ACTIVITIES
Fun This Month (page 2)
Solve an ice-cream puzzle and try some tongue twisters.

Find the Pictures (page 2)
Look for the 10 pictures hidden throughout the issue.

Hidden Pictures® (page 14)
Find the broccoli, pennant, and other objects.

Matching (page 18)
Match the hot-air balloons on the left to those on the right.

Check . . . and Double Check (page 34)
Find at least 20 differences in these two pictures.

BrainPlay (page 39)
Why do animals stretch?

HUMOR
The Timbertoes® (page 19)
Tommy decides he wouldn't want to be small like a grasshopper, butterfly, or caterpillar.

READERS' CONTRIBUTIONS
Your Own Pages (page 32)
Readers see drawings and poems from their peers all over the world.

REBUS
Lemonade for Sale (page 9)
These kids make just enough money to buy ice cream.

ACTIVITIES
Fun This Month (page 2)
Solve an ice-cream puzzle and try some tongue twisters.

Find the Pictures (page 2)
Look for the 10 pictures hidden throughout the issue.

Sea-Life Scrambler (page 8)
Solve this puzzle.

Hidden Pictures® (page 14)
Find the broccoli, pennant, and other objects.

Cabin Conundrum (page 15)
Use the clues to figure out where each sign belongs.

Take Your Fishbowl to the Beach (page 22)
Try looking at some sea creatures up close.

Crafts (page 26)
Make and play a buried-treasure game, create a baseball-bat crayon box, and design a firecracker centerpiece.

Thinking (page 29)
Ponder what's happening in this campground scene.

Check . . . and Double Check (page 34)
Find at least 20 differences in these two pictures.

BrainPlay (page 39)
Which things around you look like letters of the alphabet?

Picture Puzzler (page 43)
Solve this "Camp Hike-a-Lot" puzzle.

FICTION
The Summer Sun and the Yup'ik Boy (page 12)
Wassie, an Alaskan boy, finds it difficult to fall asleep when the sun is still shining late into the night.

Blueberry Pie (page 40)
Grandma and granddaughter discover that they need just one more ingredient for the pie.

HUMOR
Jokes (page 15)
Readers relate the best jokes they have heard.

The Timbertoes® (page 19)
Tommy decides he wouldn't want to be small like a grasshopper, butterfly, or caterpillar.

Riddles (page 38)
Kids share their favorite riddles.

READERS' CONTRIBUTIONS
Your Own Stories (page 21)
Kids share stories they wrote.

Your Own Pages (page 32)
Readers see drawings and poems from their peers all over the world.

Dear Highlights (page 42)
The editors deal with readers concerns about taking good photos and dreaming about being a professional basketball player.

REBUS
Lemonade for Sale (page 9)
These kids make just enough money to buy ice cream.

SCIENCE AND NATURE
Science Corner (page 20)
Find out what makes the beautiful colors of fireworks and discover why woodpeckers like dead trees.

Dino Days (page 20)
"Were there any meat eaters in Australia?" Dino Don Lessem answers this question.

You're on a Roll (page 28)
Try this experiment.

VALUES
Goofus and Gallant® (page 8)
Goofus throws his gum on the ground; Gallant puts his litter in a trash can.

VERSE
"maggie and milly and molly and may" (page 5)

Summer Night (page 38)

What you need:

• eight metal or plastic lids
  
• scissors
  
• construction paper
  
• ruler
  
• glue
  
• markers
  
• poster board
  
• large envelope

1. Clean and dry eight metal or plastic lids.
2. In the center of each lid, glue a circle of paper. Number the lids from 1 to 8.
3. From poster board, cut a square slightly longer on each side than three of the lids placed side by side.
4. Use a marker to divide the square into nine small squares.
5. To play the game, place the numbered lids on the small squares in any order, leaving one square empty. Then slide a lid into the empty square. Continue sliding numbers, one at a time, into empty squares. Any number next to an empty square may be moved into it. The object of the game is to rearrange all of the lids so they're in numerical order.
6. Store the game board and lids in a large envelope.

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In this big picture find the saucepan, wristwatch, open book, baseball bat, spool of thread, chicken, lock, lizard, sock, pie, crochet hook, banana, worm, crescent moon, loaf of bread, slice of orange, hot dog, candle, book, butterfly and flashlight.

Can you find these Hidden Pictures?

© Copyright Highlights for Children

There is only one Clifford the Big Red Dog, and children all over the world enjoy reading about his adventures. But why is Clifford red? Why isn’t he brown or black or tan, like other dogs? When I visited Norman Bridwell, who is Clifford's creator and my neighbor, I asked him just that. His answer surprised me.

"There was a jar of red paint on the end of my drawing table," he said, laughing. "I dunked my brush in it and decided the dog would be red."

Clifford wasn't even the dog's name at first. When Mr. Bridwell finished painting him, he wanted to give him a funny name. Because the dog was so big, he thought Tiny would be a good name. But Mr. Bridwell's wife, Norma, felt that it didn't suit him.

"He needs a strong name," she said, and suggested Clifford, the name of the imaginary playmate she'd had as a child. Mr. Bridwell liked the sound of it and decided it was perfect.

He also thought the big red dog would need a friend, so he drew a little girl with a happy smile. Mr. Bridwell named her Emily Elizabeth, after his daughter. Then he wrote a story about them and drew pictures for it.

Mrs. Bridwell made a bright gingham cover for the story and bound it up like a real book. Then the Bridwells sent it off to a publishing house. Luckily, it reached an editor who fell in love with it, and that's how Clifford was born.

Over the past 36 years, more than 60 books about Clifford have been published. What makes him so popular? When I asked Mr. Bridwell, he said, "Maybe it's because, even though Clifford is klutzy and funny, he always, always tries to be helpful."

Mr. Bridwell has a sunny studio in his home, which is on the island of Martha's Vineyard, in Massachusetts. His studio is small and cluttered, but very comfortable. The ceiling is papered with covers from all the books he has written. Mr. Bridwell does most of his work there.

Every now and then, however, he finds a quiet spot on one of the island beaches and works for an hour or two. I see Mr. Bridwell often, down by our town's pier. He stands there looking out at the ocean, deep in thought. I always wonder if he’s planning another Clifford story.

Here is some advice that Mr. Bridwell has given to kids:

"Write about things you know and enjoy. Think about something, and then write down all the things that go with it. You'll be surprised how much there is. I always carry a small pad in my pocket. That way I never miss anything.

"For example, suppose you want to write a baseball story. Think of all the things that go with the sport. Watch how the people act. Is there something funny or unusual you can draw or jot down? Did the pitcher spit on the ball before he threw it? Find out why. Ask a lot of questions.

"When you get home, look at your notes, and try to chain your ideas together. Do it over and over again until the words feel right and seem to flow. You'll know when it's OK."

Initiation: Have a discussion with the children about vacations that they and their families have gone on or wish to go on. Talk about cost, activities, weather...chart your discussion and organize into categories.

Development: Explain to the class that they will be choosing a destination that they will have to "sell"/convince fellow students that they have the best vacation spot that money can buy. They can use the encyclopedia, magazines, travel brochures from travel agencies (encourage students to visit a travel agency), or/and the internet. After collecting information and pictures, the student then need to make information cards, posters or brochures of their own. They will present their destination to the class and try to sell their place. The students will later vote for the best destination without voting for their own.

Closure: Have each student bring in a souvenir or special object that best represents their destination. For example; shells, t-shirt, mug, coins, flags...discuss.

Materials: Organizational chart, example of a travel brochure, souvenir example.

Time: Initiation-30-40min.

Extension: Turn this lesson into a geography lesson by having a map with push pins in all of the chosen destinations.

Caroline Wyman has a degree in Sociology and a Masters in Elementary Education and is the administrator for TeacherNet.com.

Active Fun Part 2

I never gave James Foley much thought. He faded into the walls during class, ate lunch alone in the cafeteria, and hardly ever came to after-school games.

I guess I thought of him the way I thought of Mrs. Kramer's globe. When I came to school, it was always sitting on the bookshelf, but I never felt like bothering with it.

Now I was stuck sitting with James, our desks actually touching, for the whole week. We were building toothpick bridges, and Mrs. Kramer had picked partners for us. I thought she'd made a mistake when I saw my name beside James's.

"Hey, Mark!" My best friend Eddie waved from across the room. He pointed to James, laughing like a hyena.

I put my head on my desk. Eddie didn't have to worry. His partner was Ryan Washburn, the smartest kid in fifth grade.

I peeked at James's boots. No laces. He wore them every day. Why couldn't he at least wear sneakers?

"OK, everyone!" Mrs. Kramer yelled cheerfully. Didn't she realize I had nothing to be cheerful about? I lifted my head, but it felt like cement, so I propped it in my hands.

"You and your partner will decide who is the architect and who is the transportation person. When the architect has picked out a truss-bridge design, the transportation person can get the glue and toothpicks at the supply table."

I had to be the transportation person because James wouldn't get out of his seat. He looked at the paper Mrs. Kramer passed out. We had about 10 bridges to choose from, and James got to pick because he was the architect. He pointed to the plain "warren" design and grunted.

Great, I thought. The most boring bridge of all. And to top it off, he was going to grunt at me for a week.

The first day of construction, we built the roadway and piers. James worked pretty fast. He even seemed to know what he was doing.

On the third day, we ran into trouble. We'd used 120 toothpicks and two containers of glue, and the sides wouldn't stay up. I was ready to quit.

"Could you get 20 more toothpicks?"

I was so surprised to hear James actually talk that I forgot to answer.

"Hurry up before the whole thing caves in," he said.

I jumped from my seat as if my pants were on fire. As James grunted directions, we made the bottom more stable. This made the sides sturdier.

I waited for James to talk again, but he didn't.

On Thursday, the last day of building, Mrs. Kramer announced, "Tomorrow your bridges will be tested for strength by placing a bar across the middle of the bridge, hanging a bucket from the bar, and adding weights slowly to the bucket. As you know, parents and relatives are invited!"

"Who's coming from your family?" I asked James, curious.

I didn't think he was going to answer me. Finally he mumbled, "My dad has to work. My mom died."

I sure wished I hadn't asked.

The next day, parents, grandparents, and little sisters and brothers chattered excitedly. My mom said our bridge looked nice. I thought it looked pretty boring.

Mrs. Kramer blew her whistle. The bridge-breaking ceremony had begun!

Two desks were placed side by side a foot apart. Each bridge was placed across the desks so that the bucket hung between them.

Eddie and Ryan were next to last. James and I would be last. Most of the bridges had held three or four pounds.

Everyone cheered when they saw the bridge Eddie and Ryan built. It looked awesome. They had used twice as many toothpicks as anyone else.

Their bridge held eight pounds before it buckled. My heart sank to my sneakers.

It was our turn. Eddie poked me in the side as we walked by. "What kind of scrawny bridge is that?" he asked, laughing his hyena laugh. He was beginning to bug me.

Then James did something amazing. He stopped, looked at Eddie, and said, "You can't tell something's worth by the way it looks."

Eddie's mouth dropped open. I watched the back of James's head as he walked up front. I sure hoped he was right.

Mrs. Kramer set our bridge up. It did look pretty scrawny.

I held my breath as she started adding weight. Three pounds. Four. I heard a creak and squeezed my eyes shut -- I thought our bridge was breaking. Then I realized it was the classroom door opening.

A man wearing dirty work clothes walked in. He looked a lot like James.

I looked at James. It was the first time I'd ever seen him smile.

Mrs. Kramer had added the fifth pound. Then the sixth.

I stared at James. He glanced proudly at the man standing just inside the door. "My dad builds bridges," he said. "He talks to me about them sometimes."

"How come you never told me before?" I whispered.

"You never asked."

Mrs. Kramer added the seventh pound. Everyone cheered and clapped. The bridge began to sag.

"Wait!" I shouted.

Mrs. Kramer stopped, surprised. "But you and James might win!"

"I don't care," I said. "I don't want it to break."

Mrs. Kramer looked at James. "Well?"

James was smiling again, and this time he was smiling at me. "I don't either," he said.

A great adventure
As a first year teacher, you are undoubtedly swamped with the demands of the job. So much of education appears routine and uninspiring. But in reality, teaching is a great adventure. It's a journey along a road that is sometimes wide and straight, sometimes narrow and crooked, and, every once in a while, it feels like entering a dead-end street with no exits. In reality, however, teaching is a profession where you make your own path because, despite all the pressures placed on teachers to conform, there is still room for imagination, creativity and innovation.

A journey from inside out
A teacher's journey is really a journey from the inside out. You are the instrument of your own development. All great teachers are creative and imaginative. They are role models of the possible and scouts for the future. How will you create your own journey as you start out on your career? Here are a few thoughts about some core principles that might help you on your journey to become a great teacher and a lifelong learner.

• Don't be afraid of your own feelings. Too often professionalism is equated with intellectualism and coldness. We know, however, that the brain is stimulated by and responds to deep feelings. Like a good actor, you need to be in touch with your feelings and then translate those feelings into the emotional glue that makes a classroom transcend the routine and enter into the extraordinary. Teach from the head and the heart; without heart there is no lasting learning.

• Always be a courageous reasoner. The purpose of learning is the discovery of truth. Unfortunately, we have come to equate learning with test scores. I wonder how Socrates or Galileo or Einstein would have done on standardized tests – creative intelligence is immeasurable. The creative breakthroughs that have shaped our world could not have been achieved if some creative pioneers were not brave enough to think differently and to keep the search for the truth as their intellectual and moral North Star.

  Today courageous reasoning is needed more than ever. Popular culture is awash with violence, commercialized sex, and materialistic values that undermine the deep values of reflection, empathy, tolerance and hope. Thinking clearly is the foundation of a life well-lived. To reason courageously is the foundation of self-knowledge and the cradle of civic life.

• Don't be ashamed of serving others. In our society, self is very often put above service. The idea that a life well-lived includes service over self runs counter to the commercialized culture that glorifies self over service. Community means nothing if not service and sacrifice.

You've probably noticed that many of your students are mesmerized by the status symbols of our culture. Wearing the right running shoes seems a lot more important than having the right ideas. As teachers, we need to model the opposite behavior where the quality of our characters is more important than what we have in the clothes closet.

Shaping the future
In one sense, you've undertaken the most difficult and rewarding career imaginable. You are responsible for shaping the future, not only in terms of what you teach, but also with who you are. I can clearly remember a handful of unforgettable teachers who modeled for me the values of intellectual curiosity, attention to evidence and ethical behavior. As you grow in your profession, becoming increasingly reflective will be a gift to both your students and their families. Generations of students will learn their core values from you and, in turn, pass those values on at work, in their families and as citizens.

Teachers are not technicians. We are guides, mentors and scouts on the frontiers of knowledge. When I think about the students that I saw when I was principal for a day, I remember the light in their eyes and it reminds me why I so eagerly decided to become a teacher. Let's pledge to never forget.

Peter W. Cookson, Jr. is the founder of TCinnovations and the Dean of the Graduate School of Education of Lewis & Clark College. He is also founder of the Center for Educational Outreach & Innovation at Teachers College and columnist for Teaching Pre K-8 magazine.

Purchase Hidden Pictures books here!

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In this big picture find the whale, butterfly, George Washington’s head, rooster, otter, sailboat, Triceratops, dog's head, squirrel, feather, pigeon, celery, eagle, and ice skate.

Can you find these Hidden Pictures?

© Copyright Highlights for Children

Invitations
Fold a half sheet of construction paper in half so that the shorter sides meet. Draw a boot shape on the fold and cut out the shape through both layers. Write "Howdy, Partner" on the front of the card. On the inside write: "Ride on over to our Rodeo Party. Dress in western gear (jeans, bandanna, cowboy hat, boots -— whatever you have)."

Write the date and time of the party along with your name and location.

Decorations
Horses
Decorate your classroom, cafeteria, or school yard to look like a corral. Cut out cactus plants or fence sections from large pieces of cardboard, and paint them. If you have hay bales, you can place one or two here and there.

Change your chairs into horses: blow up several balloons, draw a horse's face on each, and tape on paper ears. Attach a yarn bridle, and use it to tie or tape the horse's "head" to the back of a chair.

Fasten a yarn or rope tail to the front of the seat of each chair. Pin the tails with tape or tie them to wooden, plastic, or metal chairs.

Centerpiece
Make a lasso shape out of rope and place it in the center of the table. Put a cowboy hat in the middle of the lasso.

Lasso Placemats
Use construction paper for placemats. Glue brown yarn in the shape of a lasso about an inch in from the edges of the placemats. Put a paper plate in the center of each.

Place-Card Straws
Draw flags on small pieces of paper. Write each student's name on a flag, and tape it near the top of a straw, leaving room for the person to sip from the straw. Place the flags beside the placemats.

Games
Clown Masks
Clowns help protect the cowboys during a rodeo. Have your students make clown masks for the Clown Dress-up Contest (see below).

Gather the following supplies: yarn, paper plates, crayons or felt pens, pompoms, scissors, and glue. First, cut out holes in the paper plate for eyes and a mouth. Next, decorate the face. Add yarn hair and a pompom nose.

Glue a wooden ice-cream stick or tongue depressor to the bottom of the mask to hold it in front of your face. To wear the mask, poke holes in the sides of the mask and add yarn ties.

Clown Dress-up Contest
Before the party, fill two laundry baskets with separate sets of adult-size western wear: jeans, cowboy shirt, belt, scarf or bandanna, work gloves, and boots.

Divide players into two teams. Have the players tie on or hold up their clown masks. At a signal, the first player on each team runs to the team's basket, puts on the western wear over his or her clothes (putting down the mask if it's not tied on), yells "yee-ha!" and then takes off the dress-up clothes, drops them into the basket, and runs back to the team. Each player takes a turn. The winning team is the one that finishes first.

Horseshoe Pass
Round up the horse chairs in a circle. Each player sits on a horse. Turn on country music. As the music plays, players pass a cardboard horseshoe around the circle. Then stop the music. The player holding the horseshoe is out. Remove his or her horse chair, and make the circle smaller. Start the music again, and repeat the game until one player remains. You might award this roughrider a prize.

Tumbleweed Words
Give each player a pencil and a list of scrambled words that have to do with the West or rodeos. (Below is a list of possible scrambled words and their answers.) Set a time limit. The player who unscrambles the most words in that time wins a prize.

Answers: saddle, bull, cowgirl, horse, champ, steer, calf, chaps, barrel, ranch.

Grub
Hot Dogies
Serve grilled hot dogs on a bun. Add mustard, ketchup, or salsa.

Chuck-Wagon Chili
Heat up chili, and top it with sour cream or plain yogurt.

Black Bull
Put two scoops of vanilla ice cream in a tall glass or cup. Slowly pour root beer over the ice cream until the foam reaches the top of the glass.

Grazing Greens
Toss together lettuce, your favorite raw vegetables, sprouts, and ranch dressing.

Pull your horses up to the table, put on some country music, and chow down, partners!

What you need:

• chenille sticks
  
• clean plastic comb
  
• scissors
  
• paper
  
• glue
  
• pencil

1. For arms and legs, twist chenille sticks around the bottom and middle of a clean plastic comb.
   
2. Cut out paper hair and facial features. Glue them on.
   
3. Draw and cut out four hand shapes and four foot shapes from paper. Glue two shapes on each arm and leg so that the ends of the chenille sticks are covered.

ACTIVITIES
Fun This Month (page 2)
Solve an ice-cream puzzle and try some tongue twisters.

Hidden Pictures® (page 14)
Find the broccoli, pennant, and other objects.

Take Your Fishbowl to the Beach (page 22)
Try looking at some sea creatures up close.

Crafts (page 26)
Make and play a buried-treasure game, create a baseball-bat crayon box, and design a firecracker centerpiece.

Thinking (page 29)
Ponder what's happening in this campground scene.

Check . . . and Double Check (page 34)
Find at least 20 differences in these two pictures.

Sound Bites (page 35)
Think about the sounds that can be made with food.

BrainPlay (page 39)
List some things that are easy to observe. List some that are difficult.

ADVENTURE
Making the World's Rarest Syrup (page 10)
This family learns how to make a tasty treat from the fruit of the saguaro.

FICTION
Ask Arizona (page 16)
Arizona and her karate class finally agree on a theme for their float.

Even If He's Green (page 24)
With her brother's help, Angie realizes that their family was built with love.

Roadrunner Rescue (page 30)
A roadrunner's speed helps save a baby prairie dog.

HISTORY
Rescuing Our Documents of Freedom (page 36)
Find out how a clerk saved the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution during the War of 1812.

READERS' CONTRIBUTIONS
Your Own Stories (page 21)
Kids share stories they wrote.

Your Own Pages (page 32)
Readers see drawings and poems from their peers all over the world.

Dear Highlights (page 42)
The editors deal with readers concerns about taking good photos and dreaming about being a professional basketball player.

SCIENCE AND NATURE
What Good Is the Big Bad Wolf? (page 6)
See how this predator helps its habitat.

Nature Watch (page 18)
Learn about snails.

Science Corner (page 20)
Find out what makes the beautiful colors of fireworks and discover why woodpeckers like dead trees.

Dino Days (page 20)
"Were there any meat eaters in Australia?" Dino Don Lessem answers this question.

Science Letters (page 34)
Find out about the largest eagles that ever lived.

Parent Activities—
Have a lemonade stand

• Decide on the price your lemonade will be per cup, remeber to subtract out the cost of the lemonade and cups that you bought.


• Have your child use mental math or pencil and paper to add and subtract the money for each sale.


• Don't forget to have extra change on hand for your child to use during the transaction.


• If your child is working with other children, ask them to divide the profits in their heads or write it down.


• Extra skills to use...have your child make a colorful poster to display and remember to have them put the price on the poster.

Have a yard sale...mom you will love this one!

• Have your child go through all of their gently used toys, books, movies and other items that you are ready to clean out of your house.


• Talk about pricing. What is reasonable? What would it cost new in the store? Price some toys in a bunch (ex. 4 matchbox cars for $.75 or $.25 each).


• Group alike items together. All stuffed animals in one area, books in another, puzzles somewhere else....


• Remeber to have some spare change and dollar bills on hand so you can make change.


• Have your child figure out the change back in their head. At the end of the day, have your child count up the money and subtract out what you started with. Depending on how you price the items, you can make this an easy task or a challenging one.


• Don't forget to advertise! Have your child make some colorful signs and post them up around your neighborhood.

Go grocery shopping

• Have your child make a shopping list and collect coupons that match the items on the list.


• You can give your child a budget to shop with or not. If you give them a budget, have them keep track of their purchases and remind them to make sure that they don't over spend.


• Have your child do some mental math with rounding in order to keep on track.


• Have your child subtract the coupon from the item's purchase price to see how much they are saving.


• Ask your child to compare prices on similar items.


• Depending on your child's grade level, ask them to find the most economical way to save while shopping. Some examples are product size versus cost, also was the item on sale? How does buy one get one free compared to the single item price?

What a great way to keep your students mind on math this summer!

Caroline Wyman has a degree in Sociology and a Masters in Elementary Education and is the administrator for TeacherNet.com.

Development: Explain that each student will now come up with their own ideas as to how Alexander could have changed the events of his day. They can first use a cause and effect chart and then develop a plan to write letters to Alexander explaining their thoughts. You can even have the students write their letter, seal it in an envelope and put it in a pretend mailbox that the teacher can then receive and read to the class. This is always a fun way to share behavior plans and funny remedies to everyday children's lives.

Closure: The teacher can share the letters to the class.

Materials: Book, chart paper, writing tools, envelopes.

Time: 30 min.

Caroline Wyman has a degree in Sociology and a Masters in Elementary Education and is the administrator for TeacherNet.com.