Up Close to Nature

FACEB O OK. CO M/ FUNFO RKI DZ • FUNFO RKI DZ.COM

Presents...

3 Check It Out! 4 Where Are the Wild Things?

6 10 Animal Facts 8 Clever and Curious 9 Drawing a Raccoon 10 Wildlife Wonders 12 One-of-a-Kind Okapi 13 Unusual Rainforest Creatures 14 Puzzles 16 The Gentle Giants 18 The Turn-over Turtle 19 Cowboy Clark & Larry 20 The World’s Largest Rodent 22 The Amazing Hummingbird 23 Insect Jamboree 24 The Remarkable Robin 26 Sharp Claws and Stretchy Cheeks 28 Marvelous Mandarin Ducks 29 Kids Corner 30 Puzzle Solutions 2

We all enjoy being outside and experiencing the world around us. Animals, birds, and bugs normally live outside. They each have their own natural habitat. There are creatures that live near our homes. Go for a walk around your yard. Ask your parents to take you on a walk or hike. Did you see anything unusual? If you are fortunate enough to visit a zoo, look for some of the unique animals featured in this issue.

You don’t have to use just your eyes to experience nature up close. Try using only your ears. Make your own observations from where you live. Go out and just listen. Try this in the early morning and evening. The sounds will be much different from what you might hear in the middle of the day.

Whether you leave on foot from your home or take a trip in the car, keep a journal.

Tell us what you saw and send us a photo. We will publish it in a future issue.

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o you live close to wild creatures? You may think you don’t, but take another look. You will be surprised. Hunter and Parker are two brothers who live in Bozeman, Montana. They live in a state where there are many animals roaming around in the wild – elk, antelope, wolves, coyotes, bears, bison, mountain lions, moose, and bobcats.

The boys are aware of creatures right in their own backyard. One day, while they were out playing, they discovered something crawling in the grass.

Hunter picked it up to look at it more closely. It was a caterpillar.

The next day, they heard a bird hit the window.

Parker investigated. He saw the wild thing sitting very still on their deck. Hunter took a picture of the bird without disturbing it.

Fortunately, it was not badly injured and flew away.

Did this deer just finish a snack?

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They named it Bob.

Hunter and Parker see other wild creatures in their yard that you may have seen – rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, birds, bugs, butterflies, and deer.

They were surprised at its long tongue.

Zoos are a great place to see wild animals. Often, there are opportunities to feed them. Hunter and Parker enjoyed feeding a giraffe.

When you can’t visit a zoo, watch a live web camera.

Many zoos offer this or videos of the animals. Ask your parent to bring one up on your computer. It’s the next best thing to being there.

African Safari Parks are located across the country. These places offer drive-through areas where wild animals are outside roaming. They may come right up to your car window.

Got anything to eat?

Reading about wild creatures in books, watching videos and movies, and visiting parks with wild animals provide special adventures. But don’t forget to walk outside and use your eyes and ears. There are wild creatures all around you. Tell us how many you’ve seen. Write a letter or send a picture. You will see it in a future issue of Fun For Kidz!

Parker thought feeding the porcupines was awesome.

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Clever and Curious

by Gaurakisora Tucker

Raccoons are furry wild animals that live throughout North America. They are about the size of a large cat with gray fur, hunched backs, a sharp little nose, and distinctive dark masks around their eyes. Their back legs are longer than their front legs, and their tails are ringed with dark and white fur.

Raccoons wake up at night, come out of their nests, often in hollow trees, and go looking for food.

They eat almost anything, but really seem to enjoy looking around creeks and lakes for crayfish with their sensitive, delicate hands.

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These are smart, curious animals. Don’t be surprised if you hear a raccoon poking around outside your yard at night. They have learned that where people are, food is there too.

Drawing a Raccoon

by Andrew Wales

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3.

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1. Sketch the basic shapes.

(Draw lightly in pencil first, then use a fine-point marker or black pen.) The animal has a face like a fox with a sharp, delicate nose. Its legs are long. Its claws are strong.

2. It has a stocky body covered with long, coarse gray hair with black tips. Go around the edges with a pen to create a fur-like texture.

3. Sketch the outline of the raccoon’s “mask” around the eyes. There is white hair around the black patch which is around each eye.

4. Continue working on the face. Make a dark band between the eyes, running down to the shiny black nose. Also fill in darker hairs inside the ears. Allow your lines to cross each other. This is called cross-hatching.

Add whiskers to the sides of the face. Make black curved lines around the eyes, defining the eyelids. The hairs on the side of the snout are shorter. There are not as many of them, and they are left white. Keep the white band across the face above the eyes.

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5. To work on the tail, make dark bands first, then fill in with lighter bands.

6. Finish by referring to the above illustration. You can add color to the background or leave it white.

Send a copy of your completed raccoon picture to us at Fun For Kidz, Box 227, Bluffton, OH 45817.

You might see it published in a future issue. Be sure to include your name, address, age, and a photo of yourself, if you have one.

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by Diane Winebar

Wouldn’t it be thrilling to see bison run on a prairie? Or watch moose drink from a sparkling river? You can experience these things at Yellowstone National Park, home to over 500 kinds of wild animals. Animal viewing is best at early morning or at dusk. That is when they are on the move, looking for food.

Elk are the most common large animals here.

As many as 20,000 roam the area. They are often seen in campgrounds and near buildings. Large herds gather in the valleys and meadows. Seeing a bull elk with an impressive set of antlers is special. People might hear an elk before they see one. Its call can be heard for miles!

Grizzly bears and black bears hang out on hillsides, searching for berries and roots. It is not unusual to see black bears in a tree! They are excellent climbers. Grizzlies, the larger bear of the two, normally avoid people. But if surprised or threatened, they can become ferocious.

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Moose, with their long legs and kind of goofy look, are fun to watch. They are easy to spot because they are so tall. Moose spend their time in the park’s rivers, lake shores, and marshy areas. As calm as they seem, they are unpredictable and have been known to chase away park visitors.

The bison are world famous. Weighing about 1000 pounds, they are Yellowstone’s largest animal. Thousands of these majestic creatures graze the grasslands, so the chances of seeing a herd are good. For such a huge beast, bison can move quickly. They are able to jump high fences and are good swimmers.

Bighorn sheep are rugged, sure-footed animals living on the rocky slopes and steep cliffs of mountains. From even far away, people listen for the sound of clashing horns of fighting males.

Binoculars come in handy when looking for these animals. Those rocks up there may turn out to be bighorn sheep!

Seeing the larger animals excites visitors. Hiking or driving through the park and seeing them right by the path or road is unforgettable! These are a few of the big magnificent animals living in Yellowstone.

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by Jolene Redvale

It’s a cross between a deer and a donkey. It’s a short giraffe with zebra stripes. Can it be a donkey, a giraffe, and a zebra all mixed together? Whatever animal it looks like, the okapi is unique.

Okapis (say: oh COP ees) are the only living relatives of giraffes. Both have knobby horns (female okapis have knobby bumps), big brown eyes, and large cheeks. While giraffes hold the record for longest legs and necks, okapis come in second.

Okapis and giraffes share another unusual feature: a long, sticky, purplish-blue tongue.

They wrap their tongues around a branch to pluck off a few tasty leaves. They also use it to groom their fur. An okapi can even reach up to lick inside its own ears!

Quiet and shy okapis live in the rainforest of the Congo Basin of Africa. Unusual black and white stripes on their legs help them hide among the trees and blend into their habitat. How does an animal living in a wet rainforest stay dry? For okapis, the trick is their thick, oily fur.

Their body stays dry under this waterproof oil-and-fur slicker.

Today okapis live in two dozen zoos around the US. If you are lucky enough to see okapis, listen to how other zoo visitors describe them. Then you can say, “THAT unusual animal is an OKAPI from the rainforest of Africa!”

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The world’s rainforests are filled with special animals you can’t see anywhere else. Or can you? Check out your nearest zoo. Do any of these animals live there?

Do you think an EMPEROR TAMARIN is proud of its white droopy mustache? It’s the first thing you notice about this Amazon rainforest monkey. Weighing about one pound, they crawl out on the very tips of tree branches to reach food. Most animals are too big to do this. Tamarins are smart, playful, and very social. At bedtime, the family curls up together to sleep in a tree.

A kangaroo relative lives in trees. Really! When TREEKANGAROOS are on the ground, they are clumsy and slow moving. It’s a different story up in the branches of New Guinea rainforests. There, they are nimble and quick. They can leap up to 30 feet, jumping from tree to tree. Sharp claws help them climb and cling to limbs, and their long swinging tails help with balance.

The RHINOCEROS HORNBILL looks as if it has two beaks. It doesn’t. That interesting head ornament on its beak is a casque. It is hollow and makes this bird’s calls sound louder. And it’s curved, like a rhino’s horn. That’s how this hornbill got its name. These large birds are found in Southeast Asian rainforests. They spend their lives in the tops of large trees flying from one branch to another. Their wings can spread nearly five feet!

You now know that these exotic creatures live in rainforests.

Have you discovered what else they have in common?

See if you are right on page 30!

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©Liz Ball www.hiddenpicturepuzles.com

bell cup mug nail pants flag knife tiger donut boot envelope baton 2 birds arrow pizza slice dipper wooden shoe football bowling pin 2 tepees music note

by Guy Belleranti

Can you find the 14 rodents hidden in the puzzle?

Circle each one, then write the remaining letters in the boxes to spell out a big rodent fact.

BEAVER CHINCHILLA CHIPMUNK GERBIL GUINEA PIG

HAMSTER LEMMING MOUSE MUSKRAT PORCUPINE

RAT SQUIRREL VOLE WOODCHUCK

Chipmunks have cheeks that are a great help when they gather food because they can stretch to hold so much - as many as six acorns!

Fill in the squares so that each row, column, and 8-square section has the letters C-H-I-P-M-U-N-K

A L L I H C N I H C T V E B E H E C A L P Y B O C N E M S Q U I R R E L A H I A M R A B I S T E H E I P V I L R E T S M A H A P U E N E E S U O M R G E M C R G U I N E A P I G S U R T R O T A R K S U M D N O E N T W O O F C H U C K P

Big Rodent Fact:

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by Evelyn B. Christensen

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by Eric R. Ode

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Copy the parts of the scrambled picture into the pie wedge shapes with the same number.

You will see two animals.

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by Donna Lugg Pape

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ANT BEAR SNAKE CHIPMUNK RACCOON OPOSSUM MOSQUITO JAY DEER MOUSE RABBIT

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C A M P

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Many different animals might choose to visit you when you go camping in nature. Can you fit these 11 forest creatures into the grid?

Each word will fit once.

©Liz Ball

by David Lindo

Find the letter described by the fraction given in each of the following statements. Print the letters you select, in the order provided, into the boxes. What did you get? Were you surprised?

The first 1/6 of OCELOT The last 1/3 of ELK The middle 1/3 of YAK The first 1/5 of PANDA The middle 1/7 of GORILLA

What kind of strange-looking animal would you like to get to know better?

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by Jane Sullivan • photos by Shirley Ramaley “Hey, look at this guy. He looks just like E.T.” I squatted down to look in awe at a creature that, before this, I had only read about: the Galapagos tortoise. They are the largest known living tortoises in the world.

“You’re right on that,” our guide answered. “E.T. was modeled after the Galapagos tortoise.”

With our guide, we wandered through the upland meadows of the island of Santa Cruz to view these gentle giants up close. Santa Cruz is one of the Galapagos Islands, which lie in the Pacific Ocean 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. Spanish sailors, who discovered the islands in 1535, named them after the many tortoises which lived there. Galápago is a Spanish word for turtle.

Over 100,000 giant tortoises existed on the Galapagos Islands when the Spanish sailors first came there. By 1947, the population had dwindled to about 14,000.

Today the Charles Darwin Research Center helps protect them. Tortoise eggs are brought to the Center, where they are hatched and raised. When the young tortoises are large enough to survive on their own, they are returned to the wild to live. A Galapagos tortoise can live to the ripe old age of 200 years.

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Some people might call this animal a turtle. While that is not wrong, it is not quite correct. A tortoise is a kind of turtle that lives on land. A full-grown Galapagos tortoise can weigh as much as 500 pounds. Some are six feet long from head to tail. As large as they are, they are no danger to visiting tourists. We passed by many, stopping to watch them munch on a meal of green grass. They studied us as closely as we studied them.

Galapagos tortoises lead uncomplicated lives grazing on grass, leaves, and cactus. They spend a lot of time basking in the sun, napping nearly 16 hours a day. They have a slow metabolism and can store large amounts of water inside their bodies. This means they can survive up to a year without eating or drinking.

Years ago, people who came to the islands brought pigs, dogs, cats, rats, goats, and cattle with them. Now these animals are a threat to the Galapagos tortoises’ food supply and eggs.

The tortoises are listed as an endangered species. They are being strictly protected by the government of Ecuador.

Some zoos, such as the San Diego Zoo in California, have Galapagos tortoises that they care for. So it is not necessary to travel all the way to the Galapagos Islands to see one. But the thrill of stooping down to look eye-to-eye at one of these awesome creatures in the wild is worth the trip!

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Sometimes, by accident, a turtle gets turned upside down. It seems helpless as it wiggles its legs and moves its head from side-to-side, but it isn’t. All of a sudden, the turtle flips over and walks away. What did it do to make itself turn right-side up?

You can find out the secret by making your own turnover model turtle.

What You Need:

Making the Turtle 1. Ask the adult to slice the ball in half.

You will use one half to make the turtle's "shell."

2. Set the half-ball on the cardboard, and draw around the edge to make a circle. The circle will be the turtle and its bottom shell. Take away the ball, and draw a head, tail, and legs on the edges of the circle like in the illustration. Make sure the feet face forward and back, as shown.

3. Glue the coin to the cardboard so that it is at the edge, between the feet on one side.

• a Styrofoam ball about 1-1/2" to 2" in diameter • a piece of cardboard

4. Put glue all over the circle, and glue the half-ball to it. Let the glue dry thoroughly.

• a coin, such as a penny or a nickel • scissors, glue, and a pencil • an adult with a sharp knife to help you

If you wish, you can use markers to draw eyes, claws, and decorate the top of the shell.

Make the Turtle Turn Over

How Does the Turtle Do It?

How Do Real Turtles Do It?

Place the turtle upside down on a table or the floor. As long as you hold it, it will stay upside down, but the moment you let go, it will flip right-side up!

The way the turtle flips looks like a magic trick, but it isn't. The science secret is GRAVITY. The coin makes the turtle heavier on that side, so when you set it on its back, the weight of the coin moves that side down. Because the shell is curved, it rolls easily and flips over.

When a real turtle finds itself on its back, it wiggles its feet and moves its head back and forth. This shifts its weight from side-to-side. When its head and its feet point to the same side, that side becomes heavier. The turtle then turns over, just like your turn-over turtle!

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Cowboy Clark was teaching Larry how to spit, but Larry wasn’t getting the hang of it. He just couldn’t make the same cool spit stream that Cowboy Clark was able to make fly from the side of his mouth. If anything, Larry looked like he was drooling.

“That’s disgusting,” Mrs. Whiskers hissed, slipping out from underneath a bush.

“We don’t need you messing with us today,” Cowboy Clark warned.

Mrs. Whiskers turned to Larry. “Why learn a disgusting habit?”

“It’s cool,” Larry said.

“It’s not cool. It’s repulsive. Look, it’s not as if you need to spit to survive, like an archer fish. Now that is one skilled spitter,” said Mrs. Whiskers, taking a seat to deliver her lesson. “Do you know anything about the archer fish?”

“A fish that spits?” Cowboy Clark laughed. “Oh, this ought to be good.”

Ignoring him, Mrs. Whiskers explained. “An archer fish turns its tongue into the shape of a tube, sticks its snout out of the water, and spits at insects to knock them into the water. That’s how it gets its food.

It’s such a skilled spitter, it can jet spit down an insect five feet away!” Mrs. Whiskers licked her paw, removing a pebble that had gotten stuck between her pads. “Now, you two? You don’t need to spit to survive.”

“You know what’s disgusting?” asked Cowboy Clark. “You, licking your dirty paw.”

“Oh, really?” Mrs. Whiskers sighed, then sauntered off with her tail in the air. “Cats are one of the cleanest animals on this planet. While you’re looking up information on the archer fish, look that up too.”

Larry turned to Cowboy Clark. “Think we’ll ever be able to spit five feet, like that archer fish?”

“No harm in trying. Right, partner?” Cowboy Clark grinned.

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by Kerrily Sapet

The largest rodents in the world have webbed feet and love the water. The capybara is related to the guinea pig, but you wouldn’t know it by its size. These big rodents grow to be four feet long and about two feet tall. They’ll weigh between 110 to 150 pounds full grown.

Deb Copeland is an animal keeper at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. She knows a lot about the capybaras that live there. Capybaras are herbivores, meaning they eat plants. Copeland cuts tall grasses for them to chew on. In the zoo, they eat tree leaves, corn, alfalfa, and herbivore food. It’s like guinea pig chow.

To keep their always-growing teeth short, rodents gnaw constantly. At the zoo, when the capybaras’ teeth get too long, the animals hook them on their cages and break their teeth shorter.

Capybaras live longer in zoos than they do in the wild. “Three or four years is a long life for a capybara in the wild,” Copeland says. Capybaras are from marshes and other wet areas in South America. There, they run, jump, and dive in the water to avoid jaguars and people. Crocodiles lurk in the water. People eat capybara meat and make necklaces from their teeth.

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In the zoo, capybaras seem friendly. Copeland makes scratching motions with her hands when she sees them. They walk over for a back scratch.

“Capybaras are very social animals,” she says. In the wild, they live with their families in large herds. Sometimes, however, the capybaras want to be left alone. “You have to watch their body language. Gnashing their teeth is an aggressive sound.” Copeland is amazed by their noises.

“They squeak and click.”

At one time, the Zoo had baby capybaras, but babies don’t live there now. In zoos and in the wild, mother capybaras call their babies with a series of clicks. They also share their babies. “They have babysitters,” Copeland says.

“Daddies don’t help much raising the babies.”

Instead, the males stand guard.

“They are so cute when they are little,” Copeland says. “People see them and want them as pets. They are wild animals,” she says. “I wouldn’t want one. It would spend its time in the bathtub!”

The best way to enjoy these “giant guinea pigs” is to visit them at your local zoo.

Do you want to know more about the world’s largest rodent? Check out these capybara facts: There were prehistoric capybaras that weighed eight times as much as capybaras weigh now. These are now extinct.

Capybaras are active in the early mornings and at sunset. During the heat of the day, they spend their time resting.

Their eyes, ears, and noses are high up on their heads. This helps them to see and breathe while swimming.

You can see the adult capybara’s webbed feet in this photo.

The scientific name for capybara means “water pig.” When they were first discovered, people didn’t know they were rodents.

When capybaras are fully grown, their hair does not cover all of their body. To avoid sunburn, they spend lots of time in the water or resting in shade. They even roll around in mud (like pigs) to keep cool!

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by Diane Winebar • photos by Ken Tapp

The smallest birds in the world don’t live in some far-away place. If your yard has flowers in it, there’s a good chance hummingbirds will visit you right where you live!

These birds are so little, they could use a cupped leaf as a bird bath. Their nests are the size of half a walnut shell. Are you surprised?

Eggs the size of jellybeans don’t need a lot of space, you see. Grown hummingbirds can weigh less than a nickel. Incredible!

As little as they are, hummingbirds do things other birds can’t. They can fly forward, backward, up, down, and sideways. They even fly in place. Their wings flap up to 200 times per second. That’s so fast, your eyes can’t follow the movement. Can you guess how these birds got their name? Right! Their wings beat so rapidly, they make a humming sound.

These little dynamos seem to always be moving.

Even their tiny hearts are busy, beating up to 1000 times a minute. Sugary nectar gives them the energy they need. A hummingbird darts from flower to flower until it finds one with nectar. It reaches deep into the flower with its skinny bill. Then it laps up the nectar with its long tongue. When drinking, they move their wings extra fast, forward and backward, in a repeated figure eight motion. This lets them hover in midair long enough to gather all the nectar they need.

Hummingbirds are drawn to bright colors, and they can even see colors that humans can’t. When spring comes, think like a hummingbird. Plant zinnias, petunias, and other flowers that attract them.

Or put out a red hummingbird feeder. You’ll get a thrill watching your energetic little visitors!

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by C.M. Johnson • illustrated by Jane Bodnar The insects held the twenty-fifth annual jamboree, Hosted by the humble and hospitable honeybee.

The centipede and millipede met with the bumblebee And together paraded through town toward the jubilee.

The calicoback and tumblebug put on a display, While the potato bug and figeater fixed the buffet.

The tortoise beetle appeared to come right out of his shell And turned the shy ladybug red with jokes that he would tell!

The assassin bug fit right in and left his life of crime To take a stab at music or a shot at keeping time.

There was also a rhythmical buzzing from the hornet, And the goldsmith beetle sent glaring sounds from his cornet!

The outgoing grasshopper gracefully leapt to the sky, Matched only by the antics of the social butterfly!

And the tiger and rose beetle made a colorful pair!

“Claws and Thorns” were the critter kingdom’s Rogers and Astaire!

And the cotton stainer spotted the chance to make his mark.

He milled about and cut the rug until well after dark!

And while the wasp was spinning about on his stinger point, The old stinkbug blew in and ‘odored’ them out of the joint!!!

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by Amy C. Laundrie

A robin can eat 14 feet of worms every day. Remarkable, you say? Read on.

These birds have a vast range. In the fall, they might fly 100 to 200 miles per day until they reach Florida or southern Texas. In the spring, robins migrate north so they will have less competition for food. They know just when to leave.

They are able to judge the length of daylight and know when the land thaws to about 36 degrees. That is when a favorite treat, the earthworm, comes up to the soil’s surface.

Male robins are remarkable songbirds and will even sing at night. Both males and females have calls and alarm notes. The robins’ playlist includes cheerily cheerily cheerily and peek! tut tut tu when a predator is near. If it is during the nesting season, they make a high-pitched warning sound.

After pairing up, the male helps the female build a nest. Beginning in April, watch for them gathering twigs, grass, and mud. Follow them to their nest site. They are not shy around humans and build nests in gutters, under the eaves, and on decorative wreaths. Soon the nest is filled with eggs.

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The new robins hatch after 11 to 14 days. Soon a fuzzy down appears. Both the male and female bring the nestlings insects or worms. By the time the youngsters open their eyes, they already know their parents by their voices. The young grow rapidly and soon get their flight feathers.

The parents continue to protect and feed the speckled young for a day or two more. Then the young robins are off on their own.

Soon the mother is preparing for a new clutch.

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by Susan Richardson

“Chip! Chip! Chip!” an Eastern chipmunk calls loudly from atop a tree stump. “Chip! Chip! Chip!

Chip!”

Suddenly, the chipmunk stops.

Camouflaged under the shadows of the trees, he sits still, silent, and alert. His big bright eyes gaze at the areas on each side and above him.

His keen ears listen.

In a flash, the frightened chipmunk races toward the forest’s edge and disappears down a small hidden hole. He hurries deep into the dark tunnel, or burrow, that is his home. His sensitive whiskers help him find the way. Underground, the chipmunk sits quietly in his long hallway. He built this home himself with his own sharp claws. And he was thinking about safety when he built it. To keep his home as secret as possible, the chipmunk placed his entrance in a patch of wild violets on a slight slope of land.

During construction, he was careful to leave no clues, like a mound of dirt, near his front door.

The chipmunk has a big stretchy pocket, or pouch, inside each of his cheeks. As he dug out the entrance, tunnels, and rooms of his home, he packed the loose soil into his cheek pouches. When his cheeks became full and bulging, the chipmunk then hauled the dirt to a location far from his building site. With front paws pressed against the sides of his face, he opened his little mouth and dumped the dirt from his cheeks out onto the ground. Then he returned home to continue digging until the next time he needed to haul away dirt.

Hawks, foxes, raccoons, and cats are only a few of the animals that will try to eat a chipmunk. Snakes and weasels are small enough to enter a chipmunk’s front door!

Fortunately, the chipmunk built his home with two back doors that can be used as emergency exits.

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On a cool day in early autumn, the chipmunk stuffs his cheeks with acorns.

He pokes the acorns into his mouth, one after another, until each cheek is full, fat, and nearly as big as his head! Then he scurries home and hurries to his cache, the stack of seeds and nuts he has gathered and hidden in one of his storerooms. He enjoyed eating berries in the summer, but this cache (pronounced like “cash�) of dry food will help him survive the coming winter.

Squeezing his cheeks with his paws, the chipmunk pops the acorns out of his mouth and onto the heap of nuts. He makes his way back through the tunnel and out to gather more. Many trips will be made today, each time bringing more acorns back to fill his storerooms. By the end of the day, he will have gathered 165 acorns!

On a cold November morning, the chipmunk pokes his head out and sees snowflakes falling all around his front door. Winter has arrived. He goes back down into one of his storerooms and snacks on a hickory nut. Then he goes into his bedroom and crawls onto the soft bed made of shredded leaves.

The Eastern chipmunk will spend the winter napping and eating the food he has piled up in his storerooms. He will sleep for several days, maybe even two or three weeks. When he wakes up, he will enjoy a crunchy snack. Then he will get back in his soft leafy bed and sleep some more. Thanks to his sharp claws and stretchy cheeks, this hard-working chipmunk is one small rodent with a good home and enough food to survive until spring.

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by Lisa Haag Kang Mandarin ducklings have to be brave right from the start. They hatch from nests that can be quite high up in hollow trees. Soon after, their mother flies down to the forest floor and calls for them to come out. The baby ducklings use sharp claws on their feet to climb up to the nest’s opening. Then, they jump! Their tiny wings don't help much. Luckily, there usually are fallen leaves and pine needles to cushion their landings. The ducklings then follow their mother to the nearest lake or pond.

Adult males are called drakes, and they are spectacular. Their feathers have unusual shapes and brilliant colors. A drake has a striking crest on his head. It can be emerald and copper colored with shades of dark blue-purple. A bright white crescent arches over round black eyes. Below this, orangey feathers blend into a fluffy copper-colored ruff. His upper chest is a rich purple flanked by two sets of black and white stripes. The sides are tawny beige below a dark back. His wings have iridescent blue and green highlights. In addition to all of these bright colors, orangey feathers edged in white spread out above his back.

photo by Shirley Ramaley

The female mandarin duck is beautiful in a more subtle way. Her feathers are a rich combination of chocolate, chestnut, and tan.

This coloration helps her to blend into the woodland environment that mandarin ducks prefer.

Mandarin ducks are native to East Asia. In Chinese, Korean, and Japanese cultures, they symbolize love and devotion. This is because pairs swim close together and never seem to leave the other's side. Statues of mandarin ducks are found in many homes. There is even a Chinese saying used to describe people who are very happy together: two mandarin ducks playing in water.

These small colorful ducks are a favorite with zoo visitors. Maybe some live in a zoo near you.

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Hey, Kids!

Send us your stories, poems, drawings, photos, and jokes & riddles for publication! We’ll send you a free copy of the issue your work appears in. Already a subscriber? Give your extra magazine to a grandparent!

Remember: When you write to Ziggy, the Fun For Kidz dog, he will write back. We can’t wait to see what you send in!

Be sure to include your name, address, and age on everything you send in.

EMAIL TO: kidscorner@funforkidz.com

Hi! My name is Emma, and I’m with Woodruff’s Rhapsody. She’s a Shire filly who was born on May 28th, 2020. (She’s wearing a fly mask to shield her face from all the bugs.)

I’m 13 years old, and I’ve been riding since I was 7. I live in the middle of horse country in Virginia.

ATTENTION READERS!

Write to Ziggy, the Fun For Kidz dog. If you write to Ziggy, he will write back to you! Send letters to: Fun For Kidz Attn. Ziggy PO Box 227 Bluffton, OH 45817-0227

OR MAIL TO: Kids Corner, PO Box 227 Bluffton, OH 45817-0227

Penguin Fun by Caleb Tinsley, age 9

Dear Ziggy, During the pandemic, it has been so different.

I have not been able to see my friends and do school, but Parker and I have made the best of it.

With all of this extra time, my brother and I have been doing lots of activities. We have been playing with our Hot Wheels track and making courses all over our house! We have also been playing on our zipline, and we moved it to a new location. Lastly, we have been spending a lot of time on our trampoline and I have learned how to do a front flip.

Even though it has been very different, we have found lots of things to do.

From, Hunter and Parker Edwards P.S. This is a picture of one of our courses.

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Mystery Picture Puzzle on page 14

Chipmunk Sudoku on page 14

I M H K H U M C I P U N K P C U N C P M N M K U I A Roster of Rodents on page 14 A L L I H C N I H C T V E B E H E C A L P Y B O C N E M S Q U I R R E L A H I A M R A B I S T E H E I P V I L R E T S M A H A P U E N E E S U O M R G E M C R G U I N E A P I G S U R T R O T A R K S U M D N O E N T W O O F C H U C K P

Big Rodent Fact: The capybara is the largest rodent.

Fraction-nition on page 15

OKAPI Campsite Creatures on page 15 D E

Picture Puzzle on page 14

E R A B E A R B

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Unusual Rainforest Creatures on page 13

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All three animals live in trees!

Photo Credits: ©[Sergey Novikov/123RF. COM] 3; Big Bear (Grizzly): NPS Photo/ Emily Mesner 10 (right); American Black bear: Thomas Fuhrmann [CC BY-SA 4.0] via Wikimedia Commons 10 (bottom); Bighorn sheep: NPS Photo/Jim Peaco 11 (bottom); Okapi in Florida: Eric Kilby [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons 12 (top); Image ID 44412698: ©[Micha Klootwijk/123RF. COM] 12 (inset); EmperorTamarin: Ltshears [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons 13 (top); Dendrolagus goodfellow eating (tree kangaroo): Flickr user belgianchocolate [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons 13 (middle); Rhinoceros Hornbill 002: David Berkowitz from New York, NY, USA [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons 13 (bottom); Cleveland Metroparks Zoo 20; Czech Wikipedia user Packa (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons, 21 (top); Rafael Rabello de Barros (Own work) [CC BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons 21 (bottom); Mother robin feeding babies: ©[Cheryl Davis/123RF. COM] 25 (top-right).

Gift Giving for Friends & Family Don’t forget to let us know where to send your magazine.

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call 419-358-4610

US Post PO Box 227, Bluffton, OH 45817

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US POSTAL SERVICE STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION (Required by 39 U.S.C. 3685) Date of Filing: September 10, 2019 Title of Publication: FUN FOR KIDZ Publication #: 20286 Frequency of Issue: Bi-monthly No. of Issues Published Annually: 6 Annual Subscription Price: $32.95 US Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: FUN FOR KIDZ, 190 Sunset Dr, PO Box 227, Bluffton, OH 45817.

Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Offices of the Publisher: FUN FOR KIDZ, 190 Sunset Dr, PO Box 227, Bluffton, OH 45817.

Full Names and Complete Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor: Publisher: Thomas M. Edwards, 190 Sunset Drive, Bluffton, OH 45817. Editor: Marilyn Edwards, 190 Sunset Drive, Bluffton, OH 45817. Managing Editor: Marilyn Edwards, 190 Sunset Drive, Bluffton, OH 45817.

Owner: The Bluffton News Publishing and Printing Company-Thomas M. Edwards, 190 Sunset Drive, Bluffton, OH 45817.

Known Bondholders, Mortgages, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages or Other Securities: None Extent and Nature Avg. No. of Copies No. Copies of Single

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2028 1420 2. In-County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions 15 15 3. Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid or Requested Distribution Outside USPS 0 0 4. Requested Copies Distributed by Other Mail Classes Through the USPS 0 0 C. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation 2043 1435 D. Nonrequested Distribution 0 0 E. Total Nonrequested Distribution 0 0 F. Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and e) 2043 1435 G. Copies not Distributed 957 1565 H. Total (Sum of 15f and g) 3000 3000 I. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation 100% 100% Electronic Copy Circulation Avg. No. of Copies No. Copies of Single

Each Issue During Issue Published

Preceding 12 Months Nearest to Filing Date A. Paid Electronic Copies 0 0 B. Total Paid Print Copies + Paid Electronic Copies 2043 1435 C. Total Print Distribution + Paid Electronic Copies 2043 1435 D. Percent Paid (Both Print & Electronic Copies) 100% 100% I certify that 50% of all my distributed copies (electronic & print) are paid above a nominal price.

I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete.

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Order on our website, www.funforkidz.com, using coupon code GIFT, or call us at: 419-358-4610 (9 AM - 5 PM E.T.).

V i s i t U s O n l i n e ! F a c e b o o k . c o m / F u n F o r K i d z • w w w. F u n F o r K i d z . c o m Vol. 19 No. 6 • NOV/DEC 2020 Publisher: Thomas M. Edwards Editor: Marilyn Edwards Associate Editor: Diane Winebar Graphic Design: Gaurakisora Tucker Marketing Director: Jonathan Edwards Circulation Manager: Mark Studer Science Editor: Larry White Science Illustrator: Alan Wassilak Cowboy Clark & Larry Editor: Lisa Rehfuss Cover Artist: Chris Sabatino

FUN FOR KIDZ (ISSN 1536-898X) is published bi-monthly by the Bluffton News Publishing and Printing Company, P.O. Box 227, 190 Sunset Dr., Bluffton, OH 45817.

Telephone: 419-358-4610. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Fun For Kidz, P.O. Box 227, Bluffton, OH 45817-0227. Periodical postage is paid at Bluffton, OH and Preston, ID.

Subscriptions: All subscription inquiries and changes of address should be addressed to FUN FOR KIDZ at P.O. Box 227, Bluffton, OH 45817. Telephone: 419-358-4610.

Subscription rates are six issues (1 year) $32.95; twelve issues (2 years) $55.90; eighteen issues (3 years) $68.85. Canadian postage - first class - $18 per year, all other foreign countries first class airmail - $37.50 per year.

FUN FOR KIDZ, INC. accepts no responsibility whatsoever for any Replacement Issues: We will replace one damaged or lost-ininjuries arising out of the use or misuse of ideas, materials, and the-mail issue per year. Your request must be made within 45 activities featured in its publications or products. days of the specific issue’s date: January 1, March 1, May 1, July Copyright © 2020 by the Bluffton News Publishing and Printing 1, September 1, or November 1.

Co. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. FUN Attention Readers: Send in your letters, short stories, FOR KIDZ™, and the FUN FOR KIDZ logo™, are trademarks of FUN poems, jokes & riddles, and drawings for publication. Send to: Kids Corner, PO Box 227, Bluffton, OH 45817.

FOR KIDZ, The Bluffton News Publishing and Printing Co.

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