[R].(Brief article)(Cartoon)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Wow! Feel this says Goofus. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Gallant respects the rules. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "I felt tike Goofus when I ate sweets before dinner." Anca, Age 10, Romania ...

Sport-shuffle mystery.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sport-Shuffle Mystery My first letter is in fast but not in fact. My fifth letter is in team but not in tram. My fourth letter is in cleats but not in pleats. My third...

Let's paint.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Luke wanted to paint a picture. So did Jenny. Luke found one paintbrush in a drawer and one on a table. "One plus one makes two," he said. "Now we can paint." "We only have one piece of paper," said Jenny. She cut...

Bug-zilla: on the hunt: this caterpillar eats other insects.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A killer lurks in the forests of Hawaii. The Eupithecia (you-PITH-uh-SEE-uh) caterpillar is unlike most caterpillars. It preys on other insects and spiders. Eupithecia looks like a harmless inchworm. The bug...

Did any kind of horse have a horn in the middle of its forehead?(Science Letters)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Eve von Mangan, Age 12 North Carolina [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In the rest of your letter, you suggested that a horse with a horn might explain the belief in unicorns. Many other people have also wondered about a scientific...

What is volcano lava?(Science Letters)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Emily Tosto Michigan We asked a geologist, Andrew A. Sicree, Ph.D. He wrote: "Lava is melted rock. Because it flows like a liquid we call it a 'fluid.' When a rock is melted inside Earth we call the fluid 'magma.' When the melted...

Why are dogs noses wet?(Science Letters)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Emma Hall, Ate 8 Alaska [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It's possible that no one knows the answer to this question. We could not find one. But the question shows why science is exciting: there are always questions that have not been...

Make a dreidel.(Celebrate Hanukkah with a Game)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... 1. Cut a 1 3/4-inch square from card stock. Cut a cup from a cardboard egg carton. 2. Punch a hole in the square and in the bottom of the cup. Glue the sides of the square inside the cup. 3. Paint the cup. Let it dry. 4. With...

The dreidel's dance.(Celebrate Hanukkah with a game)(Poem)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... The Dreidel's Dance She leaps out of my hand so fast she seems to fly, pirouettes across the table, Hebrew letters whirling by. I gasp as she slows down--will I lose with nun or shin? Then she curtsies...

Rotterdam Christmas: a story based on true events.(Short story)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The city clock chimed 7:00. Johanna stared out the kitchen window. The chimes reminded her of the song "Klokken op de Kerstdagen." Her head sang the tune. I heard the bells on Christmas day... peace on Earth,...

The tree-topper game.(Crafts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... 1. Cut a large Christmas-tree shape from poster board. 2. Cut colored circles from paper, and glue them onto the tree for ornaments. 3. Number each ornament, starting at the bottom. Write "Start" on the trunk of the tree. Write actions...

Holiday cookie tray.(Crafts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... 1. Cut off the back of an empty cereal box. Cover it with aluminum foil to make a cookie rack. 2. To make a tray, tape the flaps on the box in place. Cover the box with paper, and decorate it. 3. Glue the bottoms of five paper cups to...

Kwanzaa mat.(Crafts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... The Kwanzaa mat, called the mkeka, is one of the seven symbols of Kwanzaa. 1. From a brown paper bag, cut a 9-inch-by-24-inch rectangle. Spread glue on the printed side, and fold the bag in half. Let it dry. 2. Cut one-inch strips...

Holiday notebook.(Crafts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... 1. Cover a used greeting card with gift paper. 2. Glue a short stack of sticky notes inside. 3. Glue a photo to the front of the card. 4. Use a marker to write a message on the front and inside. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Family-fun candles.(Crafts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... 1. Glue paper around cardboard tubes to make candles. 2. Cut flames from paper, as shown. On each flame, write a fun activity for the family to do together. 3. To make a base for an Advent wreath, glue paper to a round cardboard pizza...

Find the sneaky snowball.(Crafts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 1. Cut three cups from an empty egg carton. 2. From felt, cut three matching snowman heads. Add facial features, hats and wiggle eyes. 3. Glue a snowman head to each egg cup. To Play: Place a cotton-ball...

The Prince.(Your Own Pages)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Hudson Wilson, Age S Texas

Chess.(Your Own Pages)(Poem)
December 1, 2008... Check your king. Hide my king. Eat up pieces. Save your queen. See my checkmate. Sarah Walls, Age 8 Arizona

My Kitten, Jasmine.(Your Own Pages)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Courtney Hohn, Age 10 Maryland

I Bet If We Were Silent.(Your Own Pages)(Poem)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... I Bet If We Were Silent I bet if we were silent, we could hear all creatures sing. But with us humans, it's talk, talk, talk, move. Rush, rush, rush, move. Never still, silent, or slow, to...

Winter Swimming Pool.(Your Own Pages)(Poem)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Winter Swimming Pool Have you ever jumped into a pool of snow? With the jump-up and sudden fall-down? The snow slips in your mittens, and cold seeps in your skin. It slithers through your body, touching your...

My Grandma.(Your Own Pages)(Poem)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... My Grandma My grandma is really loved by me! I love her as much as she does me. We love each other! Guess what we like to do? We like to make cookies on a cold winter day. My grandma is really loved. ...

Can We Play Ball?(Your Own Pages)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Savanna Johnston, Age 13 Wisconsin

Mikael Tellqvist.(Your Own Pages)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ben Consmueller, Age 10 Nova Scotia, Canada

My Big Brother.(Your Own Pages)(Poem)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... My Big Brother I have a brother and he is in heaven. I used to call him smelly Kelly, and he would tickle my belly until I cried stop. My brother is cool; he showed me how to tie my shoe, ...

Me in Japan.(Your Own Pages)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Anna Goddu, Age 6 Washington

My Piano.(Your Own Pages)(Poem)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] My Piano My piano is enjoyable. I'd like to play it as a career. I play it all the time. There is a recital twice a year. It is very relaxing; it also brings great joy. I...

Fox Loves to Run.(Your Own Pages)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Hannah Kozak, Age 6 Georgia

The Moon.(Your Own Pages)(Poem)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... The Moon I am the moon. I am your brother. I play in the night sky. I guard you as you sleep. I whisper in your ear. When you get scared, I lull you back to sleep. And when you get lonely, I am...

And My Heart Soars.(Your Own Pages)(Poem)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... And My Heart Soars The daylight at noon, the warm and the cold, the love of relatives alive or dead speak to me. The morning air, the love and comfort, blue sky, black sky speak to me. We wander...

Sunflowers.(Your Own Pages)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Joanna Shan, Age S California

Sunshine.(Your Own Pages)(Poem)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Sunshine The sun that shines oh, so bright, with all its power and its might-- it casts a warm and friendly glow to the earth down far below. It can be very hot at times, and clouds can...

Mr. Koala.(Your Own Pages)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Preeya Sheth, Age 9 New Jersey

Butterfly.(Your Own Pages)(Poem)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... ButterFly Butterfly, Butterfly, come near me. I'll tell you a tale about when you were a caterpillar. Molly Karst, Age 4 Colorado [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Gage Korell, Age 8 Colorado

A tooth tale.(Short story)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Tooth Fairy tiptoed into the bedroom. "How nice," she whispered. "David cleaned his room. Now I won't trip on anything while I look for his first lost tooth." She reached under his pillow and touched paper....

Snowy bird feeder.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... 1. For a bird-feeder stand, roll six softball-sized snowballs and stack them on top of one another. 2. Smooth the sides and pack in extra snow to strengthen the stand. Flatten the top of the stand. 3. Roll one larger snowball and...

Riddles.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... (1) What do snowmen eat for breakfast? Nicholas DeLuCa, New York (2) What kind of berry can you use to draw? Hannah Bloom, Florida (3) Who is the king of the inches? Nelson Nunes, California (4) What did the cake say...

The bear family.(Brief article)(Cartoon)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mom: Don't forget your hats. It's cold tonight. Piddy: I love to go caroling! [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Poozy: Let's sing "Silent Night." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mr. Zebel: Thank you for your...

Once chicken's discovery: for a bird, she wasn't a bad scientist.
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Lumpy passed the time doing what all free-roaming chickens do--scratching the soil to search for her favorite snacks: crunchy potato-beetle grubs. Lumpy was a Rhode Island Red hen. She lived near the Delaware...

Brain play.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Start at the beginning and see how far you can go, thinking of good answers from your own head. START [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Which is bigger, pizza or a cracker? What is the last thing you put on when you let dressed in the...

When I'm trying to get the basketball, somebody, always takes it away. How do I save it?(Dear Highlights)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Kiana H., California It's great that you want to improve your skills! One thing that may help is to practice your dribbling so that you always have complete control over the ball. That way, you can turn quickly...

I am only nine. How do I earn money?(Dear Highlights)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Joey (by e-mail) Ask your parents if there are household chores that you can get paid for doing, such as setting and clearing the table, vacuuming, sweeping, loading and unloading the dishwasher, dusting, or helping with yard work. With...

Every time my teacher gives a lesson, I start to think about something different. When we have to take a test, I'm clueless! Any advice?(Dear Highlights)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] J.J., Minnesota First, think about where you sit in class. If you don't sit near the front of the class, ask your teacher about moving closer. You might find it easier to focus if you sit in front. Second,...

When my first name is in a story or is the first name of an author, I get embarrassed. Can you help?(Dear Highlights)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Michael (by e-mail) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Perhaps you get embarrassed because other people tease you about this. If they know that you're sensitive on this subject, they may enjoy trying to get a reaction out of you. In that case, try...

Picture puzzler.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This nuthatch sees a patch between the snowflakes to the seeds below. Do you Can you find the two matching snowflake photos? String together the letters on the correct path to find a message. ...