Ladybug Stories, Poems, and Songs Magazine for Young Kids and Children April 2016

Max, Kate, and Charlie are taking a bike ride. “I hope we see some animals!” says Kate as they ride by the trees. A baby squirrel runs across the path. “Hey! Watch out, little squirrel,” calls Max, slowing down. “Let’s take a break,” says Max’s mommy, taking juice and granola bars out of Charlie’s trailer. After their snack, Max and Kate play ball. Suddenly, Charlie shouts a new word: “Squiggle!” “Squiggle?” asks Kate. Charlie shows them the baby squirrel. “Remember to look both ways before you cross the street, little Squiggle,” says Max with a laugh.…

Katie couldn’t wait to play soccer. This year she turned four and was finally old enough. She skipped beside her mother as they headed across the parking lot and onto the field. There must be hundreds of kids here, Katie thought. She saw kids dressed in a rainbow of team colors: red, yellow, purple, orange, bright pink, neon green, and two different shades of blue. Then Katie spotted the kids dressed just like her in white shirts, socks, and black shorts, and she ran over to join them. “Hi, I’m Coach Glen,” said a tall man as he handed her a ball. Katie took it and looked at the other kids on her team. Everyone was busy doing something with a ball. How did they know what to do? Katie…

Shut the gate! Too late. Oh, darn! Out of the barn. On the loose—It’s the goose. Oh, wow! Now the cow! Of course! Next goes the horse. By jig! It’s the pig. How silly! There goes the billy. Taking a leap! Here come the sheep. What the dickens! Runaway chickens. What pluck! Even the ducks. Oh no! Off they go. What to do? Call for Blue! Go, pup! Round ’em up! Home again In the pen. Latch it tight! Safe tonight. With many hugs, goodnight from bugs!…

Verse two We’re flying up in an airplane, Flying ever so high, Flying over the housetops, Up in the sunny blue sky. Flying, flying, Up in the sunny blue sky. Verse three We’re sailing over the ocean, Sailing over the sea, Sailing here in our sailboat, Oh, what a great place to be! Sailing, sailing, Oh, what a great place to be! Verse four We’re walking home on the sidewalk, Walking home through the park, Walking, happy together, We will be home before dark! Walking, walking, We will be home before dark!…

“Up you go!” Grandpa says. He boosts me into the cab of his truck. I rub the sleep out of my eyes. It’s morning, but it’s still dark outside. Grandpa leaves for his milk route at 4 A.M. “Buckled in?” he asks. I nod. “Let’s hit the road, kid.” Grandpa eases the truck out of the shed. He drives his route every day. This is the first time he’s asked me to come along. I’m sleepy, but also excited. “Want some?” Grandpa asks. I nod. He hands me the cocoa bottle. Its shape reminds me of Grandpa’s truck. His truck is insulated to keep the milk cold. The bottle is insulated to keep the hot chocolate hot. The sun has started to peek above the trees when we leave the…

What You'll Need: Scissors What to Jo: Cut out the cards along the dotted lines. Mix up all the cards and lay them right side up on a table. Find the match for each animal. Whenever you pick up a pair of cards, imagine them saying hello and make the animals' sound! For a more difficult game, turn all the cards facedown. Then try to find the pairs by turning over two cards at a time. To Play with a Friend : You can also play this game with a friend. Turn all the cards facedown. Let your friend turn over two cards. If they match, your friend may keep them. If not, your friend turns them facedown again. Now you can turn over two cards. Keep taking turns until…