FACEB O OK. CO M/ FUNFO RKI DZ • FUNFO RKI DZ.COM
Presents... 3 Check It Out! 4 Grow Some Fun 6 Window Gardening 8 Wee Willie’s Work 10 Make a Compost Pile 11 Plant a Clock 12 10 Blooming Facts 14 Puzzles 16 Grow a Butterfly Garden 18 Sock Some Seeds 19 Garden Giggles 20 Make a Garden in a Jar 22 The Secret Life of Bulbs 23 Drawing Flowers 24 Magic Lemons and Cabbage 25 Cowboy Clark & Larry 26 Grow a White Leaf 27 Raising a Big Stink 28 Ziggy’s Mail Zone 29 Kids Corner 30 30 Puzzle Solutions 2
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What would you like to grow? How about something for fun? Learn how to grow gourds for making some cool crafts. For the first time ever, we will show you how to witness a plant growing from a seed and watch the process! Attract beautiful butterflies in your butterfly garden. See how a daffodil grows from underground and learn to draw the flower with dots called stippling. Plant a clock using plants whose flowers open and close each day like clockwork. Perform a magic trick using a lemon and cabbage. Try another trick growing a plant with a white leaf. Learn how to grow an unusual garden with an old pair of socks. Read about how Wee Willie and his family are ready to help you and your garden. There are so many activities. Where should you begin? Find a comfortable spot and dig into this issue of gardening fun. But hurry. It’s time to plant. Get started now! And don’t forget to show us what you grew.
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What am I? I come in about every color and shape imaginable. I can look weird, with funny yellow bumps all over. Or I can be smooth and beautiful. My neck might be long, but I may have no neck at all. I am a gourd! You can grow your own gourds to use in craft projects. All you need are gourd seeds and a sunny spot, such as a garden, along a fence, or along the south side of your house. Plant the seeds in May through mid-June, 1/2" deep and 2" apart. Water if the soil is dry. Tiny plants will poke out of the ground in 7 to 14 days. Keep weeds away from your young plants. Add a little fertilizer. Water during dry spells. Your gourd vines may grow almost a foot a day! Pick small gourds when they get hard. Gourds for making birdhouses should be picked just before a frost. Leave a few inches of stem on your grounds when you pick them.
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To make a birdhouse, choose a dried gourd with a round bottom half. Have a parent help you drill a 1" to 1-3/4" hole, 6" from the bottom. Enlarge your hole by using a hole saw or a round file. You can glue a 1-1/2" long twig in a small hole drilled 3/4" below the entrance. Also drill a small hole near the gourd’s stem end. Put a string through it. Use craft paint to make your birdhouse any color you like. Hang it at least 5' off the ground.
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It takes time for gourds to fully dry inside – several months for small gourds, longer for large ones. To dry, lay them on newspaper or hang them from a string. If mold forms on your gourds, don’t worry. Once dried, wash them with warm soapy water. Use a Brillo pad to remove any moldy leftovers. Wipe them dry.
You can also grow pumpkins, which are gourds. Scoop out the seeds and wash them carefully. Then spread them on a baking sheet. Set the baking sheet in the sun for a day or two to dry. Once dried, you can paint them or color them with an orange marker. Glue them onto a piece of paper or paper plate to make your own pumpkin picture. Which gourds will you decide to grow? There are many to choose from. Have fun!
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A seed is a baby plant, in a box, with its lunch! In this activity, you will wake up the baby plant and watch it grow in a plastic bag “garden” on your window.
What You Need:
• small, clear heavyweight plastic bags • clear sticky tape • different kinds of large seeds
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What You Do:
1. Cut off the tops of the bags so the bags are about 4” deep. Fasten the bags to a sunny
window using the tape. Follow the drawing exactly to tape the bags to the glass.
2. Pour some water into the bag until it reaches the level of the tape. Your “garden” is
now ready to plant.
3. The best seeds to use are large ones so they won’t slip down. You may have some
dried beans, peas, or un-popped popcorn in your kitchen. You can also buy these in a grocery store. They will work perfectly.
4. A seed’s “box” is the hard shell around it. Soak the seeds in a glassful of water overnight to soften them.
5. Plant the seeds in the bags by pushing them inside, down to the top of the tape. Put
only 3 or 4 seeds in each bag.
6. Now wait and watch. The baby plants will poke through their boxes in a week or so.
The bag is clear, so you will be able to see the roots grow down and the stem grow up!
The seed contains the growing plant’s “lunch,” but in a couple of weeks, the plant will use up all the food inside. Then it will start to wither. To keep your plant, take it out of the bag and plant it in soil. Once it is in your garden or in a pot, the plant will use air, sunshine, water, and fertilizer to make its own food.
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by Jeanne K. Grieser • illustrations by Deborah C. Wright
Wee Willie Redworm lived with his mom and dad, his brothers and sisters, his grandpa and grandma, his aunts, uncles, and even a few cousins. They lived in a small house that was filled with grass, leaves, and shredded newspaper. One might say that the small space was a bit crowded, but Wee Willie didn’t mind. Wee Willie was a happy worm. His family worked together doing an important job: They ate food and then recycled it. They turned food, grass, and leaves into rich soil castings called compost. Wee Willie ate all day. (After all, Wee Willie didn’t want to stay wee all his life!) Wee Willie and his family rarely slept or took a break. One morning, the roof of his house was lifted. Wee Willie was excited. He saw two brown eyes looking down at him. “Good morning, Redworm family,” the brown-eyed lady said. Wee Willie saw the corners of the lady’s eyes crinkle when she smiled. The brown-eyed lady stuck her flowered, gloved hand into Wee Willie’s house. She carefully pushed the compost to one side of Wee Willie’s home. Wee Willie and his family had eaten a lot of food, and they had made it into compost for the brown-eyed lady. To fill the empty space in Wee Willie’s home, the brown-eyed lady put in fresh grass clippings, leaves, torn bits of paper, and food scraps – always food scraps. For Wee Willie, it was like a buffet in a restaurant. Wee Willie and his family eagerly moved to the new food.
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Wee Willie looked around. What would he eat first? Apple peels or a piece of toast? Then he spied what he wanted. A banana! Wee Willie munched on the banana for breakfast. He had a muffin for lunch and applesauce for supper with a leaf for dessert. Yum! What a treat. One week later, the roof on Wee Willie’s house was lifted again. Down came the same flowered, gloved hand holding a large scoop. The brown-eyed lady took some of the compost out. “Good job, Redworm family,” the lady said. Wee Willie glanced up and saw the brown-eyed lady looking at him. “My flowers and plants will like this rich dirt. Adding this dirt to my plants is like my taking vitamins. Now both my plants and I will be healthy.” She laughed as she put the roof back on the Redworm house. Wee Willie crawled back into the bedding. It was warm and dark, just the way he liked it. He munched on a leaf next to his sister.
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Wee Willie felt good that he and his family had helped the nice brown-eyed lady. Wee Willie smiled. He had an important job.
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1. Use a large plastic bin with a lid. Drill holes in the bottom and the sides. Place this on bricks with a tray underneath. 2. Fill the container 2/3 full. Use two-parts of shredded newspapers, dead leaves, and grass clippings, and one-part fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and tea bags. Never put meat, bones, or dairy in the container. 3. Scatter redworms across the top and close with the lid. 4. Keep the material slightly damp at all times with water. 5. When the material starts to look dark (in a month or two), push the old compost to one side and start a new batch. The worms will crawl over to the new batch within a week.
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6. Remove the old compost and mix with potting soil for your garden. Use the water that collects on the tray for fertilizer also.
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All plants have some sense of time. Your backyard looks very much the same each year in spring and fall. The same flowers bloom first in the spring. Trees shed their leaves at almost the same time each fall. Plants sprout, bloom, grow, and shed leaves at predictable times.
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Many flowering plants need certain animals or insects to help them turn blooms into seeds. This is called pollination. Bees do this for morning glories, which bloom in the daytime. That is because bees work in the daytime. Moonflowers bloom at night. Bats help pollinate moonflowers because they fly at night.
Moonflowers have large white flowers and will open their blooms at the beginning of sunset and close their flowers before noon the next day. Morning glories have very colorful flowers and will open in the morning and close by night. It is best to plant both of these flowers near a wall or fence since they are both flowers that grow on a vine. Try planting these beautiful flowers and watch what time they open their flowers each day or night. Then show your friends that you planted flowers that bloom like clockwork! They will be amazed.
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by Karen Patterson
Have fun unscrambling these flower words. 1. ACENRT 2. CMOOSS 3. BCEILMNOU 4. AININZ 5. AEINPTU 6. AADGNNOPRS 7. ADILLYY 8. AAAELZ 9. ACILL
1. What does a plant say when it does not want to be bothered? To answer this: Cross out all the words from the question in the puzzle below. The leftover letters will then spell out the answer. LWHATEADOESFMAPLANT SAYEWHENITADOESLNOT WANTTOONBEEBOTHERED
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2. Why do plants like to watch sporting events? To answer this: Write the letter that comes before each letter in the puzzle below. C F D B V T F U I F Z M J L F
U P
S P P U
3. What did the flowers name their son? To answer this: Cross out all the letters occurring two or more times in the puzzle below. MEHBFGWAHP MWUFEPFGDAM
by Doris Fisher
Why should you whisper in the garden? To find out, drop the letters into their proper places. The letters in each column fit into the boxes, but they are scrambled in the column. Two letters have been dropped into place for you.
by Evelyn B. Christensen
Fill in the squares so that each row, column, and 2x3 rectangle has the letters G-A-R-D-E-N.
FRACTION-NITION by David Lindo
Find the letters 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 1/7 of JUGGLER The middle 1/2 of WELD The last 1/3 of REALLY The last 1/4 of LIMB The middle 2/8 of RESEARCH The first 1/6 of NOVICE The middle 1/5 of WASTE
WHAT KIND OF BEANS WON’T YOU FIND GROWING IN THE GARDEN?
Harvest the Answers on Page 30
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by Denise Wilcox
photos by Denise and Steve Wilcox
Wouldn’t it be thrilling to have flowers that fly in your garden, as well as blooms that stand still? With some careful planning, you can create a garden bursting with colorful blossoms that attract butterflies.
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First, find a spot in your yard that receives around six hours of sunshine per day. Butterflies are cold-blooded insects that need heat to warm their blood so they can move. Flowers that attract butterflies need that much sun to thrive. After you have selected the perfect spot for your garden and have prepared the soil, it is time to focus on choosing plants. Butterflies are most attracted to red, orange, yellow, and purple flowers. Planting colors in clusters makes it easier for butterflies to see them. A variety of perennials and annuals come in these colors. Perennials are flowers that regrow on their own each spring. Annuals must be replaced each year. Black-eyed Susans, coneflowers, asters, and blanket flowers are perennials that will grow
Buckeye on lantana
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Tiger swallowtail on sunflower
Zebra longwing on lantana
in most places in the US. Butterflies love them. Zinnias and sunflowers are hardy annuals in bold colors that attract butterflies. These are easily grown from seeds. If you have questions about what grows best in your neighborhood, ask a local nursery for suggestions. If you choose a variety of native perennials for your butterfly garden, they will be easy to take care of. These sturdy plants require little water besides rain. Removing weeds as the flowers grow will help your plants flourish because they won’t have to share water and nutrients in the soil with unwanted weeds. Do not apply pesticides or insecticides. These kill the butterflies you are trying to welcome into your garden. It’s spring, so start planning and planting your garden now. You will provide a safe and tasty environment for butterflies and gift yourself with months of delight.
Monarch on goldenrod
Spicebush swallowtail on salvia
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In the fall, plants make seeds. These seeds will sprout and grow into new plants the following spring. It is amazing how many seeds the fall plants make. This experiment will show you.
What You Need: • a pair of BIG old wool socks (adult size) • your feet
What You Do:
T he Science Secret
2. Pull the two old wool socks right over your shoes.
Take off your socks and LOOK. If you have a magnifying glass, it will be even more fun to see how many different kinds of seeds are on your socks. Can you IMAGINE how many seeds there must be in that field? Probably millions!
1. In the fall, go out into a field or vacant lot or anywhere weeds are growing. This experiment will not work in the spring, when plants are just beginning to grow. 3. Go STOMP AROUND the field. Rub your ankles against the plants that are standing. Jump up and down in them. Dance around. Twirl and swirl your legs. Jump, hop, kick, skip, spin, run, and do cartwheels. Have a ball!
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The whole time you are swishing around and having fun, you will be collecting seeds! Seeds from dozens of different field plants will be sticking to your socks.
When you are done looking, you may do one of two things. You can brush off the seeds and toss them back into the field so they can grow into plants next year. OR, if your socks are really old, you can dig a shallow hole and PLANT YOUR SOCKS! Then you will be able to see how many of the seeds grow into new plants next spring. Do you think they will grow into a sockshaped garden?
GARDEN GIGGLES by Kelly Musselman
1. What does every gardener grow in her garden? 2. What kind of vegetables do dads like to plant? 3. What does Santa Claus say when he gardens? 4. Why don’t scarecrows eat the vegetables in a garden? 5. What are the most valuable vegetables in a garden? 6. What is the fastest vegetable in a garden? 7. What garden vegetables are always listening? 8. What vegetable sees everything in the garden? 9. What do you call a gardener who is good at his work? Answers on page 30
by Joe Bore
"Mom's planting spinach and broccoli. I planted marshmallows and popcorn."
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by Dottie Smith Create your own mini garden inside a jar! It is called a terrarium, and it is made to look like its own little world. When a terrarium is covered with a lid, it can take care of itself because it recycles the air and water inside. If you plant tiny cacti in your jar, don’t cover the opening. Cacti don’t like closed containers.
What You Need:
• a large glass jar or old fishbowl • small bag of potting soil • one or two pieces of plain charcoal • lots of small pebbles • several small plants of different colors and textures • sticks, rocks, small toys and figurines, and moss for decoration • a piece of glass or clear plastic or plastic wrap to cover the top
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What You Do:
1. Wash the glass container with warm soapy water. Rinse it well and let it dry. 2. Add 2 to 3 inches of pebbles to the bottom of the jar. Pound the charcoal into small pieces and add a layer over the pebbles. Add 3 to 4 inches of potting soil over the charcoal.
3. Gather the small toys and other little objects you want to put in. 4. Get very small plants from a garden store. Or use about 6 small weeds, roots and all, from your yard. Have an adult help you so you don’t pick poisonous plants.
5. When you bring your plants home, gently tease apart their roots. Put them in the potting soil in your glass container.
6. Add several small toys or other small objects. Decorate the soil using sticks, small rocks, or moss.
7. Wet the plants by sprinkling a little water on them. The dirt should be moist, not sopping wet. Too much water makes the plants get sick.
8. Cover the top of the container. Use a piece of glass (have a professional cut it to
the right size) or a piece of plastic or plastic wrap held in place with a rubber band. Remember: Don’t cover the top if you have made a cacti terrarium.
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The Secret Life of
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Bulbs
There it is, in the palm of your hand – a brown daffodil bulb. It doesn’t look like much, but that little bulb is hiding secrets. The flower bulbs you plant in fall will give you beautiful springtime blooms. How does this happen? What happens to bulbs during the long months they spend hidden below? If you could peek underground at a newly planted bulb, you would see roots beginning to grow. Roots bring the bulb water and nutrients from the earth. The bulb has a good storage system and will use the food in the spring. As the weather turns cooler, the bulb rests. Although it’s half-asleep, the bulb keeps growing deeper and longer roots. Now it’s the middle of winter. The days are shorter, and the ground is cold. This is perfect. Bulbs need cold temperatures to get ready for the growing season ahead. Once a bulb’s sleepy period begins, an “alarm clock” inside it starts keeping track of time. When the bulb has been chilly long enough, its alarm clock goes off. Spring is near, and it’s showtime! Even before the bulb was planted, it had a tiny flower bud tucked away deep in the center of it. All fall and winter long, the bulb protected its bud. But the days are growing longer and warmer, and chemical changes are happening inside the bulb. The stored food turns into sugar. The sugar gives a stem, leaves, and the flower bud energy to develop and grow. Little by little, they push their way out of the bulb and through the soil into the sunshine. There is one more secret. Sunshine helps the leaves make food for the plant. Leftover food is stored in the bulb. If you leave your bulb in the ground, its secret life starts all over again in the fall!
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Drawing Daffodils by Andrew Wales
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Your flower garden can be a good place to find things to draw. The daffodil shown here is drawn entirely with dots. This is a technique artists call stippling. It is usually done with pen and ink. You can also use a fine-tipped black marker.
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Here’s how stippling works: If you want an area to be dark, you put the dots very close together. If you want an area to be light, you space the dots farther apart. Practice stippling by drawing three circles on a sheet of paper and drawing light, medium, and dark areas as shown in the illustration. Now begin your first stippling drawing. Use a pencil and follow steps 1 through 4 to sketch out the shapes in the daffodil that you are drawing. When you’ve finished sketching the daffodil in pencil, you are ready to begin using the pen and ink or black marker. You can introduce color by either painting light watercolor washes over your drawing or using a variety of colored markers to make the dots. Send us your completed flowers, and we will publish your work in a future issue of Fun For Kidz.
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by Nancy Craddock “Wow!” “Cool!” These are words you may hear when your friends watch you change the color of a common vegetable – cabbage! To perform this amazing trick, you will need a leaf of red cabbage and one half of a lemon. Gently rub the inside of the lemon over the red cabbage several times. In a matter of minutes, the red cabbage will change to a bright neon-pink color. How It Works: Red cabbage is an indicator (a chemical that can be used to test for an acid). When the lemon juice (an acid) is added to the red cabbage, a chemical reaction occurs, and the cabbage turns bright pink.
The rest of your lemon can be used for another great trick. Gently rub the lemon over a dirty penny. Watch as the penny begins to look brand new! How It Works: A penny becomes dull when oxygen in the air combines with copper in the penny. This combination of copper and oxygen forms copper oxide. This is what turns the penny a brownish-black color. The acid in the lemon juice dissolves the copper oxide and brings back the penny’s brightness.
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Mrs. Whiskers quietly perched on the wall between Cowboy Clark’s and Larry’s homes, watching. Both dogs were furiously digging on their side of the fence. Fortunately, the wall was high enough that Mrs. Whiskers wasn’t bothered by all the dirt they were flinging everywhere. Larry stopped first. He whispered to Cowboy Clark, “You good?” “Fine and dandy over here, little buddy,” Cowboy Clark whispered back. “OK. Let’s do it.” Intrigued by all the digging and the whispering, Mrs. Whiskers continued to observe. Larry grabbed a dog bone nestled under a bush in his backyard, while Cowboy Clark collected a dog bone tucked under his porch steps. Both returned to their respective holes and dropped the bones in. They quickly began pawing the dirt back in the holes. “What are you two doing?” asked Mrs. Whiskers. Startled, Larry looked up. “Gosh, Mrs. Whiskers, I about jumped out of my skin.” “You’re a sneaky one,” Cowboy Clark barked. “Seems to me you two are the sneaky ones. What on earth are you doing?” “None of your business,” Cowboy Clark said. “You two don’t think burying a bone will make it grow more bones, do you?” Larry answered, “Nope. We’re hiding them so we can eat them later.” “Won’t they be filthy dirty?” “Why are you sticking your nose in matters that don’t concern you?” Cowboy Clark growled. Larry sat down in the dirt, staring at his hole. “She has a point. Why didn’t we keep them hidden where they were?” “You might want to consider planting catnip, boys. I understand it’s best to plant in the spring and here we are, right in the middle of spring.” Mrs. Whiskers walked the fence line, leaving Larry to ponder her suggestion and Cowboy Clark to bark at her for poking her whiskers in their business.
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Grow a White Leaf The leaves on most trees and plants are bright green. Think of something that is white. What about snow? You can grow a snow-colored leaf right beside a green leaf!
What You Need: • a bright green leaf growing on a living plant (see illustration) • aluminum foil • patience!
FOIL-WRAPPED LEAF
What You Do You can use any green leaf. It can be on an outdoor tree or bush in a sunny spot, or it can be a leaf on a houseplant in a sunny window. Cut a piece of aluminum foil at least twice as big as the leaf. Fold the foil over the leaf so the leaf is covered on both sides. Fold the edges of the foil together so the leaf is trapped inside and no light can reach it. The leaf must be in complete darkness. Leave the leaf in the foil for one week. DO NOT open the foil or try to peek before then! ONE WEEK! BE PATIENT! This is IMPORTANT. After the week is up, carefully take off the foil. SURPRISE! The leaf is now quite pale. It may not be pure white, but it is very different from the other leaves on the plant.
What Happened to the Green? The green color in leaves comes from chlorophyll, which makes food for the plant. To do this, chlorophyll needs three things: water, carbon dioxide gas (from the air), and LIGHT! If any one of these is missing, the chlorophyll cannot work. It “shuts down” and loses its green color. The aluminum foil stopped it from getting LIGHT! You did not hurt the plant by making one of its leaves shut down. And you did not kill the leaf, either. Let sunlight shine on your pale leaf for a few days, and it will turn back to bright green!
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by Maria Parrott-Ryan
When you think of flowers, you probably think of small delicate blossoms with a sweet perfume scent. Did you know there’s a giant flower that’s taller than a person and smells like rotten meat? It sounds too weird to be real, but it is. The titan arum is a tropical plant that lives in the Indonesian rainforest. Titan arum blossoms can grow to be 6 to 8 feet tall. The largest blossom on record was over 10 feet! The blossom puts out its stinky, rotten smell for the same reason that nice-smelling flowers put out theirs: to attract pollinators, such as beetles, flies, and bees. (Yes, some insects actually love the stink!) This plant is strange in other ways too. It can live for 40 years, but will bloom only 4 or 5 times. And then, the flower only lasts for 48 hours. This is because it takes a lot of energy for the plant to produce the huge flower, and it needs years of rest between blossoming periods. The titan arum is made up of a tall, skinny spadix and a large outer skirt called the spathe. When the spathe opens up, the flower starts to stink. On the first night it blooms, the spadix heats up to spread the foul odor and attract pollinators from far and wide. After two days, the spadix falls, and the spathe closes up. The funky odor dies down and disappears. Fewer and fewer of these odd plants are growing in the wild. Luckily, botanical gardens and greenhouses all over the world grow their own titan arums to help save them. When a titan arum is in bloom, it’s big news. People visit to get a whiff of the awful stink. This is pretty weird, you have to admit. But it’s also totally worth it to experience one of nature’s strangest creations.
This titan arum is over seven feet tall!
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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
Dear Ziggy, I really like your mustache. The puzzles are my favorite. My brother and I read all the stories. I hope that the holidays were great for you. Your number one fan, Sophie Soow
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Hi Ziggy, What is your favorite hobby? My favorite hobbies are playing lacrosse and baseball. I love Moose. I have a sister named Ali. She’s 5 and I’m 12. I love school. Bye for now, Daän
Hi Ziggy, I live in Oregon, and I like the color red. What’s your favorite color? Where do you live? Bye-bye, Dylan Robertson
Dear Ziggy, My name is Rebecca. I was a mouse in The Nutcracker. I love dancing and I have been in tons of performances. I also was a soldier a couple years ago in The Nutcracker. Do you like dancing? I love puzzles too! I have tons of puzzles framed in my room. I love you. You are amazing! Love, your fan and friend, Rebecca
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Dear Ziggy, Hi! My name is Lucy. My baby sister’s name is Morgan. My older brother’s name is Blake. I love Fun For Kidz. My brother loves it too! Sincerely, Lucy Mrowka
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Hello Ziggy, I love flowers, especially roses. I have a bunny named Susie and a cat named Snowy. I love the magazine. I really like the comics, and I really like the kids page because I like to read all the things kids send in and see how other kids are and what they like. I hope you are doing well. Bye-bye, Rosie
Dear Ziggy, I am 7 years old. I play soccer, ski, and skateboard. I also play the piano. One of my favorite things in the whole wide world is to learn about animals. I feel bad for all the animals that are going extinct and that are endangered. I really want to help the animals that are in Africa and in any part of the world that are just trying to survive but are not surviving very well because of all of the humans messing everything up. I hope you are very healthy and safe. I love the issue Up Close to Nature. Bye-bye, Ivan.
Hey, Kids!
Hi Readers! I have some riddles for you. from Calvin
Q: What’s starts with a P and ends with an E and has 1000 letters in it? A: post office Q: What do you call a bear with no ears? A: B
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
OR MAIL TO: Kids Corner, PO Box 227 Bluffton, OH 45817-0227
Riddles – can you solve them? from Kaitlin, age 9
Q: What does it mean when you find a horseshoe? A: Some poor horse has to go to barefoot. Q: Why did the teacher wear sunglasses to school? A: because his students were so bright Q: What do you call a bear with no teeth? A: a gummy bear
Jokes from Lula, age 12 Q: What is the only state that is round on both ends and high in the middle? A: Ohio Q: What do you call a fat pig? A: bacon Q: Why did the skeleton not go to the dance? A: He had nobody (no body) to go with!
Riddle from Sam Raphael, age 7 I made this picture when I was 9. Zander Stateler, age 11
What did the lion say when he was asleep?
Snoar! 29
Garden Sudoku on page 15
Why Whisper? on page 15
Because the corn has ears and the beanstalk (beans talk). Unscramble! on page 14
1. NECTAR, 2. COSMOS, 3. COLUMBINE, 4. ZINNIA, 5. PETUNIA, 6. SNAPDRAGON, 7. DAYLILY, 8. AZALEA, 9. LILAC
Plant Puzzlers on page 14 Fraction-nition on page 15
JELLY BEANS Onion Maze on page 14
1. L W H A T E A D O E S F M A P L A N T SAYEWHENITADOESLNOT WANTTOONBEEBOTHERED “LEAF” ME ALONE. 2. because they like to root 3. M E H B F G W A H P MWUFEPFGDAM BUD Garden Giggles on page 19
1. Tired 2. Pop corn (popcorn) 3. “Hoe, hoe, hoe.” 4. They all are stuffed. 5. 24 carrots (carats) 6. Cabbage. It is always ahead (a head). 7. Corn. They are all ears. 8. The potato. It has so many eyes. 9. A farmer. He is outstanding (out standing) in his field.
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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. 20 No. 3 • MAY/JUNE 2021 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 © 2021 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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