Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2022 i Click Science and Discovery Magazine for Preschoolers and Young Children

Rocks and dirt don’t look or feel much alike. But dirt is really just tiny pieces of rock mixed with bits of dead plants, water, and air. Those tiny rocks are called sand, silt, or clay, depending on their size. In dirt, they’re usually all mixed together, but you can separate them. 1. Get a large, clean, clear jar with a tight-fitting lid and fill it about halfway with dirt. Take out any big twigs or stones, and break up the large lumps. 2. Fill the jar with water and add a teaspoon of dishwashing soap. 3. Screw the lid on, and shake the jar until everything is mixed. 4. Put the jar down, and wait a minute or two. What do you see? 5. Check the jar again in…

From nose to tail, a naked mole rat is only about three or four inches long. Naked mole rats use their big, sharp front teeth to dig. Their lips close behind these teeth so they don’t swallow dirt when they dig. They spend their entire lives digging and looking for food and almost never come up above ground. Unlike other mole rats, naked mole rats don’t have fur—that’s why they’re called naked! But they do have a few hairs on their heads and tails that they use to feel their way along the dark tunnels. They also have hairs between their toes that they use to sweep up dirt.…

When people get hot, they sweat to cool down. A rhinoceros can’t sweat. It wallows in the mud to keep cool. Mud dries more slowly than just water alone. And the longer it takes for these water buffaloes to dry, the longer they’ll stay cool. The mud coating protects them from biting insects too. Zebras roll in the dirt to get clean! The dry dirt soaks up wetness and oil, and the grit scrubs and loosens old skin and bugs in the zebra’s coat. Then when the zebra gives a big shake, all those yucky bits fall off with the dirt. Powdery dirt can get underneath a bird’s feathers and help get rid of tiny bugs on the bird’s skin. The bugs can’t breathe when there’s too much dust. This…

A pig pushes its nose through the dirt like a bulldozer, looking for food. A bone inside and a tough pad at the tip keep the snout from getting smushed. Digging Legs When you’re scurrying through a tunnel, long legs get in the way. Like most burrowing animals, prairie dogs have short, strong legs and sharp claws for digging. A wombat mom keeps her new baby in a pouch that faces backward. Dirt can’t get in when she digs with her front legs. Digging Feet  The spadefoot toad gets its name from the hard, sharp scraper on the bottom of each back foot. It uses this spade to dig backward into the ground. A badger’s front toes are webbed like a frog’s. The webbing helps the badger scoop and shovel…

Salamanders love the cool, dark, moist spaces under rocks and rotting logs. Turtles hide their eggs underground, so hungry raccoons and skunks won’t eat them. Killdeers scratch out shallow nests on the ground. If an enemy comes near the eggs or chicks, one of the parent birds pretends to have a broken wing. It leads the attacker away from the nest, then flies to safety. Voles keep their babies safe from foxes and cold weather in cozy, grass-lined nests. Mother foxes dig underground dens to keep their pups safe and warm. Chipmunks raise their young in snug homes lined with grass and leaves. Garter snakes sleep together to stay warm in cold weather. Hundreds of snakes may share the same underground bed all winter long. Most American rabbits do not…