Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2019 i Spider Magazine Stories, Games, Activites and Puzzles for Children and Kids

“IT’S CHINESE NEW Year and 2019 is the Year of the Pig!” Dandelion Pinkley cried out, her voice so excited it sounded almost like a pig’s squeal itself. “And next week there’s a huge parade to celebrate!” Dandelion held up a flashy magazine spread to show her brother Doodlebug and their friends Bog and Tomiko, who were all lounging around the Pinkleys’ den on a rainy afternoon. In the Chinese calendar, Dandelion explained, each year was matched with one of twelve animals. This year it was the pig’s turn! Doodlebug studied the article’s centerfold photo, a gigantic swine wearing a fancy headdress. “So Charles is arriving just in time!” “Let’s put him on a float for the parade!” Tomiko suggested. Everyone hooted with glee at the thought. “We’ll have to…

My favorite winter sport eez skijoring. I put on my skis and a horse or a dog pulls me around town. Eet eez zee fastest way to get to zee grocery store! —Miro Did you know you can bike in the snow? Some winter cyclists race “fat bikes,” or bikes with extra-large tires, down icy, snowy trails. —Thistle I wanna have a shovel race, where players sit on metal snow shovels and zoom down the nearest hill. — Sam In synchronized skating, ten or more skaters perform graceful dance moves (including jumps and spins!) all at the same time. — Sonya The Japanese game yukigassen is a huge snowball fight with fourteen players. There’s so much flying snow that everyone wears helmets and face shields. —Spider…

Eliza K., age 6 Minneapolis, Minnesota Leaves Falling from the Sky Red, yellow, and orange falling from the sky. A multicolored season right before my very eyes. Gareth L., age 8 Greensboro, North Carolina Nature’s Fireworks Leaves exploding in the air, red like apples, orange like pumpkins, yellow as Thanksgiving corn and brown like the earth where the leaves fall in the fall. Mason Dew, age 9 Bowling Green, Kentucky Parts of the Rainbow Tiny lumberjacks, up before dawn, never ever asleep, cut parts of the rainbow into the shape of leaves, choosing only the colors of red, orange, yellow. To light up the world, they leave their work all over the ground, like parts of the rainbow, fallen from the sky. Clara Fein-Vargo, age 9 New York, New York…

RASHI WAS GOING solo on the New York subway. “Ready to go?” asked his mom. “Roger, Mission Control,” said Rashi. Rashi’s mother lived in a house in Queens. His father lived and worked in an apartment in Manhattan. Every Saturday his mom took him to Manhattan on the subway. Every Sunday his dad took him back to Queens. Today Rashi was going solo on the subway for the first time. “Like an astronaut going to the moon,” he said. “Well, zip up your spacesuit,” said his mom. “It’s starting to snow outside.” She walked him to the subway stop. “Are you sure about this?” she asked. Was he sure? Rashi had begged for a long time to make the trip alone. Now he shivered as he looked down the long…

Dear Everybuggy, Will you please, oh pretty pretty please, adopt Genivive? She is an otter who eats strawberries, carrots, chocolate, and cupcakes only. She drinks water, milk, orange juice, and hot chocolate. She won’t bite, she’ll only cuddle with you. Thistle, will you read Genivive stories? She loves that. I have a joke for you: What does a honeybee say to his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day? “Honey, will you bee my valentine?” Ophelia, can you ski? If so do you like it? I love to ski and I am learning how to use poles! Siena, age 8 Highlands Ranch, Colorado P.S. Can you also adopt Lily and Anne, Genivive’s BFFs? Please? Lily the zebra eats pancakes, and Anne the unicorn eats snow, mashed potatoes, and edible glitter. Thanks! Siena,…

THE GODS NU WA and Fu Xi lived long before animals and people inhabited Earth. They lived on the bottom layer of Heaven, along with the sun, moon, and stars. Looking down upon Earth below, they could see the tallest peak of the Kunlun Mountains reaching through the clouds and up into the heavens. “Let’s take a trip to Earth,” Nu Wa said to her husband, Fu Xi. “Why?” he asked. “We’re comfortable right here at home. Why should we travel to Earth?” “It would be an adventure,” she said, her snaky tail swishing excitedly back and forth. “Maybe we’ll see things we’ve never seen before. Aren’t you curious?” He admitted he was, and, picnic basket in hand, they slid down the mountain. At its base, they picnicked on the…

IN THE 1800s, sailors spent many months at sea. When they got back, 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 clay tiny 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…