Indholdsfortegnelse for April 2024 i Spider Magazine Stories, Games, Activites and Puzzles for Children and Kids

“CUT THE ROWDY stuff and get moving, you miserable little sea slugs!” Mrs. Noodleknocker shouted. “Next stop Octopus Gardens. Come on, Pinkley. Step it up!” Doodlebug Pinkley cringed. He and the other members of the Science Explorers after-school club had been eagerly awaiting this field trip to the Manta Ray Bay Aquarium for weeks. But Dr. Doonuthin, who ran the club, had to go to an important last-minute meeting. So their substitute guide was Doodlebug’s bug-eyed, spider-like teacher, Mrs. Noodleknocker. Doodlebug lagged behind the rest of the Explorers. He was trying to stay out of Mrs. Noodleknocker’s way. Still, he couldn’t wait to see the octopuses. “Welcome to our gardens!” said a smart-looking young woman in an aquarium uniform. Her name tag read Bettina. “Here in this tank we have…

WHEN SUE WAS two days old, her parents found out that she wasn’t an ordinary baby. Their flatboat was moving a bit too slow, so Sue jumped out of her cradle, grabbed a rope, and tugged that boat down the Ohio River with lightning speed. “Whoa!” called her ma. But her pa said, “Let her go. We’ll save a passel of money by not having to hire mules to pull us.” As a toddler, Sue sometimes threw temper tantrums. She lay down on the bank of the river, screaming and kicking. Sue’s feet were the biggest you’d ever hope to see, and one tantrum overturned ten boats. One boat owner gave her a nickname that stuck: Slue-Foot Sue. Sue’s ma always said, “Quit that fussing!” and Sue did. She liked…

Whale Unveil Rays have slipped into this list of whales. Cross off the four rays. Then write the remaining blue letters in order (top to bottom for each column) in the blank spaces to reveal the wild whale fact. mantarightbowheadspotted eaglenarwhal electricgrayhumpbacksawfishbeluga The blue whale is the biggest animal ever. It’s even more humongous than the largest dinosaur. A blue whale’s — — — — — — can weigh as much as an entire elephant! Q. What do you call a stingray that leaps out of the water? A. A springray. Send your favorite jokes to spider@cricketmedia.com! Answer to What Am I? A river.…

SHE GLIDES LIKE a bird in the sky, but her ride is on a warm ocean current. Her fins are her wings. The water is her air. Nari, a spotted eagle ray, has spent the summer swimming in the blue-green waters off the Gulf Coast of Florida. A lingering chill in the ocean signals the season’s end. Now, with the falling tide, Nari moves offshore. The coral reefs and mangrove-edged lagoon of Bimini Islands in the Bahamas call to her. At four years old, Nari is almost full grown. For the first time, she will make the long journey to Bimini’s North Sound to birth pups. Nari swims past the thick groups of pine and sea grape trees that line the shore. She senses a shift in the current. Like…

LONG AGO IN the south of Argentina, the sea was full of many creatures such as dolphins, walruses, seals, stingrays, sharks, and even mermaids. But the whale did not live in the sea. The whale lived on the land with the llamas and the hares and the pumas and the monkeys and the humans. The whale was the biggest animal of them all. He had short little legs, so he could not run fast or jump. He mostly spent his time trying to stay out of the way. None of the other animals wanted to play with him since he was always accidentally causing problems. The bugs disliked the whale because he crushed their whole cities when he walked over the prairie. The armadillos and the guinea pigs were annoyed…

POTATO STUFFING IS a favorite side dish throughout the Caribbean islands. Treat your family to a taste of St. Croix, part of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Le Awe Go Shap! (Caribbean English for Let’s Shop!) 1½ pounds white potatoes1 medium-sized onion (minced)1½ bell peppers (minced)3 tablespoons cooking oil2 tablespoons tomato paste2 tablespoons white or brown sugar1 tablespoon butter¼ teaspoon black pepper¼ cup raisins½ cup milk1 egg hot sauce (optional) Le Awe Cook! (Let’s Cook!) 1. Ask an adult to wash, peel, and cut the potatoes and then boil them in salted water until tender. 2. With an adult’s help, heat the oil in a frying pan on low heat. Add the minced onions and bell peppers. Cook until tender. Add the tomato paste, black pepper, sugar, and raisins. Stir and…

I LIKE THINGS to balance, partly because of my name, “Ava.” It’s the same backwards and forwards, balanced on a V in the middle. When something bothers me, I try to balance the bad with the good. That’s why I don’t mind being the tallest kid in third grade. Bad: Have to stand in the back row of my class picture. Good: Can reach the books on the top library shelf. Bad: Can’t wear a fairy costume from the Halloween store. Good: Mom makes a better one out of a bridesmaid dress. Bad: Everyone always points out how tall I am. Good: Sometimes I want people to notice me. So it balances. One day, a new girl comes to school, and she’s the shortest kid in third grade. “Welcome Ava…

What You’ll Need: What to Do: 1. Draw a big fin. The fin’s bottom is the entire short side of the paper and the point goes all the way to the top. Cut it out. Trace it on the other paper and cut that out. 2. For the head, draw and cut out a semicircle with a rounded triangle on top. Cut out a long, thin triangular tail. 3. With the cotton swab, paint dots all over the fins and head. 4. Fold the first plate in half so its top (the side food goes on) is touching. Fold the second and third plates in half so their bottom sides are touching. 5. Glue one half of the second plate to one half of the first plate. Glue one half…