Indholdsfortegnelse for January/February 2026 i Spider Magazine Stories, Games, Activites and Puzzles for Children and Kids

Sapphire Fish lived with her mom, dad, big sister Mariana, and baby brother Matthew in a blue house across the street from the Elizabeth River. With her sapphire blue eyes, she could look out at the river and try to find the exact spot where the river suddenly grew wide and cold. At that place, the river became the fierce Atlantic Ocean. Sapphire loved the water. Maybe it was because her last name was Fish. Everyone at school used to laugh when she told them her full name. Sometimes Jared and Sammy called her “Goldfish” or “Fish Stick.” She didn’t like that very much. But her first name was Sapphire, like the sparkly, strong, blue gem. She thought about how special her first name was when kids made comments about…

It’s a breezy January day at Waimea Bay on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. It’s a perfect day for surfing. A good distance from shore, a surfer spots a wave. She lies down on her board and paddles. As the wave picks her up, she jumps to her feet. Now she’s surfing down a wall of water as tall as a house. Sliding down the front of a wave this big is like snowboarding down a mountain. But the mountain’s moving almost as fast as a car. Better Boards People have been surfing in Hawaii for about 1,000 years. At first, surfboards were made of wood. One board could weigh more than 150 pounds (68 kilograms). The heaviness limited surfers to smaller, slower waves. The 1950s brought balsa wood boards.…

What You’ll Need clay container of water What to Do 1. Shape the clay into a ball. 2. Put the ball into the water. Does it sink or float? 3. Take the ball out of the water. Flatten it. Then pinch up the sides to shape it into a ship. 4. Put the ship into the water. Does it sink* or float? *If the ship sinks, reshape it and try again. Keep experimenting until you’ve made a boat that floats. What’s Going on Here? The clay ball weighs more than a ball of water the same size as the clay ball. So it sinks. The clay ship holds lightweight air inside of it. The clay ship plus the air weighs less than a chunk of water the same size and…

In the 1800s, sailors spent many months at sea. They liked to bring home special gifts from across the ocean. One popular gift was a “sailor’s valentine,” a wooden box filled with seashells arranged in an intricate pattern. Historians think these valentines were made by women on the island of Barbados. They created hearts, flowers, and words with shells. Make your own sailor’s valentine to give to someone special! What You'll Need metal or plastic lid from a cookie tin, margarine tub, etc.modeling claytiny shells, beads, dried beans, lentils, or pasta What to Do 1. Cover the bottom of the lid with an even layer of modeling clay. 2. Press your shells, beads, and other objects into the clay. Try creating a picture, a pattern, or a special Valentine’s Day…

What You’ll Need printer paper crayons sticky notesscissors string clear tape What to Do 1. Use crayons to color one side of your paper. Color the entire side, leaving no blank spots. 2. Fold the paper in half, putting the long sides together. The colorful side should be on the inside. The white side should be on the outside. 3. Open the paper and fold it in half, putting the short colorful sides together. 4. Fold the top corners of the folded side into the middle so that the corners meet. Flatten the folds. 5. Fold up one bottom edge. Flatten the fold. Turn it over. Do the same on the other side. You now have a hat. 6. Grasp the middle of each side of the hat with your…

I like to go in the red canoeAnd sit between my grandpa’s knees.I like to paddle by myself.He softly whispers what to do. If it’s calm on special nightsWe paddle in the dark.A lantern sits upon the bow.The lake’s a million sparkling lights. Sometimes we just like to floatAnd listen to the loons.I shiver right down to my bones.There’s magic all around our boat. I wish upon the silver moonThat there will always beThe red canoe and Grandpa,The crying of that lonely loon,And me.…

An Ordinary Voyage In early November 1872, two small, sturdy sailing ships, the Mary Celeste and the Dei Gratia, set out from New York bound for Genoa, Italy. The autumn had been stormy, but both captains expected a routine voyage. Captain Benjamin Briggs of the Mary Celeste and Captain David Morehouse of the Dei Gratia were friends and dined together before they set sail. They would never see each other again. The Mary Celeste had a crew of seven. The ship had just been repaired and was in tip-top shape. On this trip, the hold was packed with 1,701 oak barrels of undrinkable alcohol for use in industry. Accompanying Captain Briggs was his wife, Sarah, and their daughter, Sophia. Sarah brought along her sewing machine and a small piano. Their…

Dear Spider, This is my first time having a Spider magazine! I loved it! Also, I have a cute pet named Snowgie! Please adopt her. Love, Ivy T., age 6 Texas Dear Thistle, You are my favorite buggy! Let’s be friends. I like to sing with my friends. What’s your favorite color? Mine is blue. Joanna S., age 9 Arizona Dear Joanna, I’d love to be your friend! We should sing a song together. Today my favorite color is purple. Your friend, Thistle Dear Bill, Will you adopt Shadow? He is a black-and-gold dragon. He eats pie and pizza. If you give Shadow anything else, he will scratch you. Shadow will want to go flying a lot, so take him outside on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. Will you write a magazine…

Q. What kind of water can dance? A. Tap. Send your favorite jokes to spider@cricketmedia.com! Still wondering about water? Then wander on over to “Spider’s Picks” on Sensical. Ask a grown-up to scan the QR codes for videos that are oceans of fun. https://sensicaltv.com/spider No purchase required, free to access. Watch an episode of Xploration Nature Knows Best to discover how humpback whales are inspiring improvements and advances in bike and surfboard design. https://sensicaltv.com/whales Check out a clever cartoon from MinuteEarth that asks, “Where does one ocean end and another begin?” Clear lines on maps don’t equal clear answers! https://sensicaltv.com/ocean Don’t miss The River and Wilder Show. On their visit to Hawaii, a family sails and snorkels to see dolphins, fish, and more. https://sensicaltv.com/sail…

January/February 2026 $7.95 Volume 33 Number 1 cricketmedia.com…

Young Marie Tharp thought her dad had the best job ever. He traveled around the country making maps. His maps were special—they revealed hidden things. They showed where different kinds of soil and wet and dry places were. That helped farmers know what to plant. Marie’s dad taught her how to draw maps. They moved around a lot. Marie changed schools often. But she loved to see the country, draw, and play her violin. In college, Marie tried lots of different subjects. Her father always told her, “When you find your life’s work, make sure it is something you can do, and most important, something you like to do.” She took classes in art, music, math, teaching, and geology. She couldn’t quite make up her mind. Then one day, her…

After brief fame as a ghost ship, the Mary Celeste continued to sail (under different names) until 1885, when it ran aground on a reef near Haiti. But that wasn’t the end of the ship’s story. It was the start of a whole new chapter. Ocean currents flowing up and over a sunken ship bring plankton from the deep. Small fish move in to eat the plankton and graze on algae growing on the wreck. Larger fish come to eat the smaller fish. Woodeaters have a banquet. Corals and shellfish slowly cover the wreck. Eventually, all that’s left is a rusty anchor. Shipworms start nibbling while the ship is still afloat. They are not worms at all, but long, thin clams that dig into wood with two small shells near…

CONTEST Design something that floats on water. Send us a picture. Rules: 1. Your entry must be signed by a parent or legal guardian, authorizing its publication in print and/or online and saying it’s your own idea. 2. Be sure to include your first name, last initial, age, and state or province and country. 3.Your entry must arrive by February 25, 2026. We will publish our favorites in an upcoming issue. Email your entry to spider@cricketmedia.com.…

A Game for 2 Players What You' ll Need scissors tape or glue pair of dice What to Do 1. Along the black lines, cut out the game board, the eight treasure pieces, and the two divers. Fold the divers on the dotted lines so they will stand up. Tape or glue together the bottom flaps of each diver. 2. Place one treasure in each of the eight chests on the seafloor and a diver in each boat at the top of the game board. 3. To start the game, roll the dice. The player with the highest number starts. 4. Take turns rolling the dice. Divers move down a bubble path to pick up a treasure piece and then back up the path to put the treasure in the…