Highlights for Children articles from May 2004

Highlights for Children archives from May 2004

How to Eat a Poem.(Poem)
May 1, 2004... How to Eat a Poem Don't be polite. Bite in. Pick it up with your fingers and lick the juice that may run down your Chin. It is ready and ripe now, whenever you are. You do not need a knife or fork or Spoon...

Find the pictures.
May 1, 2004... Can you find each of these pictures at another place in this book? [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED]

Dear readers.(Editorial)
May 1, 2004... Dear Readers, When you're a kid, it's fun to play in a special place that's all your own. A sunflower house (page 5) sounds just right. It's cheerful and private, and it has a "sunroof," perfect for sky watching. Best of all, you can make...

Plant a sunflower house.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... It takes only a small section of a garden, yard, or flower bed to grow your own sunflower house for the summer. Pick up a packet of sunflower seeds and get ready to plant! 1. Ask your parents to help you choose a space for planting, about...

The Flying V.(Short Story)
May 1, 2004... Conor's soccer team needed help. The Falcons had lost every game this season except one, which they'd tied--zero to zero. No one on the team had even scored a goal yet. Conor wanted to fix that. "It's not about winning," Coach Jenkins...

The Timbertoes.(Comic)
May 1, 2004... Ma woke up with a cold. She sneezed and sneezed and sneezed and sneezed! "Let's make Ma feel better." Pa brought a cup of tea. Mabel brought a blanket. Tommy brought tissues. Splinter kept her warm. ...

Goosey-Gog and Ducketty-Duck.(Short Story)
May 1, 2004... Goosey-Gog and Ducketty-Duck Went for a walk and got stucketty-stuck Down by the pond in the mucketty-muck. Along came Chicken Clucketty-Cluck, Who said, "You are in lucketty-luck. I have got my trucketty-truck To pull you out of that...

How are they alike?
May 1, 2004... Point to three things here that are alike in some way. Then point to three that are alike in another way. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Riddles.
May 1, 2004... 1. If dogs go to obedience school, where do cats go? Mary Gustafson, Missouri 2. What do you call a cheese that talks too much? Joseph Chaipan, Texas 3. What kind of bugs live in clocks? Everrett Shorts, Maryland 4....

Crows in the city: in Japan, these birds have found treasures in trash.
May 1, 2004... It was a quiet day in March. I was on a platform, waiting for the train, and I could see a huge keyaki tree. Up high in the tree was a crow's nest that was left over from the year before. A crow was perching on the nest and picking up...

The mother's day present.(Short Story)
May 1, 2004... Jim slumped on the couch. Mother's Day was coming up, and he didn't have a present. "How can I buy a present without any money?" he thought. Jim picked up the newspaper that was lying on the couch. He noticed a large ad on the front page....

Auntie Pig's Recital.(Hidden Pictures[TM])
May 1, 2004... In this big picture find the hammer, pencil, roller skate, cup, hanger, frog, pennant, tack, eyeglasses, chick, book, fishhook, bird, and spoon. [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED]

Feet.(Poem)
May 1, 2004... Feet My feet are great! They hop. They dance. My feet can tap, can jump, can prance. My feet can march, can climb the hill. They're just not good at keeping still.

Jokes.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Chris: "I couldn't sleep last night." Debbie: "Why not?" Chris: "I accidentally plugged my electric blanket into the toaster, and I was popping out of bed all night!" Caitlin Davis, Maryland Milly is so silly that she ate the...

Every carving tells a story.
May 1, 2004... Mary Shelley bends over her latest creation. With her left hand, she digs a chisel into the woodcarving while gently tapping the handle of the tool with a padded mallet. Tiny wood chips flake off the board and float to the floor. Although the...

For wee folks.
May 1, 2004... * How do animal mothers help their babies? * How do human mothers help their children? * What are some things children can do to help their mothers? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Sleepy humans.(Science Letters)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... What makes a person yawn? Why does your mouth open wide when you yawn? Mussi Greenberg, Age 12 Illinois Yawning is a very standardized reaction we all do in about the same way. It's a curiosity because we really don't know why we...

Slumbering fish.(Science Letters)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Do fish sleep? Laura Hoffman, Age 12 Illinois It's hard to tell because many fish don't have to lie down to be perfectly still. All they have to do is relax their muscles, and they can stay right there in one place. My friend...

Snoring insects.(Science Letters)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Do bugs sleep? Erica Lee, Age 12 New Jersey All I can say for sure is that they don't sleep the way you do. Insects are "cold-blooded," meaning that their body temperature is determined by the outdoor temperature. So when it gets...

Thinking like Edison.(Flashbacks)
May 1, 2004... I build robots. I have invented robots that crawl through pipes to inspect them for damage. Some of my robots clean large oil tanks and keep them from leaking oil into the environment. Two of my inventions allow ears to be used as power...

Every angle.
May 1, 2004... There are 22 triangles in this figure. Can you spot them all? ANSWERS: [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED]

Primary wing playground.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... "I love recess. I especially enjoy playing in the dirt.... I'm from a long line of farmers." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Number chain.
May 1, 2004... In each series, what number comes next? 2, 4, 6, 8, ? 5, 10, 15, 20, ? 10, 9, 8, 7, ? 3, 6, 9, 12, ? 50, 40, 30, 20, ?

Matching.
May 1, 2004... Look at each rabbit on the left. Find one like it on the right. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The cottage-key caper.(Short Story)
May 1, 2004... Doors slam. Sneakers bounce. Bathing suits and T-shirts fly. Packing for the island house always makes Morn frantic. Mr. Whisper, our blue macaw, usually sits on top of his cage, preening and making remarks. But now, the commotion has him...

Unicorn.(Our Own Pages)
May 1, 2004... Unicorn [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Rob Bennett, Age 5 Georgia

What to Do?(Our Own Pages)(Poem)
May 1, 2004... What to Do? What to do? I don't know. Do a puzzle, draw, play a board game? I don't know what to do. Run and play? No, it's raining. What to do? Maybe scare my brothers. No, that's mean. ...

Air-traffic controllers.(Our Own Pages)(Poem)
May 1, 2004... Air-Traffic Controllers Following the aircrafts' movements, safety--their silent prayer, from takeoff to landing, at the radar screen they stare, locating and guiding their paths through the air, ...

Mama is swinging me around.(Our Own Pages)
May 1, 2004... Mama is swinging me around. It feels like my slippers are falling off. Clara Rose Beal, Age 5 Maine [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The Buttercup.(Our Own Pages)(Poem)
May 1, 2004... The Buttercup The sun rises up, up, up. The sun shines on a buttercup. One little buttercup started to dance. It started to dance and started to prance. The sun went down, down, down Behind the buttercup in its...

Fawns.(Our Own Pages)(Poem)
May 1, 2004... Fawns Little baby deer In the big grassy meadow Staying close to Morn. Rachel Walther, Age 10 California

The Walk to the Library.(Our Own Pages)(Poem)
May 1, 2004... The Walk to the Library You hear your pants clashing together. You hear the door go creak. You say "Thank you" to the person who holds the door for you. You enter the library. You hear the fingers click, click, ...

The Anteater.(Our Own Pages)
May 1, 2004... The Anteater [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Harley Brooke Francis, Age 7 Colorado

Sleep.(Our Own Pages)(Poem)
May 1, 2004... Sleep At night I am tired. I wish to dance with them-the moon and stars. Sleep pulls at my eyelids. Now I know I can, until morning. I sleep. Becca Train, Age 11 Ontario

Header!(Our Own Pages)
May 1, 2004... Header! [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Kyla Dill, Age 11 Hawaii

Spring.(Our Own Pages)(Poem)
May 1, 2004... Spring Spring is a bud Opening up to the summer Opening up to the heat The season of life The season of new birth The season of new beginning. When summer comes, it becomes a flower. Hugh Sagona,...

The Kitty's Pet.(Our Own Pages)
May 1, 2004... The Kitty's Pet [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Anne_marie Hollabaugh, Age 8 Arkansas

There Is an Elephant Under My Bed.(Our Own Pages)(Poem)
May 1, 2004... There Is an Elephant Under My Bed There is an elephant under my bed. There's a giraffe in the playhouse out front. My dad's trying to get a monkey out, But it says, "I simply won't." I try to make the lion...

I Am the Earth.(Our Own Pages)(Poem)
May 1, 2004... I Am the Earth I am a red apple in a tree. I am a robin singing in the sky. I am a tapping noise of the rain. I am a horse running free. I am a shooting star in the night. I am snow falling from the sky. I am...

Me Holding My Cousin.(Our Own Pages)
May 1, 2004... Me Holding My Cousin [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Emily Sinclair, Age 10 New York

A Shooting Star.(Our Own Pages)
May 1, 2004... A Shooting Star [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Eli Ring, Age 9 North Carolina

Tree.(Our Own Pages)(Poem)
May 1, 2004... Tree A tree is high. A tree starts low. A tree is a tree, And also a home. It helps us breathe. It helps the world. It provides for us And animals, too. Daniel Cardin, Age 8 Connecticut

Geese like to fly.(Our Own Pages)(Poem)
May 1, 2004... Geese like to fly high in the sky and swim in the pond. Tyler Smith, Age 10 Maryland

Tales from the shore.(Short Story)
May 1, 2004... Come with me on a nature walk. Let's see what we can discover along a river in northern Illinois. By looking, listening, and thinking, we can find stories in nature. A Flood Tale We climb down the grassy riverbank and jump onto a wide...

I wonder ... why the raccoon's eyes seem to glow.(Science Corner)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... The eyes seem to glow because light is reflected by a shiny layer at the back of the eye. This shiny layer helps the raccoon see at night. Like a person's eyes, raccoons' eyes have cells that sense light as it goes through them. The raccoon's...

Get it out!(Science Corner)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Imagine a straight pipe standing on end. It is three inches in diameter and four feet tall. It has been firmly glued and sealed to a concrete floor. A Ping-Pong ball has been dropped into the pipe. How would you get the ball out? Get It...

What passes through here?(Science Corner)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... What kinds of dust, dirt, and little creatures move around in your home? Use a simple trap to find out. Make a loop of tape with the sticky side out, and press it onto a piece of cardboard. Lay the cardboard, tape-side up, in a spot where it...

Dinosaur days.(Science Corner)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Do you know what a fossilized dinosaur egg looks like? Jamie Adkison, Age 12 Texas Yes, I have some fossilized dinosaur eggs near me as I write this. The eggs feel like rock, but you can see and feel the eggshell texture and the...

Casie's Kazoo.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... "What's this?" asked Casie as she opened the present. "It's a kazoo," said Mom. "You hum a tune into it." Casie put the kazoo to her lips and hummed. "I can play a kazoo!" said Casie. She played her kazoo while walking to school. She played...

Picked on.(Responses to Your Ideas, Please!)
May 1, 2004... Last November, we printed three letters from kids who wanted help, and we asked what you would tell them. Thanks for your great ideas! We wish we had room to print all of your letters. Here are just a few. Everybody picks on my friend. When...

Too much TV.(Responses to Your Ideas, Please!)
May 1, 2004... Every day after school I always watch TV. Sometimes I watch too much. Can you help me? Brandie R., California First of all, you should do your homework. Then, why don't you play outside with some friends? We can all use some fresh air....

Feels ignored.(Responses to Your Ideas, Please!)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... My baby sister gets all the attention. What should I do? Aaron J., New York Don't worry. Your little sister will grow out of being the center of attention of the universe. Trust me. I went through the same thing, and now we share every...

Help the cartoonists.
May 1, 2004... Give your sense of humor a workout! 1. Write a funny punch line for any or all of these cartoons. (Be sure to label your punch lines A, B, or C.) 2. Include your name, age, and complete address. 3. Mail your work to Help the...

Thinking.
May 1, 2004... * How do you think these kids' lives are similar to yours? How might they be different? What are some things kids all over the world have in common? * If all the kids in these pictures got together one afternoon, what could they do for...

This keyboard fits like a glove: in the future, will computers be stitched into our clothes?(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Computers are getting smaller and smaller--and easier to use. Now engineers are creating new computers that can be carried in fanny packs or even sewn into clothing. The engineers replaced the hard drives with tiny circuits, and they shrank the...

A day for remembering: Memorial Day traces its roots back to the civil war and to a small town in Pennsylvania.
May 1, 2004... It was August 5, 1862, and summer vacation was already over in central Pennsylvania. Thirteen-year-old Sophie Keller and her friend giggled as they walked to school. They were eager to trade secrets with the classmates they hadn't seen since...

These crickets can jump.(paper craft)
May 1, 2004... 1. To make a "cricket," fold a 3-inch square of paper in half three times (see diagram). 2. Wrap a piece of tape around each end. Fold the paper into a W shape. 3. Make five crickets for each player, each in a different color. 4....

What are you hiding, little mouse?(paper work)
May 1, 2004... 1. From felt, cut out these mouse features: four feet, two ears, two eyes, a nose, and a tail. You can also use wiggle eyes. 2. Add details with markers. 3. Glue the mouse features onto a plastic egg. 4. Store tiny treasures...

Mom will love spinning this card!(you can make it)
May 1, 2004... 1. From different colors of construction paper, cut two large identical circles. 2. Fold one circle in half and cut a heart shape from it. Fold one side of the heart in half and cut out a small heart-shaped window. 3. Attach the heart...

Flowers that bloom anywhere.(paper flowers)
May 1, 2004... 1. Thread a chenille stick through the hole or holes of a large button. Twist the ends of the stick together to form a stem. 2. From craft foam or paper, cut out five identical hearts. Cut a slit near the pointed end of each heart. 3....

Make music with these maracas.(You Can Make It!)
May 1, 2004... Cinco de Mayo (May 5) is a popular celebration in both Mexico and the southwestern United States. It's a time for parades, folklorico dancing, and mariachi music. Make these maracas to celebrate with Mexican music. 1. Drop 20 dried beans...

Craft challenge!(You Can Make It!)
May 1, 2004... Create an animal out of boxes, cans, and drinking straws.

Headwork.
May 1, 2004... Start at the beginning and see how far you can go, thinking of good answers from your own head. Which has a larger pit, a peach or a cherry? How can you tell that a dog is happy? How many hind legs does a rabbit have? What...

Meal mix-up.
May 1, 2004... The Field family is having dinner at a restaurant. Their waiter is about to serve the meals, but he can't remember who ordered which item. Follow these clues to figure out who ordered the lobster, who ordered the crab, who ordered the salmon,...

Goofus and Gallatn[R].
May 1, 2004... "What? The reports are supposed to be three pages long?" Gallant reads the instructions. Goofus shows off when he scores a goal. Gallant is pleased but doesn't brag. [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED]

The cave that talked: a tale from the Panchatantra.(Short Story)
May 1, 2004... The Panchatantra is a collection of stories written long ago in India. A teacher wrote them to show his students, three young princes, how to live wisely. Long ago, deep in a forest, a jackal discovered a cave. He decided to make it his...

Bad haircut.
May 1, 2004... I got a haircut. It's not the way I want it, and it looks bad. I have soccer tryouts soon, and I'm scared that the people there will think I look weird. Can you help? Christian M., Florida Getting a haircut that you're unhappy with...

Missing mom.(Dear Highlights)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... I wonder what life would be like if my morn was still alive. At least I "saw my morn" for a little while. M.N., Nevada It's difficult to live without someone you loved so much. As you mentioned, you were fortunate to have known your...

Too many books.(Dear Highlights)
May 1, 2004... I have a problem. I get into a good book, and when I'm in the middle of it, I start to read a different book. Jessica C., Michigan Here are some ideas to try. You can start by keeping a list. When you see a book you want to read,...

Friend won't forgive.(Dear Highlights)
May 1, 2004... I have a friend, but now she hates me because we got in a fight. I keep asking her if we can be friends again, but she keeps saying no. What can I do? Alana D., Washington It's very mature of you to want to make amends. Your friend...

Jelly jigsaw.
May 1, 2004... Which of these puzzle pieces belong in the numbered spaces? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Challenge: Find where the other puzzle pieces belong. D fills space 1, E fills space 2, and A fills space 3.