Highlights for Children articles from September 2005

Highlights for Children archives from September 2005

The Pen.
September 1, 2005... Take a pen in your uncertain fingers. Trust, and be assured That the whole world is a sky-blue butterfly And words are the nets to capture it.

Find the pictures.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Can you find each of these pictures at another place in this book? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Dear readers.(Editorial)
September 1, 2005... Soon school will begin. You may be wondering, "Will I like my new teacher? Will he or she like me?" When I was a student, I wondered about this, too. One year, I learned I'd been given Mrs. McAfoos. Some kids said that Mrs. McAfoos was "strict"...

Through the table! Amaze your friends with this magic trick.
September 1, 2005... You and a buddy are sitting at a table. You cover a saltshaker with a napkin. "This is a statue," you say. Then you put down a coin. "This is the base." You set the shaker on the coin. "I'll make this statue disappear," you say....

The scoop on ice-cream headaches.
September 1, 2005... If you've ever had an ice-cream headache, you've probably wondered what you could do to stop it from happening again. Maya Kaczorowski wondered, too, but didn't stop there. This Ontario native loves ice cream but really hates ice-cream...

Thinking.
September 1, 2005... This playground is a busy place. * Who has lost something? * Who has found it? * Some children are playing hide-and-seek. Who is hiding? Who will seek? * What does your playground have that is missing here? At your...

Dinosaur art contest.
September 1, 2005... Becky, Sarah, Kevin, and Theo entered their school's dinosaur art contest. The dinosaurs they chose to make were Stegosaurus, Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, and Velociraptor. Some of the contest entries were drawn with colored pencils. Others...

Summer Harvest.(Poem)
September 1, 2005... Summer Harvest When we come to the end of summer I run barefoot to the shore to gather seashells and pebbles. Like a squirrel, I store them for winter in my blue bucket.

Matching.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Matching: look at each vehicle on the left. Find one like it on the right. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Mrs. Doolev's dog dilemma.(Short Story)
September 1, 2005... No matter where Mrs. Dooley walked in her small house, she waded through a sea of dogs. "Down, Madison," she would say. "Move, Monroe. Go on, Mozart. Get out of the way, Milton. Look out, Molly Brown. Cool it, Murray." When Mrs. Dooley...

Animals and their trainers: a good team.
September 1, 2005... Ever wish you could speak to a sparrow, chat with a cheetah, or babble to a baboon? Then think about becoming an animal trainer. Brett Smith is a trainer at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo. He says training animals is almost like talking to them....

Making music.(Hidden Pictures[R])(Illustration)
September 1, 2005... In this big picture, find the ruler, dolphin, comb, envelop, insect, hammer, mouse, bird, lollipop, banana, spoon, and high-heeled shoe. Can you find these Hidden Pictures[R] on page 14? dolphin [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] hammer...

Jokes.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Woman: "Doctor, my son swallowed some film from his camera." Doctor: "Let's hope nothing develops." Julie Lewis, Ohio A girl came home from her first day of school. Her father asked, "What did you learn today?" The girl...

Get oriented!(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Starting at the dot, use the compass to tell which direction each arrow is pointing. Example: North, West, South A. West, North, East; B. East, South, West, South; C. West, North, West, South [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Go kerplunk.(Short Story)
September 1, 2005... I've got a problem. I can't sing and I can't dance. Maybe I'll try some magic tricks. Except I don't know any. Waiting to audition for the school talent show is no time to realize that you have no talent. But I didn't intend to...

Create a grandparent keepsake: how well do you know your grandparents?
September 1, 2005... You will need * 22 index cards * a pen or pencil * fabric * scissors * glue * a hole punch * yarn Your grandmother once zoomed around a track in a racecar. Your grandfather used to rock out on an electric...

Bobbie's burritos.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Bobbie the Burrito Maker wanted to share the recipe for her famous fiery-hot burritos. So she drew pictures of the steps involved. As she was hanging the pictures, the wind blew them onto the floor. Now they are mixed up. Can you help Bobbie...

Goofus and Gallant[R].(Cartoon)
September 1, 2005... Goofus lets others do all the work. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Let's split up the jobs evenly for this group project." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Sorry, I only had two." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When Gallant eats in front of...

The bear family.(Cartoon)
September 1, 2005... Dad: Wow! It smells yummy in here. Is that for us? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mom: It's for a party at school. All the parents are bringing food. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Woozy: I'm making paper flowers for the tables. ...

Big tree, little tree.(Science Letters)
September 1, 2005... Why are two maple trees that were planted at the same time now different sizes? Robyn Johnson, Age 11 Arkansas There are several possible reasons why these two trees have grown to different heights. First, each tree may have...

Why bubbles pop.(Science Letters)
September 1, 2005... Why do the bubbles pop when you pour a drink into a cup, like chocolate milk or soda? Taylor Pruski, Age 4 California The bubbles are held together by a very tiny magnet-like attraction between the molecules that make up the...

Check ... and double check.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... These are at least fourteen differences in these two pictures. How many can you find? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Kids can! It's uncanny what kids can do with a can-do attitude and a whole lots of cans.
September 1, 2005... A six-foot tube of lipstick, a bulldozer, a jukebox--these are just a few of the things kids have built from cans. Across the country, kids compete to construct amazing works of art and help put a dent in hunger. In 1992, a group of...

The last apple.(Your Own Stories)(Short Story)
September 1, 2005... One day there was a caterpillar who loved apples, but there was only one left on the tree. Before he could grab it, the bird got it. The caterpillar was very sad. The bird saw him and felt bad. The bird went home and asked her babies...

Pickles.(Your Own Stories)(Short Story)
September 1, 2005... I was sitting down for dinner, and, boy, was I happy! Tonight was hamburger night, and hamburgers were my favorite. I looked around the table at Mom, Dad, Ed (my oldest brother), and Stan (my second-oldest brother). As Mom was giving me my...

The penguin who hated the cold.(Your Own Stories)(Short Story)
September 1, 2005... Once here was a flock of peguins. One penguin always complained that it was too cold. The rest of the penguins said it was perfectly fine. The cold penguin said, "Why are you so warm? Every time I touch the snow I feel cold!" "I guess...

Bob.(Your Own Stories)(Short Story)
September 1, 2005... One morning a tick named Bob got up feeling extra grumpy. Momma Tick said, "Why don't you go find some friends?" He grumbled a bit and griped some more, but finally he shuffled out and banged the door. He walked a long time. Finally he ran...

The little tree.(Your Own Stories)(Short Story)
September 1, 2005... Once there was a little tree. It couldn't wait for winter to be over. It remembered spring, when the weather was nice and sunny and birds sang in its leafy, flowering branches. It remembered summer, when happy children climbed its trunk. It...

Test troubles.(Your Ideas, Please!)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... I study hard for tests but always blank out during them. What should I do. Chris G., Texas [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Worries about looks.(Your Ideas, Please!)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... I worry way too much about whether I'm pretty or not. Please help! Shannon M., Washington [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Bossy friend.(Your Ideas, Please!)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... My friend keeps bossing me around. What should I do? Kennah S., Colorado [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Training wheels.(Short Story)
September 1, 2005... "What a nice sunny day," Mom said. "Let's take a bike ride." "I'd rather play catch," David said quickly. They took the softball outside. David watched a family riding by on bikes. He remembered a week before, when some older boys had...

Throw in your line!(Flashbacks)(Fisherman's narrative)
September 1, 2005... As a kid, I spent nearly every weekend with my family. Usually, we did something outdoors, like fishing and hunting. My grandfather, Jack Myers, had a place on a lake. Most of the time my parents, my grandfather, or my brother, Scott, would be...

I wonder ... why the light bulb is so hot.(Science Corner)
September 1, 2005... The light bulb gives off light by making a wire inside it hot enough to glow. Anything that gets hot enough will glow, and that special wire becomes very hot when electricity goes through it.

Disappearing act.(Science Corner)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Why do the spokes seem to disappear when a wheel spins fast? Disappearing Act--Like a camera, the eye needs a small fraction of a second to capture the image of any object. When the spokes are spinning fast, the eye does not have enough...

Dinosaur days.(Science Corner)
September 1, 2005... Who was the first person to find a fossil? Brandon Shutt, Age 7 Tennessee People have been digging up dinosaur bones for centuries. Scientists didn't name the first dinosaur bones until the 1820s. Gideon Mantell, a medical doctor,...

Little monsters.(Ask Arizona)
September 1, 2005... Dear Arizona, My parents are always asking me to help out with my little brother. I love him, but a lot of the time he acts more like a little monster than a little boy! Any ideas on what I can do when he acts up? --Bothered by Brother...

The Timbertoes[R].(Cartoon)
September 1, 2005... "Look at me!" said Tommy. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Each stood on one leg. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "I can do that," said Mabel. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Let's have a contest." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Each stood on...

Conner wants to make friends at school.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Hi, I'm Conner. Can I play? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Another piece of pizza, please.
September 1, 2005... Which two pieces of pizza are most alike? Pieces 1 and 4 match. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Fisher.(Nature Watch)
September 1, 2005... Did You Know? Fishers are large members of the weasel family. They usually live where there are lots of trees, and they often make their dens in hollow trees, under logs, or in brush piles. Very few animals can hunt porcupines, but fishers...

Your pin pal will go wherever you go.(Quick Crafts)
September 1, 2005... 1. Wrap a 12-inch chenille stick around a pencil and slide it off. This will be the pin pal. 2. Curl two 3-inch sparkly chenille sticks. Glue the ends of them into the top of the pin pal. 3. Glue wiggle eyes and a tiny pompom nose to...

Hold things with a sea-monster clip.(Quick Crafts)
September 1, 2005... 1. For the head, fold over 1 inch of a chenille stick, and twist it. For the body, wrap the chenille stick around a pencil, and slide it off the pencil. 2. Use craft glue to attach the sea monster to a clothespin. 3. For spots, punch...

Snuggle under a hand-tied blanket.(Crafts You Can Make)
September 1, 2005... 1. For a personal-size blanket, cut two 6-foot-by-4-foot pieces of fleece fabric. Use smaller dimensions for a doll's blanket. 2. Put one piece on top of the other. For the fringes, make 6-inch cuts into the edges of both pieces of fabric...

A backpack buddy carries lunch money.(Crafts You Can Make)
September 1, 2005... 1. Ask an adult to use a ballpoint pen to poke a hole into the bottom of a film canister. 2. Glue fabric to the sides and lid. 3. Glue a piece of ribbon around the lid. 4. Glue craft foam to the bottom of the canister, and put a...

Craft challenge!(Crafts You Can Make)
September 1, 2005... Make a 3-D map of your neigborhood using paper, paint, and empty containers.

This bear hangs out in a beehive.(Crafts You Can Make)
September 1, 2005... 1. For the bear's head, use a 1 1/2-inch pompom. Glue on two wiggle eyes, a tiny pompom nose, a felt tongue, and two small pompom ears. 2. For the bear's body, use a 2-inch pompom. Glue on 1-inch pompoms for the arms and legs. Glue on...

Pick up the popcorn!(Crafts You Can Make)
September 1, 2005... 1. Decorate a paper bag to look like a popcorn bag. Fill it halfway with foam packing peanuts. These are the "popcorn." 2. Blow up a balloon for each player. Tie the balloons closed with rubber bands so that you can use them again. Get a...

Brain play.
September 1, 2005... Start at the beginning and see how far you can go, thinking of good answers from your own head. Without looking at your feet, tell what color socks you are wearing. How far from you does your nearest friend live? Name something...

A good trade.(Short Story)
September 1, 2005... Sister Bear found a new recipe for honey cakes. "It makes six honey cakes," she told Brother Bear. "Three for you and three for me. We need butter, honey, flour, and one egg." "But we're out of eggs," said Brother Bear. Sister Bear had an...

Colorado.(Our Own Pages)(Poem)
September 1, 2005... Colorado In Colorado on a chilly, sunny day, a while after I wake, wind whirls, hummingbirds hum, creatures crunch through the leaves, the mountains go miles into the sky, the cliffs cling, trees...

Snapping turtle.(Our Own Pages)(Illustration)
September 1, 2005... Snapping Turtle [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Christopher Janocha, Age 5 Connecticut

My barn.(Our Own Pages)(Illustration)
September 1, 2005... My Barn [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Emily Hoefner, Age 10 British Columbia

Artistic.(Our Own Pages)(Poem)
September 1, 2005... Artistic The artist moves his brush across a canvas, each stroke seeming more significant than the last. Colors and lines collide and battle, forming an eternal concerto of paint, pouring directly ...

Desert Snow.(Our Own Pages)(Poem)
September 1, 2005... Desert Snow Balls of fluff, falling everywhere. Beautiful as they fall, soft as the clouds, white as the snow. When you squeeze them there's an explosion of beauty. Oh--cattails! Ashley Hunt, Age...

Bear.(Our Own Pages)(Poem)
September 1, 2005... Bear Bear, oh, bear, in its cave-- that is where it's going to stay. Fish at morning, meat at night-- that is its appetite. Nice and warm in the swamp, it eats its fish. Chomp, chomp, chomp. It goes...

Doggie and kitten sitting on a log.(Our Own Pages)(Illustration)
September 1, 2005... Doggie and Kitten Sitting on on Log Kayley Cheng, Age 6 California

A Nice Summer Day.(Our Own Pages)(Poem)
September 1, 2005... A Nice Summer Day One summer day I was sitting on the swing, and a butterfly came and said to me, "You should get out and play!" We danced in the nice, gentle breeze. We sang songs into the night. The...

Blue Jay and Cardinal.(Our Own Pages)(Illustration)
September 1, 2005... Blue Jay and Cardinal [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Grace Easler, Age 8 Michigan

Me and my dad at a father-daughter dance.(Our Own Pages)(Illustration)
September 1, 2005... Me and My Dad at a Father-Daughter Dance [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caroline Jasperse, Age 8 North Carolina

Tiger King.(Our Own Pages)(Poem)
September 1, 2005... Tiger King Tiger sitting low in the grass. Bunch of stripes on a great orange mass. Determination in eyes of steel. Ready to make his prey a meal. Whiskers straying on a serious face. ...

End of summer.(Our Own Pages)(Illustration)
September 1, 2005... End of Summer [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Julia Morales, Age 11 New Jersey

Recess.(Our Own Pages)(Poem)
September 1, 2005... Recess My favorite time of the day is recess. This is the time I get to play. I see my friends and we run around. We jump and yell on the playground. We slide down poles, go across monkey bars-- sometimes we spin...

The Rain.(Our Own Pages)(Poem)
September 1, 2005... The Rain I woke up in the morning To see the sky pouring, Pouring out tears of sweet sorrow. Oh, I hope Sky feels better tomorrow. Sky shaded herself with fog and clouds So tears wouldn't fall to Earth in big...

Ocean Avenue.(Our Own Pages)(Illustration)
September 1, 2005... Ocean Avenue [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Nicholas Brownell, age 11 Wisconsin

Here Is a Flower.(Our Own Pages)(Poem)
September 1, 2005... Here is a Flower Here is a flower, Planted in the ground. Each day it gets watered All around. It grows and grows, Shiny and bright. It even grows At night. Austin Ek, Age 6 Illinois

Our guinea pigs, cookie and starburst.(Our Own Pages)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Our Guinea Pigs, cookie and Starburst [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The Wind.(Our Own Pages)(Poem)
September 1, 2005... The Wind The Sun and Moon are married, and all the planets are watching, and with a puff of Wind love turns into a million stars, and a heart is listening. Madeleine Manasse, Age 7 New York

Measuring the Great Pyramid: this clever method answered a really big question: how tall is the tallest building?
September 1, 2005... That question troubled the Greek mathematician Thales of Miletus 2,600 years ago. He wanted to measure the largest pyramid in Egypt. All the huge pyramids of Egypt are more than 4,000 years old. For thousands of years they were the tallest,...

Riddles.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... 1. What did one penny say to the other penny? Crysti Kotsiopoulos, Massachusetts 2. Which month do trees dislike? Jarrod Guillory, Texas 3. Why was the man fired from the banana factory? Sarah Biernacki, Illinois 4....

Best Friends: A Definition.(Poem)
September 1, 2005... Best Friends: A Definition We stick together, like jelly on bread, like cheese on a pizza, a hat on a head. --Gale Sypher Jacob

Keeps forgetting things.(Dear Highlights)
September 1, 2005... I forget things daily--sometimes lunch money, sometimes a schoolbook. Do you have any advice so I don't forget things? Ashley M., Virginia If yOU forget things that you should bring to school, it might help to get all your things...

Teased at soccer.(Dear Highlights)
September 1, 2005... I'm not very good at soccer, and sometimes I get teased when I mess up. What should I do? Gracelyn I., North Carolina Try not to let teasing keep you from doing something you enjoy. People have different levels of ability in different...

Lots of homework.(Dear Highlights)
September 1, 2005... I'm in sixth grade, and I get a lot of homework. I can't find time to do what I want, and I'm getting frustrated. How can I get more free time? Jamie W., Minnesota If your teacher allows time, do as much of your homework at school as...

Just elected.(Dear Highlights)
September 1, 2005... I just got elected secretary at school. Some people are happy, and some people are mad and upset. How can I make them happy? Cassidy F., Texas Congratulations, Cassidy. Being secretary is an important position. You might try talking to...

Yard-sale treasures.
September 1, 2005... Hidden among the treasures here, find: 1. Something wrong (Hint: It's an optical illusion. Can't find it? Turn to page 36.) 2. Two pets brought by one of the shoppers 3. Three identical items 4. Four things that can be used to...