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

“WELL, KIDS, YOUR old dad is finally going public!” Henry Pinkley announced to his children, Doodlebug and Dandelion. “I’m having an artist’s reception at Gallery Who-Knew.” Their mom, Fiona Pinkley, blasted a few loud, celebratory notes on her antique mini-trombone and said “That’s right, darlings! The invitations are already out.” She held one up. Doodlebug was suspicious. “What’s an artist’s reception?” “It’s an event where I lug out all my best artworks and display them in a gallery for everyone to see,” Mr. Pinkley explained. “All of them?” Doodlebug asked, feeling a little dread. What if that sculpture of himself with the frogs sitting on his rear end was included? “Dad!” Dandelion said excitedly. “What can we do to help you get ready?” “Well, dear daughter,” Mr. Pinkley replied, “let’s…

STEPHANIE KWOLEK peered at the chemical mixture and frowned. All her other batches had been thick and clear, but this one was thin and cloudy. Had something gone wrong with the experiment? Stephanie was a chemist, a scientist who studies the materials that make up the world around us. Her job was to find new ways of making threads and fabric out of chemicals. The company she worked for asked her to create the strongest fibers ever made—even stronger than steel! She and her team had worked for over ten years on the fiber project. They’d mixed batch after batch of chemicals. They tried to find combinations that would stick together to form strong fibers. To test their mixtures, the team sent them to the spinning room. A spinning wheel…

What You’ll Need: 1-liter empty soda bottle with cap bottle of vegetable oil water red food coloring glitter (optional) 1 antacid tablet flashlight What To Do: 1. Pour vegetable oil into the soda bottle until it’s about ¾ full. 2. Fill the rest of the soda bottle with water. 3. Add a few drops of food coloring and a sprinkle of glitter (if desired). 4. Wait for the oil and water layers to settle. 5. Break the antacid tablet into small pieces. 6. Drop the pieces into the bottle one at a time, replace the cap, and watch the colorful blobs dance and fizz! TIP: Turn off the lights and shine a flashlight onto your lamp for a groovy effect.…

OUR FIFTH-GRADE SOCCER team won the finals, thanks to our Unipod goalie, Blue. Even though he’s four feet tall and breathes by standing in a pail of liquid, Blue uses his six long arms to defend the goal. During the game, Blue toppled out of his bucket with a thud, like a shoe caught in wet cement. His human attendant scrambled over, propped him up, and refilled his bucket. Even Blue’s dad came to watch us win. Afterward, he turned to Coach, and, using sign language, invited the team to a celebration at the starship on Saturday night. When Coach tapped his wrists overhead—the Unipod sign for OK—I knew it meant trouble. That night at dinner, I talked to my dad about it. “He’s a great goalie,” I said, “but…

Dear Sam, Sam, my name is Sam, too! I love your robot (March 2019). Bill, I loved it when you got covered with ice cream! Sam, age 8 Ann Arbor, Michigan Dear Everybuggy, I love your magazine. Thistle, what is your favorite thing that Miro cooks? You and Bill are my favorites because you are funny (really, really funny). You can have Laura and Mary. (Bill gets Laura; Thistle gets Mary.) Laura and Mary are unicorns. Laura is purple. Mary is pink. I really like “Pedaling in Sauerkraut” (November/December 2018). I think Spider is my favorite mag. Sylvia Frey, age 7 St. Joseph, Michigan Dear Everybuggy, I am a big fan and love your mag. I hope you can adopt Bo Ji. She is the best kitten ever. You can…

INVENT YOUR OWN thingamajig using a tin can, magnets, and your imagination. He’s programmed to make you smile. What You' ll Need: hot glue gun clean, empty tin can with label removed small magnets googly eyes bottle caps washers, nuts, bolts, pop tops, or other metal bits felt (optional) What to Do: 1. Glue a googly eye to the inside of a bottle cap. Make two—or more! Glue a magnet to the back of each eye. 2. Glue metal bits to magnets to make other pieces of the robot’s face. Try washers and nuts for noses and mouths, pop tops for ears. You can also cut pieces out of felt. 3. When the glue is cool, stick the magnets on the can to make the robot’s face. Have fun rearranging…

Fabulous Facts: Mantises • A mantis egg case contains hundreds of eggs. • In 2016, scientists wanted to find out if mantises could see in 3-D. They put tiny 3-D glasses on some mantises and showed them a 3-D movie. The mantises reacted to the 3-D images—the experiment worked! • Praying mantises are just one kind of mantis. There are different kinds all over the world. The orchid mantis is pink and looks like a flower. Beep boop! Send a photo of your Tin Can Robot Buddy to spider@cricketmedia.com.…

BEFORE MOVIES WERE invented, people enjoyed building toys that trick your eyes into thinking you’re seeing moving pictures. One popular toy from this time is the thaumatrope. It uses spinning motion to turn two pictures into one. Make your own and watch in amazement! What You’ll Need: scissors tape 2 long pencils or chopsticks What to Do: 1. Cut out the rocket and owl panels along the solid black lines. Fold each panel in half along the red dotted line with plain side in. 2. Open up each panel and place face down on the table with yellow side up. Place your pencil between the blue lines. Make sure the top of the picture is close to the top of the pencil. Tape the back of the picture to the…