Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2015 i Click Science and Discovery Magazine for Preschoolers and Young Children

When you think of a snail, is this what you see? An artist named Henri Matisse thought of a snail that looks like this. But his snail is made of cut-up pieces of paper, and it is has so many colors! You can see that his snail has a spiral shape, just like the snail in the photo.…

Sam took out his favorite watercolor paints and announced, “I’m confused.” He pointed, “Red, blue, yellow—three primary colors. You can’t make them by mixing other colors. But you can use them to make new colors. That’s what you always said.” Sam dipped his paintbrush in the water. “Red and blue mix to make purple. Blue and yellow mix to make green. Yellow and red mix to make orange. And if I mix red and blue and yellow all together, I get yucky blackish.” Mom sat down across from Sam. “Nothing confusing so far, Sam. You’ve painted a bunch of purple grapes with green leaves in a big orange bowl on a yucky blackish table. Those grapes look good enough to eat! What’s the problem?” Sam scowled. “The problem is that…

Some colors whisper. Many animals are brown or green. Their color helps them blend in with the ground or grass and leaves. Enemies have a hard time spotting the sloth in this tree. Brightly colored animals can hide too. Do you see the pink mantis hiding on this pink flower? Bugs don’t—until the mantis grabs and eats them! Some colors call out. A male frigate bird gets the attention of female birds by blowing up a bright red pouch on his throat like a balloon. If a female likes his pouch, she’ll choose the male as her mate. A male blue-footed booby shows off his feet to attract a mate. The blue tells females that he is healthy and will make a good dad. The brighter the blue, the better!…

Have you ever heard of chlorophyll? The name comes from the Greek words that mean green and leaf. It’s a good fit because one of the things that chlorophyll does is give leaves their green color. Chlorophyll also has another important job. It helps plants make food from sunlight, water, and air. But leaves don’t just come ready-packed with chlorophyll. They must make it, and to do that, they need light. During the long days of summer, leaves make lots and lots of chlorophyll, so they can make lots and lots of food. All that green chlorophyll keeps the leaves looking green, green, green. When fall comes, daytimes get shorter. That tells trees to get ready for winter. They store food in their branches, trunks, and roots, and they stop…

Our eyes have two kinds of tiny sensors hidden inside. Called rods and cones, these sensors help us see every time we open our eyes. Rods work even when there isn’t much light. They help us see shapes and movements in the dark. Cones work only in bright light. They help us see colors. Most people have three types of cones, which work together to let us see all the colors of the rainbow. But some people and many animals, including cats and dogs, have only two types of cones; they see fewer colors. Some birds, fish, and other animals have four—or more!—types of cones. Scientists think that these animals may see a range of colors where people see only a single color. We don’t really know what colors a…

“Every night, when you turn off my light, the colors go away,” says Yo. “Look! My red train is black and my green ball is gray.” “When there isn’t much light,” says Mom, “the parts inside our eyes that help us see colors stop working.” “But if I turn up the light a little with the dimmer switch . . .” “Ha!” says Yo. “Now there’s red in my train and green in my ball.” “When I turn the light all the way up, everything will be bright and colorful,” says Mom. “Unless I hide under the covers,” says Yo, “then everything is black, black, black.” “When there’s no light, we can’t even see the shapes of things,” agrees Mom. “So it’s important to leave the hall light on and…