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Books on the Run Editors
Sue Ritchie
Sue taught for over 20 years in the elementary classroom, and spent summers working in early
intervention, teacher training workshops, and continuing education programs. In 1999 Sue
completed a Masters in Technology in Education and joined the team that launched TeacherVision.
Rebecca DuFault
Rebecca taught the elementary and middle grades for ten years. Her summers were spent on
professional development classes and teaching summer school. In 1992 she completed a Masters
in Elementary Education, with a concentration in the Application of Computers in the Elementary
Classroom. Rebecca joined the TeacherVision team in March of 2001.
Books on the Run is a product of TeacherVision—the website created by teachers, for teachers. We are a
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© 2000-2002 Family Education Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.teachervision.com

••••••••••January 1 ••••••••••January 5
Remember Your Roman Numerals? Try This Out On Your Parents!
1 = I; 2 = II; 3 = III, 4 = IV; 5 = V; 6 = May I please do additional chores for five
VI; 7 = VII; 8 = VIII; 9 = IX; and 10 = minutes each day? Seriously! It’s the new
X. me! And by the way, do you mind paying
Can you correct this equation without me just 1¢ the first day? Just one penny.
taking away, adding to, or changing the And then, to keep it interesting, could
number? you pay me twice as much the next day
I + XI = X and twice as much the next day? 2¢, 4¢,
and so on. That’s all. Okay?
the equation upside down. (30) $5,368,708.80 (15) $163.84
See what happens when you look at
(29) $2,684,354.40 (14) $81.92
ANSWER:
(28) $1,342,177.20 (13) $40.96
(27) $671,088.64 (12) $20.48
••••••••••January 2 (26) $335,544.32 (11) $10.24
What’s “Dad” spelled backward? How (25) $167,772.16 (10) $5.12

about “wow”? A palindrome is a word or (24) $83,886.08 (9) $2.56
phrase that is spelled the same backward (23) $41,943.04 (8) $1.28
and forward:
(22) $20,971.52 (7) 64¢
Yo! Bozo boy!
(21) $10,485.76 (6) 32¢
Sit on a potato pan, Otis.
(20) $5,242.88 (5) 16¢
Can you make up some palindromes? (19) $2,621.44 (4) 8¢
••••••••••January 3
(18) $1,310.72 (3) 4¢
(17) $655.36 (2) 2¢
Thought for the Day (16) $327.68 (1) 1¢
Everyone smiles in the same language. it out:
going to be a multimillionaire! Check
••••••••••January 4 Way to go! In just one month, you’re
ANSWER:
Solve the Word Puzzle below. The letters
and words are arranged to give you clues
to find the answer. For example:
cheditorief stands for the phrase “editor
••••••••••January 6
in chief.” If you’ve got a friend who hasn’t yet
S P A C E S grasped the notion that movies are filmed
out of sequence, have them watch The
Hint: Texans love… Wizard of Oz carefully. Dorothy’s hair
changes from long to short as the movie
progresses.
wide-open spaces
ANSWER:
page 1 © 2000-2002 Family Education Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.teachervision.com
••••••••••January 7 ••••••••••January 12
Thought for the Day 1. What’s the next letter in this series: A
“This world belongs to the man who is B D O P Q __ ?
wise enough to change his mind in the
2. What comes next in this series:
presence of facts.”
George, John, Thomas, James, James,
— Roy L. Smith John, Andrew, Martin, William, John,
James, ________________?
••••••••••January 8 president, Zachary Taylor.
Bees are more likely to sting people on 2. Zachary, the first name of the 12th
windy days than in any other kind of closed.
weather. alphabet that is totally or partially
1. R, because it is the next letter of the
••••••••••January 9 ANSWERS:
Why do they call computer goofs

“bugs”? The story is that Grace Murray ••••••••••January 13
Hopper, a pioneer computer scientist,
found a moth in an experimental Dragonflies can fly 35 miles per hour—
computer at Harvard in 1945. “From then faster than any other insect.
on,” Grace said, “when anything went
wrong with a computer, we said it had ••••••••••January 14
bugs in it.” Top 5 Ways to Stop the Hiccups
#1 Drink a glass of water while you’re
••••••••••January 10 upside-down.
If you put 40 fireflies in a jar, you should
#2 Suck on a lemon.
be able to read by the light they make.
#3 Have someone surprise you.
••••••••••January 11 #4 Suck on crushed ice.
If ants were human-size, they could run #5 Swallow a teaspoon of sugar.
five times as fast as a record-breaking
Olympic runner. ••••••••••January 15
It costs 3 cents to make a dollar bill and
7.8 cents to make a half-dollar coin.
••••••••••January 16 ••••••••••January 21
How to Get a Bug Out of Your Ear Would you like your homonym
1. Take a flashlight. toasted? Try to guess these words that
have the same sound, but different
2. Go into the closet. spelling:
3. Shut the door. breakfast food—in a series
4. Aim the flashlight at your ear. select—masticates
5. Turn on the flashlight. breakfast drinks—taunt
6. The bug will head for the light and fly egg—harness
out of your ear. yolk—yoke
••••••••••January 17
teas—tease
choose—chews
Match the Country with Its Currency
1. Australia a. peso
cereal—serial
2. Mexico b. euro
ANSWERS:
3. Turkey c. yen
4. France d. dollar
5. Japan e. lira ••••••••••January 22
What word is it that when you take away
1—d, 2—a, 3—e, 4—b, 5—c
the whole, you have some left?
ANSWERS: wholesome
ANSWER:
••••••••••January 18
“I was kind of lonely at the time. My ••••••••••January 23
girlfriend was back in Los Angeles. I The only thing worse than a quitter is
remember saying to myself, ‘What I really someone who is afraid to begin.
need is a friend I can talk to—somebody
who can give me all the answers.’”
••••••••••January 24
— Steven Spielberg,
on the birth of his film E.T. Max and Ruby were leaving the
restaurant. Max paid his bill, but Ruby
••••••••••January 19 handed the cashier a piece of paper with
the number 1004180 on it. The cashier
Total allowances for American kids add up studied the number carefully and then let
to $8.6 million! Ruby leave without paying. Why?
••••••••••January 20 for I ate nothing.”

1004180 translates to “I owe nothing
All products of 9 have digits that, when ANSWER:
added together, equal 9.
Like 9 x 6 = 54 and 5 + 4 = 9 or
3 x 9 = 27 and 2 + 7 = 9
••••••••••January 25 ••••••••••January 30
How many quarts of blood are in your The African bush elephant stands over
body? ten feet tall and weighs over six tons.
••••••••••January 31
your body.
get the number of quarts of blood in
Match the Actor with the Movie

Divide your weight by 6 and you will
ANSWER:
1. Tom Hanks a.
Star Wars
2. Julia Roberts b.
The Mask
3. Harrison Ford Big c.
••••••••••January 26 4. Jim Carrey d.
While You Were
A plane crashed directly on the border Sleeping
between the United States and Canada. 5. Sandra Bullock e. Runaway Bride
In which country will the unidentified
survivors be buried?
1—c; 2—e; 3—a; 4—b; 5—d
ANSWERS:
Neither. Survivors are not buried.
••••••••••February 1
ANSWER:
Your eyeballs are 3.5% salt.

••••••••••January 27
Butterflies have 12,000 eyes. ••••••••••February 2
On this 2nd day of the 2nd month, try 2
••••••••••January 28 x 22-worded tongue twisters 2 times
What did one torpedo say to the other fast!
torpedo? • inchworms itching
• truly rural
Are you sinking what I’m sinking?
• knapsack straps
ANSWER:
••••••••••January 29 Your brain uses less power than a 100-
watt bulb.
Melissa says, “Adam, give me a dollar,
and then I’ll have as much as you.” Adam
replies, “No, Melissa. You give me a ••••••••••February 4
dollar, and then I’ll have twice as much as Where did the Pilgrims land when they
you.” How much does each person have? arrived in America?
seven. On their feet
Melissa has five dollars; Adam has
ANSWER:
ANSWER:
••••••••••February 5 ••••••••••February 9
What did the chewing gum say to the On average, people spend more than five
shoe? years of their lives dreaming.
••••••••••February 10
“I am stuck on you.”
ANSWER:
In the space of a minute, you blink
a. 12 times
b. 145 times
1. What two animated Disney films were
c. 20 times
nominated for “Best Picture” at the
Academy Awards? c
2. Who was the voice of the genie in ANSWER:
Aladdin?
3. What are the names of the seven
dwarfs?
••••••••••February 11
Abraham Lincoln’s Ghost
Doc, Happy, Bashful
3. Dopey, Sleepy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Apparently, Abe’s ghost haunts the White
2. Robin Williams House. Franklin Delano Roosevelt once
noted, “I was sitting in my study, when
one of the maids burst in on me in a
and Beauty and the Beast
state of great excitement. I looked up

1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
from my work and asked her what was

ANSWERS:
the trouble. ‘He’s up there—sitting on the

edge of the bed, taking off his shoes!’ she
••••••••••February 7 exclaimed. ‘Who’s up where, taking off
In 1970 at Camp David, the U.S. his shoes?’ I asked. ‘Mr. Lincoln!’ the maid
Presidential retreat, Prince Charles and replied.”
Princess Anne of the British Common- Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands also
wealth feasted on barbecued hot dogs. saw the Lincoln ghost during a state visit
in 1945. And there were several sightings
••••••••••February 8 during the Carter administration.
Chopstick Etiquette
••••••••••February 12
1. To eat large pieces of food, it’s okay to
Knock, Knock!
pick up the food with the chopsticks
and bite off a more manageable piece. Who’s there?
2. Don’t “double dip.” Don’t pick up food Bat.
from communal dishes with chopsticks Bat who?
you’ve already had in your mouth. Bat you can’t wait to read more of these
jokes.
Roses are red. Who inspired George Lucas to create
Violets are blue. the character Chewbacca in Star Wars?
I like pecans, a. His Uncle Charles.
And I’m nuts about you. b. Mick Bakka, the drummer in a local
rock and roll band.
••••••••••February 14 a
1. A doctor and an actor were in love

ANSWER:
with the same girl. On Valentine’s Day

the actor had to go away for a job, so
he gave the girl seven apples. Why did ••••••••••February 17
he do that? Knock, Knock!
2. What do squirrels give each other on Who’s there?
Valentine’s Day?
Hairy.
2. Forget-me-nuts Hairy who?
doctor away Hairy up and finish these awful jokes!
1. Because an apple a day keeps the
••••••••••February 18
ANSWERS:
1. Where was President Franklin

••••••••••February 15 Roosevelt when he thought up the
Solve the Word Puzzle below. The letters name “United Nations”?
and words are arranged to give you clues 2. Which U.S. President was the first to
to find the answers. For example: admit seeing a UFO (Unidentified
cheditorief stands for the phrase “editor Flying Object)?
in chief.”
3. Which U.S. President got stuck in the
1. cl udy White House bathtub?
2. p 4. Which U.S. President was pulled over
o for speeding—in a horse-drawn
u carriage!
r
4. Ulysses S. Grant (1869–1877)
3. calmstorm Taft (1909–1913)
3. calm before the storm 3. All 326 pounds of William Howard
2. downpour 2. Jimmy Carter (1977–1981)
1. partly cloudy 1. He was in the shower.

ANSWERS: ANSWERS:
The Best and Easiest Peanutty How many F’s are there?
Cookies Ever FREDDY FLIPPER WAS OF THE
1 cup of peanut butter (chunky or creamy) IMPRESSION THAT SUCCESSFULLY
1 cup of sugar BEGGING OF HIS MOTHER FOR MORE
1 beaten egg
1 teaspoon of baking soda
SHOES OF THAT SORT WAS ESSENTIAL
FOR KIDS OF HIS AGE.
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Put peanut butter
and sugar together in a bowl and mix 9 (Many readers miss the F’s in “of.”)
until it’s well combined. Add baking soda ANSWER:
to the beaten egg, and mix everything
together. Take about a teaspoon of the
dough, roll it into a ball with your hands,
and place it on a cookie sheet. Space the
••••••••••February 23
balls about an inch apart, and flatten What birds spend all their time on their
them a little with the back of a fork. You knees?
can sprinkle a little bit of sugar on the What do you call a woodpecker with no
top if you like. Bake for 10 minutes. beak?
Makes about 5 dozen.
When is the best time to buy budgies?
••••••••••February 20 When they’re going cheap!
By age 10 the average North American

A headbanger
kid uses up 730 crayons. Birds of prey

ANSWERS:
••••••••••February 21
1. Who was “George” Washington, leader ••••••••••February 24
of the American Revolution against
Which of these seven well-known men is
England and the first U.S. president,
the odd one out?
named after?
• Jesse James
2. As adults, which game did U.S.
• Bill Clinton
Presidents George Washington,
• Indiana Jones
Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams
play—jump rope, soccer, or marbles? • Tiger Woods
• Shakespeare
3. If George Washington had taken his
• Napoleon
mother’s last name instead of his
father’s, what would they have called • Michael Jordan
the country’s capital and that big people.)
monument that’s there? character, and the rest are real
Indiana Jones (He’s a fictional
name was Mary Ball.)
ANSWER:
Monument” (His mother’s maiden
3. “Ball, D.C.” and the “Ball
2. marbles
1. King George of England
ANSWERS:
1. Clasp your hands together in front of Here are the origins of some common
you. words. Can you spot the made-up one?
Oscar: The coveted Academy Awards
2. Have a friend point to one of your
statue looked like somebody’s Uncle
fingers. (Don’t touch.)
Oscar.
3. Lift the finger that your friend
Guy: Guy Fawkes was the British “guy”
identified without moving any other
who once plotted to blow up England’s
fingers. That was easy, right?
House of Parliament.
4. Try it several times. Boycott: Named after Andrew Cott’s son,
5. Now, cross your arms, clasp your who refused to do his chores.
hands together, and bring you hands
up through the triangle opening
landlord in 1800s Ireland.
created by your arms and chest. You

from Charles Boycott, an absentee
is made up. Actually, “boycott” comes
got that? The Andrew Cott origin for “boycott”
6. Have your friend point to one of your ANSWER:
fingers. (Remember—don’t touch!)

7. Lift the finger that your friend
identified without moving any other ••••••••••February 29
fingers. Leap Year
Did you do it? Confuse your brain? The calendar year is 365 days long,
Neat! unless the year is exactly divisible by 4,
in which case we have a Leap Year. An
••••••••••February 26 extra day is added to February—that
makes the year 366 days long.
What did one mountain say to the other
mountain?
••••••••••March 1
In India, Holi is a springtime Hindu
Let’s meet in the valley.
festival, celebrated in early March. Folks

ANSWER:
celebrate by covering themselves and

each other with brightly colored powder,
••••••••••February 27 and kids fill water squirters and drench
Interstate highways that run east and west each other with brightly colored water!
are assigned even numbers (like Route 66);
highways running north and south are ••••••••••March 2
assigned odd numbers (like I-95).
The number one rule of Knock-Knock
jokes: The “k” is always silent.
••••••••••March 3 ••••••••••March 7
What five-letter word does every Harvard Place a penny on A, a penny on B, a
graduate pronounce wrong? dime on C, and a dime on D.
wrong
ANSWER:
A B empty space C D
••••••••••March 4
1. What is Nuestra Señora Reina de los Can you make the pennies and the dimes
Angeles? change places in exactly eight moves?
You’re permitted to slide a coin into an
2. How do you make the word “one”
empty space next to it; and you can jump
disappear?
any coin over the coin next to it as long
“gone”! as you land on an empty space.
2. Add a “g” to its front and it’s
You did it!
Los Angeles.
1. It is the full name for the city of vacated by D.
ANSWERS:
8. Slide penny A into the space just
7. Jump penny A with dime D.
by penny A.
••••••••••March 5 6. Slide dime C into the space vacated
6 silly sisters sell silk to 6 sickly seniors.

5. Jump dime C with penny A.
Slim Sam shaved 6 slippery chins in 6 4. Jump dime D with penny B.

seconds. by dime C.
3. Slide dime D into the space vacated
••••••••••March 6 2. Jump penny B with dime C.
Impress your parents next time you see a 1. Slide penny B into empty space.
statue of someone on horseback: ANSWER:
• If both of the horse’s front legs are in

the air, the rider died in battle.
• If the horse has one leg in the air, the ••••••••••March 8
person died from battle wounds. You may need a calculator for this.
• If the horse has all four legs on the Think of any three-digit number in which
ground, the rider died of natural all digits are the same. For example: 333.
causes. Add the digits (3 + 3 + 3 = 9). Divide
the original number by the sum of its
digits (333 ÷ 9 = 37). There’s that weird
number: 37. Try some others.
••••••••••March 9 ••••••••••March 12
Popcorn Balls Trichophagia: The very harmful practice
8 cups popped corn of eating a lot of hair.
¼ cup water Oalilalia: Helplessly repeating a phrase
1 cup sugar faster and faster.
2 teaspoons vinegar Ranarium: A frog farm.
½ cup molasses
¼ teaspoon salt
••••••••••March 13
1 tablespoon butter
How many three-cent stamps are in a
Put corn into a large mixing bowl.
dozen?
Combine the sugar, molasses, water,
vinegar, and salt in a deep saucepan. A dozen
ADULT REQUIRED! Stir over low heat until ANSWER:
sugar is almost dissolved. Cover and
slowly bring to a boil. Remove cover, and
allow a full boil, stirring constantly, for 90
seconds. Remove from heat and stir in
••••••••••March 14
butter. Pour over the corn while tossing Phobias: Fear of…
the corn with a fork to evenly coat it. School—Scolionophobia
Grease hands and quickly shape into
Taking tests—Testophobia
balls. Makes 8 to 12 balls.
Books—Bibliophobia
••••••••••March 10 Peanut butter sticking to the roof of
your mouth—Arachibutyrophobia
In golf you are penalized two strokes if
you lose your ball. So why aren’t you
rewarded two strokes if you find someone ••••••••••March 15
else’s lost ball? Three kids are standing on one side of a
large lake. Meanwhile, on the other side
••••••••••March 11 of the lake, a large parade begins with
the shooting of a gun. Joe sees the
Brighten up your email messages with smoke from the rifle. Art hears the shot.
these “emoticons”: And Mike sees the bullet hit the water in
;-) wink front of him. Which of them knows first
:-* kiss that the gun was shot?
:-# braces
:’-( crying bullet hit the water, knew last.
:-[ vampire knew second; and Mike, who saw the
knew first; Art, who heard the shot,
a bullet, Joe, who saw the smoke,
the speed of sound travels faster than
faster than the speed of sound, and
Because the speed of light travels
ANSWER:
••••••••••March 16 ••••••••••March 22
Irish Saying Match the planet with its description:
May your blessings outnumber Planet
the shamrocks that grow,
1. Mercury
And may trouble avoid you
wherever you go. 2. Venus
3. Earth
••••••••••March 17 4. Mars
Knock, Knock! 5. Jupiter
Who’s there? 6. Saturn
Irish. 7. Uranus
Irish who?
8. Pluto
Irish you a Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
9. Neptune
••••••••••March 18 Description
a. A hot planet with deadly acid clouds
What is Irish and is out on the lawn all
summer? b. Moves around the sun faster than any
other planet
c. A red planet with a huge canyon
Paddy O’Furniture
ANSWER:
d. Home sweet home
e. The one with the rings
••••••••••March 19 f. The biggest planet
“What is a friend? A single soul dwelling g. The planet with the fast winds
in two bodies.”
h. The planet with the longest seasons
— Aristotle
i. A small, cold, and dark planet
••••••••••March 20 e; 7—h; 8—i; 9—g
According to recent surveys, 51% of the 1—b; 2—a; 3—d; 4—c; 5—f; 6—
people are in the majority. ANSWERS:
••••••••••March 21
“Always do what you are afraid to do.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
••••••••••March 23 ••••••••••March 27
Which one’s really not the name of a A woman walks into a bar and orders a
town in the United States? glass of water. But instead of serving her,
• Peculiar (Missouri) the bartender suddenly pulls out a squirt
gun and squirts her right in the face.
• Uncertain (Texas)
After a couple of seconds, the bartender
• Hot Coffee (Mississippi)
puts the gun away. The woman thanks
• Pageaday (New York) him and then leaves. Explain.
• Tightsqueeze (Virginia)
• Sleepy Eye (Minnesota) the hiccups.
squirt gun and successfully stopped
guy, instead surprised her with the
them. The bartender, being a nice
Pageaday hoping that the water would cure
ANSWER: The woman had the hiccups and was
ANSWER:
••••••••••March 24
“When you get to the end of your rope,
••••••••••March 28
tie a knot and hang on.” “Having an education is one thing; being
— Franklin D. Roosevelt educated is another.”
— Lee Kuan Yew
••••••••••March 25
The first toothbrush was made out of
••••••••••March 29
hog’s hair. What an appropriate tool for In 1964, the first game show was
people who make pigs out of themselves broadcast on TV.
at dinner!
1. What TV game show is for pigs?
2. What’s the most popular game show
••••••••••March 26 among jungle animals?
In the 1931 film Dracula, starring Bela
3. What game show do ghosts watch?
Lugosi, how was the hypnotic stare of
Dracula’s eyes created? 4. Why did the rooster watch “Hollywood
Squares”?
a. Special fluorescent contact lenses were
developed by a Swedish optics For Hentertainment 4.
company. Boo Wants to Be Millionaire? 3.
b. A double, with glass eyes, was used in Leopardy 2.
the hypnotic scenes. Squeal of Fortune 1.
c. Twin pencil-spotlights were shined into ANSWERS:
Lugosi’s eyes.
c
ANSWER:
••••••••••March 30 ••••••••••April 3
“Really great people make you feel that Cool sound effects for your home
you, too, can become great.” video:
— Mark Twain • Galloping horses: Drum your fingers
in the rhythm of a running horse on
••••••••••March 31 the top of this calendar
• Rain: Roll some dried peas around on
“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”
a cookie sheet.
— Walt Disney Be inventive: Remember—the sound of
E.T. walking was made by someone
••••••••••April 1 squishing her hands in Jello.
Boredom Buster
Need a little bounce in your step? Make a ••••••••••April 4
rubber band ball. Look around the house Nearly half of all peanuts grown in the
and gather up any rubber bands you find United States are made into peanut
lying around. Bunch up a couple of rubber butter.
bands to form a center and start
wrapping other rubber bands around the
center to form a ball. See how big a ball ••••••••••April 5
you can create! You can also create balls Short Sheeting
out of string, twine, or even pieces of
Having a sleepover tonight? “Short
fabric.
sheeting” a bed can be hilarious.
••••••••••April 2 1. Put the bottom sheet on the bed and

tuck it in.
Let’s say a boxing match goes the full 15
rounds and each round is the standard 2. Place the top sheet on the bed but
3 minutes. If there is a 1-minute rest don’t tuck it in.
period between each round, how long 3. About halfway down towards the foot
does the match last? of the bed, fold the top sheet under
no rest period after the last round.) itself and tuck in the sheet tightly on
59 minutes (Remember that there’s both sides of the bed.
ANSWER: 4. Finish making the bed with a blanket
or comforter covering up the top sheet
and fold the top of the sheet down
nicely.
5. When the unlucky person gets into
bed, his feet will get caught in the
folded top sheet.
••••••••••April 6 ••••••••••April 10
“If you have an important point to make, Place the fancy word in the correct blank
don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile of the not-so-fancy sentence.
driver. Hit the point once. Then come a. One morning, while camping in
back and hit it again. Then hit it a third Australia, we woke up to find a
time—a tremendous whack.” ___________ standing on the car.
— Winston Churchill
b. When I watch a good video, I love to
have a bowl of ___________ popcorn.
••••••••••April 7
c. The tidal wave was ___________.
There are 6,500 windows and more than
10 million bricks in the Empire State d. Where did you get that great-looking
___________ T-shirt?
Building.
Words
••••••••••April 8 1. boomer
When you crack your knuckles, it isn’t the 2. butyric
sound of cracking bone you hear. When 3. cataclysmic
you suddenly yank on your finger, you
force fluids from between the finger 4. cerulean
bones, which creates a vacuum (space
where there’s less stuff than normal). 4. d, cerulean: sky blue
When the vacuum sucks the fluids back 3. c, cataclysmic: violent and sudden
in, it make a cracking, popping sound.
2. b, butyric: having to do with butter
••••••••••April 9
1. a, boomer: a male kangaroo
ANSWERS:
1. What does Charlie Brown’s dad do for

a living—write songs, sell cars, or cut
hair? ••••••••••April 11
2. Who is Snoopy’s brother—Linus, To protect against counterfeiting, the
Scooby-Doo , or Spike? federal government says that any copy of
3. Who is Sally’s Sweet Baboo—Linus, American money must be either larger or
Charlie Brown, or Snoopy? smaller than actual size. If the picture is
in color, it can only be printed on one
3. Linus side.
2. Spike
1. cut hair ••••••••••April 12
Queen bees can live for seven years.
ANSWERS:
••••••••••April 13 ••••••••••April 16
• If you had 10 billion $1 bills and spent An ant brain has about 250,000 brain
one every second of every day, you’d cells. A human brain has 10,000 million
need 317 years to go broke. brain cells. So a colony of 40,000 ants
• How many times do you need to fold a collectively has the same size brain as a
dollar bill before it tears? About 4,000 human.
double folds (first forward, then
backward). ••••••••••April 17
Here’s a great volunteer project.
••••••••••April 14
Get your friends, classmates, or Scout
Only female mosquitoes bite humans. troop together and organize a book
donation project. First locate an
••••••••••April 15 organization in your community that is
interested in having used children’s
Match what sticks with the reason why. books. Check with hospitals, shelters,
What sticks preschools, and churches. Collect old
books from the neighborhood, put them
1. this sheet of paper
in a big box, and arrange to have them
2. zippers delivered. You could sort them into
3. family members, to each other appropriate age groups, or even stick
short book reviews on the books that you
4. cute stuff on the refrigerator especially liked!
5. peanut butter, jelly, and bread
6. that housefly, on the ceiling ••••••••••April 18
7. you, to the earth What’s bogus about these rat facts?
8. oatmeal, to your ribs. 1. Rats thrive all over the planet, from
Why deserts to Antarctica.
a. because Mom says so! 2. Rats have survived the Ice Age,
earthquakes, and nuclear attack.
b. gravity
3. Rats continually clean themselves and
c. surface tension each other.
d. magnetism 4. Rats can chew through thick concrete
e. adhesion and steel sheeting.
f. emotional bonding
g. mechanical bond Nothing—all the rat facts are legit!
h. just the right amount of glue ANSWER:
7—b; 8—a
1—h; 2—g; 3—f; 4—d; 5—e; 6—c;
ANSWERS:
••••••••••April 19 ••••••••••April 22
A mouse in her room woke Miss Doud, • The late Helen Bowden of Chicago
Who was frightened and screamed very loved Scrabble® so much that her
loud. headstone is modeled after the
Scrabble game board.
Then a happy thought hit her,
• In the United States, two players were
To scare off the critter: expelled from Scrabble tournaments.
She sat up in bed and just meowed! One stuck a pencil up his opponent’s
nose and the other socked his female
••••••••••April 20 opponent in the jaw.
If you’re an average sort of person, how

much of your life do you spend asleep?
••••••••••April 23
Many dogs shed a lot of fur when the
a. 1/8 weather gets warmer. Guess what? The
b. 1/4 same is true of people. We shed more
hair in the summer than we do in the
c. 1/3 winter, spring, or fall.
••••••••••April 24
hours a year!)
week, 224 hours a month, and 2,688
c (That’s 8 hours a day, 56 hours a
ANSWER: More than 15% of Americans secretly
bite their toenails.
How did Charles Dickens, the author of A
Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist, and Great ••••••••••April 25
Expectations, sleep?
A recent survey confirms that
a. On the floor teachers—by a ratio of 4 to 1—clearly
prefer a gift of chocolate over the
b. Standing up
traditional red apple. After chocolate and
c. Facing north (aligning himself with the candy, what are the other items most
earth’s poles) often presented to teachers? Can you
spot the bogus entry?
• coffee mugs/cups
c
• flowers/plants
ANSWER:
• holiday ornaments
• ant farms
••••••••••April 21
• baked goods/fruit
What is a tree’s favorite drink?
ant farms
Root beer! ANSWER:
ANSWER:
••••••••••April 26 ••••••••••April 30
Match the state with its nickname. Select one suit from a deck of playing
cards and arrange the cards in this
State
order:
1. New Jersey
2. New Mexico 3 8 7 ACE QUEEN 6 4 2
3. New York JACK KING 10 9 5
4. Pennsylvania Hold the pile of cards face down in your
5. Michigan hand so that the 3 is the top card. Deal
off the top onto the bottom, one card at a
Nickname time, never turning over a card, spelling
a. Great Lakes State aloud, one letter for each card: “A, C, E.”
b. Empire State Then flip over the fourth card. It will be
c. Land of Enchantment the Ace. Set it aside. Start spelling again,
d. Keystone State out loud, one card for each letter, dealing
e. Garden State from the deck’s top to the deck’s bottom:
“T, W, O.” Then flip over the next card. It
1—e; 2—c; 3—b; 4—d; 5—a will be the 2. Now, spell out “J, A, C, K”
ANSWERS: and flip over the Jack; spell out “Q, U, E,
E, N” and flip over the Queen. Now you
have just one card left, the King. Twirl
••••••••••April 27 this last card around four times while
spelling out “K, I, N, G,” and hold it up
• The hole in your sneaker for your with pride.
shoelace is called the eyelet.
• The part of the telephone you speak
into is the transmitter. ••••••••••May 1
• The instrument your doctor uses to You’re riding along when suddenly you
take your blood pressure is a come to a fork in the road. One road
spygmomaometer. leads to Truthful City, where all the people
always tell the truth. The other road leads
••••••••••April 28 to a city in which all the people always lie.
You want to go to Truthful City. Standing
Cows give more milk while listening to at the fork is a resident of one of those
music. cities, but you don’t know which one. You
are allowed to ask her only one question.
••••••••••April 29 What should you ask that will get you on
the correct road to Truthful City?
Vietato il Parcheggio!
(Italian for “NO PARKING!”) Truthful City.
lies, she’ll point to the road to
if she’s from the city where everyone
City, she’ll point to the right road. And
you’re from?” If she’s from Truthful
Ask, “Which road leads to the city
ANSWER:
••••••••••May 2 ••••••••••May 7
Why did the barber win the race? The most popular ice cream flavor is
vanilla. Chocolate comes in second, and
butter pecan is third.
He knew a short cut!
ANSWER:
••••••••••May 8
Match the actor with the film:
••••••••••May 3 Actor
Knock, Knock! 1. Adam Sandler
Who’s there? 2. Elizabeth Hurley
Tank. 3. Will Smith
Tank who? 4. Bill Murray
You’re welcome!
5. Gwyneth Paltrow
Film
••••••••••May 4
a. Austin Powers
You can figure out whether your cat is
right-pawed or left-pawed with this b. Sliding Doors
simple experiment. c. Happy Gilmore
1. Put a treat in a jar or an empty d. Men in Black
cylinder like an oatmeal box. e. Ghostbusters
2. Place the container on the floor and
tape it down or wedge it between
1—c; 2—a; 3—d; 4—e; 5—b
something so that it doesn’t roll
ANSWERS:
around the floor.

3. Now see which paw your cat uses to
try to get the treat!
••••••••••May 9
Everyone knows that Eli Whitney invented
••••••••••May 5 the cotton gin. But did you know these
invention-inventor matches?
If you have plutomania, you have an Frozen Food—Clarence Birdseye
unnatural yearning to be rich.
Coca-Cola—John Pemberton
Zipper—Whitcombe Judson
••••••••••May 6
Paper Clip—Johann Vaale
A queen ant can live for 13 years.
Rattlesnakes live for about 18 years. Video Games—Noland Bushnell
Ostriches live for about 50. But a tortoise
can live to be about 150 years old,
which is considerably older than even the
oldest human beings.
••••••••••May 10 ••••••••••May 14
Mother’s Day Gift Idea • Your brain is 80 percent water, more
Make your mom a jewelry box. watery than your blood.
Get a small box with a lid. Cover the top • During the summer, 17 gallons of
and sides of the box by gluing on KOOL-AID are consumed every
buttons. On the inside of the top of the second.
box, glue a picture of yourself or of you • If your eyes are six feet above the
and your mom. surface of the ocean when you’re
standing at the beach’s edge, the
horizon is three miles away.
••••••••••May 11
• Ants can lift 20 times their own body ••••••••••May 15
weight.
• Why are there interstate highways in
• The legs of the ant are also very
Hawaii?
strong. If a man could run as fast for
• Whynot is the name of a town in
his size as an ant can, he could run as
Mississippi.
fast as a racehorse.
• Why do we drive on parkways and
park on driveways?
••••••••••May 12
What does a diamond become when it is ••••••••••May 16
placed in the water?
Who wrote the original story of the
wet Frankenstein monster in 1818?
a. Edgar Allan Poe, a 45-year-old
ANSWER:
American writer.
••••••••••May 13 b. Bram Stoker, a 52-year-old Irishman
The head of the ant has a pair of large, c. Mary Shelley, a 19-year-old English
strong jaws. The jaws open and shut woman.
sideways like a pair of scissors. Adult ants c
cannot chew and swallow solid food. ANSWER:
Instead they swallow the juice that they
squeeze from pieces of food. They throw
away the dry part that is left over.
••••••••••May 17
1. What goes up and down and never
moves?
2. What’s black and white and green all
over?
2. a moldy Oreo
1. temperature
ANSWERS:
••••••••••May 18 ••••••••••May 22
• Blue, red, and green, in that order, Do the following problems (you’ll
are people’s favorite colors—regardless probably need a calculator).
of their nationality. 1 ÷ 7 = _________________________
• The original Levi’s blue jeans were 2 ÷ 7 = _________________________
invented for California gold miners in
1873. 3 ÷ 7 = _________________________
• The most popular color for fast food 4 ÷ 7 = _________________________
restaurants is orange. 5 ÷ 7 = _________________________
6 ÷ 7 = _________________________
••••••••••May 19
number does that.
Want to Be a Dentist for a Shark? See it? It’s 142,857. No other
Sharks don't chew their food. They use numbers that endlessly repeats itself.
their four rows of teeth to bite and tear.
In each answer, there’s a sequence of
And, as their first row of teeth wears out,

ANSWER:
teeth from the other rows move forward

to replace them. New teeth are always
forming. ••••••••••May 23
How many of each animal did Moses
••••••••••May 20 bring on the ark?
Volcano Types and Examples them, not Moses.)
• Shield volcano—Mauna Loa in Hawaii None. (It was Noah who brought
• Stratovolcano—Fuji in Japan; Mount ANSWER:
St. Helens in Washington state

• Cinder cone—Paricutin in Mexico
••••••••••May 24
••••••••••May 21 Solve the Word Puzzle below. The letters
1. What did the boy snake say to the girl to find the answer. For example:
snake? cheditorief stands for the phrase “editor
2. What happened when the couple tried in chief.”
to kiss in the dense fog? ONCE
4:30 P.M.
3. What did the stamp say when it fell in
love with the envelope? Hint: A classic beginning.
3. “I’m stuck on you.”

RE-RE
2. They mist.
Hint: My watch is running slow; I’ll have to get
it…
1. “Give me a little hiss.”
ANSWERS:
Repaired. RE-RE is a pair of RE’s.
Once upon a time;
ANSWERS:
••••••••••May 25 ••••••••••May 29
Tongue Twisters Jack Quiz
Sally’s selfish selling shellfish, Jack
So Sally’s shellfish seldom sell. 1. Jackie Onassis
Sheep shouldn’t sleep in a shack.
2. Jack-in-the-Box
Sheep should sleep in a shed.
3. Union Jack
4. Jacks
••••••••••May 26
5. Jack London
What fruit do you find on a dime?
6. Jumpin’ Jack Flash
a date
ANSWER: Description
a. White Fang author
b. British flag
••••••••••May 27
c. Classic toy
“They may walk with a little less spring in
their step, and the ranks are growing d. Rolling Stones’ song
thinner, but let us never forget, when e. book editor and wife of Jack, born this
they were young, these men saved the day in 1917
world.”
f. game of tossing and scooping
— President William Clinton, in
Normandy, on the fiftieth anniversary of 2—c; 3—b; 4—f; 5—a; 6—d
the Allied landings there. Kennedy was born May 29, 1917);
1—e (President John “Jack” F.
ANSWERS:
••••••••••May 28
A city kid went to a farm for the first ••••••••••May 30
time. “Excuse me,” the kid said to the
farmer. “How come some cows have What kids in other countries like on
horns and some don’t?” The farmer their fries:
replied, “There are three reasons: one, Belgium—mayonnaise
some cows are born without horns; two, Canada—vinegar
sometimes we farmers remove them; and
Greece—salt and oregano
three, some have their horns knocked off
while fighting.” The boy pointed across Mexico—hot sauce
the field and asked, “But what about that Norway—mustard
one over there?” The farmer said, “That’s United Kingdom—gravy
a fourth reason—that’s a horse!”
••••••••••May 31 ••••••••••June 4
I am a country in the Middle East. What is the difference between an old
Change one of my letters and create dime and a new penny?
another country in the Middle East. Who What kind of fruit did Noah eat on the
am I? ark?
I am a country in Europe. If you What do bullies like to drink?
change one of my letters I become
another country. Who am I? nine cents; pears; punch
ANSWERS:
Ireland or Iceland
Iran or Iraq
ANSWERS:
••••••••••June 5
Which side of the pitcher is the handle
on?
••••••••••June 1
What familiar eating utensil would not the outside
have been found at the Pilgrims’ harvest ANSWER:
feast of 1621?
shared plates and drinking vessels.

and their fingers, and sometimes
••••••••••June 6
1. How could a girl be born in June,
used a knife, a spoon, a large napkin,
although her birthday is in July, and

The Pilgrims didn’t use forks. They
grow up to marry her father?

ANSWER:
2. How can you cut a wheel of cheese

••••••••••June 2 into eight equal portions with just
three straight cuts of a knife?
How can you divide 10 potatoes between
3 people? and cut that stack in half.
quarters on top of one another,
Mash them will take two cuts), stack the
2. Cut the wheel into quarters (that
ANSWER:
(perform the marriage ceremony).
she could marry her father
••••••••••June 3
divorced and decided to re-marry,
father was then widowed or
member of the clergy and her
What did the little rose say to the big Assuming the girl grew up to be a
rose? Oregon) in the month of July.
June, in Missouri (or in June,
“Hey, Bud!” 1. She could be born in the town of
ANSWER: ANSWERS:
••••••••••June 7 ••••••••••June 12
What two words have the most letters in The common pet gerbil originated in
them? Mongolia. Like all rodents, a gerbil has
front teeth that are constantly growing,
Post Office
so it must chew on things to keep them
ANSWER: filed down to sharp points.
••••••••••June 13
••••••••••June 8
A cat whose tail is twitching at the tip is
Canada has more doughnut shops per probably mad about something.
capita than any other country on Earth—
one for every 9,000 of its 30 million
residents. ••••••••••June 14
Match the state with its slogan:
••••••••••June 9 State
Literature Trivia 1. Utah
The title of the first book in The 2. Vermont
Chronicles of Narnia is The Magician’s
Nephew. 3. West Virginia
4. Wisconsin
••••••••••June 10 5. New Hampshire
Looking for a special way to sign Slogan
autograph books and school yearbooks? a. Live Free or Die
Try these “Yours” phrases:
b. America’s Dairyland
• Yours ’til butter flies.
• Yours ’til lip sticks. c. Wild, Wonderful
• Yours ’til France fries Turkey in d. Green Mountain State
Greece.
e. Greatest Snow on Earth
• Yours ’til the kitchen sinks.
1—e; 2—d; 3—c; 4—b; 5—a
••••••••••June 11 ANSWERS:
“When I was growing up I always wanted

to be someone. Now I realize I should
have been more specific.”
— Lily Tomlin
••••••••••June 15 ••••••••••June 18
Bored with your toys and books? UNICEF Voices of Youth
Organize a swap meet with your friends! www.unicef.org/voy
Find a place and set a date. Ask your Share your ideas on issues! Communicate
friends to get together any books, games, electronically with kids from around the
or toys that they no longer want and world.
bring them to the swap meet to trade
them. Just make sure that everyone
checks with his or her parents first.
••••••••••June 19
In the late 1950s, the Wham-O toy
company began preliminary introduction
••••••••••June 16 of its plastic “Flyin’ Saucer” toy to
In Chicago it’s against the law to bring a students at Yale. Wham-O quickly
French poodle with you to an opera discovered that students were already
house. playing with “Frisbies.” Wham-O liked that
name better, changed the spelling, and
••••••••••June 17 soon launched a national craze.
Place the fancy word in the correct

blank: ••••••••••June 20
Knock, Knock!
a. Hey, that’s one _________ apple tree!
Who’s there?
b. By the end of the long dinner, the
fresh flowers were _________. Radio.
Radio who?
c. We really enjoyed your weird uncle’s
_________ stories. Radio not, here I come!
d. I can’t stand talking about movies with
her; she’s so _________.
Word
1. droll
2. eristic
3. fecund
4. flaccid
4. b, flaccid: soft and limp
3. a, fecund: fruitful
2. d, eristic: argumentative
1. c, droll: oddly comical
ANSWERS:
••••••••••June 21 ••••••••••June 24
Match the Kool-Aid flavor with its official The English people who came to
French translation: Plymouth, Massachusetts were not the
first Europeans to come to New England.
Flavor
European traders and fishermen had been
1. Cherry coming to New England for at least 100
2. Strawberry years before the Mayflower landed.
3. Grape
••••••••••June 25
4. Incrediberry
• There are about 800 tombstones in
5. Pink Swimmingo Rose Tombstone, Arizona.
French translation • In 1610, the population of the
a. Magicolore American colonies was 350. (Just
349 people less and Solitaire would
b. Flambant
have been the card game!)
c. Raisin • Annie Oakley, the best sharpshooter
d. Cerise (male or female) in the Old West,
used to pin an Ace of Hearts to a tree
e. Fraise 25 yards away and fire 25 shots in
1—d; 2—e; 3—c; 4—a; 5—b 27 seconds to shoot away the heart
ANSWERS: spot.
••••••••••June 26
••••••••••June 22 Did you know that you can tell the
Make a wish… temperature by counting cricket chirps?
The warmer the temperature, the faster a
• Each time you eat a green M&M cricket chirps. Using a watch with a
• On the first star you see tonight second hand, count the chirps for 15
• On the first robin you see in the spring seconds and add 40 to that number. You’ll
• Before wearing a new pair of shoes have the temperature in Fahrenheit
• Before throwing a coin into a fountain degrees!
• Before blowing out your birthday Impress your friends and family! Tell
candles them you can tell the temperature just by
• On Midsummer’s Eve (June 23) looking at your watch!
••••••••••June 23 ••••••••••June 27
Name the only country in Europe that • More than 3 million rivets were used
starts with the letter D. to build the Titanic.
• The Titanic used 14,000 gallons of
drinking water every 24 hours.
Denmark
ANSWER:
••••••••••June 28 ••••••••••July 3
The territory of killer bees is growing by • To quickly get rid of a grape or
300 miles per year. cherry juice “mustache,” dab a bit of
toothpaste on a washcloth and wipe it
away.
••••••••••June 29
• If the hem of your pants or skirt falls
World’s Best Hot Fudge Float down, you can fix it quickly with
2 tablespoons of your favorite hot fudge sauce scotch tape.
1 cup milk
1 small scoop of ice cream (your favorite flavor)
3–5 miniature marshmallows ••••••••••July 4
Measure the fudge sauce into a large • Fireworks were standard fare for July
coffee mug. Heat the milk in a saucepan Fourth celebrations as early as 1778.
over low heat. (Do not let it boil!) Pour By 1900, fireworks shops sold
the hot milk into the cup and stir until the favorites such as whirligigs, batteries
fudge is completely blended. Place the ice of stars, volcanoes, Pharaoh’s
cream on top. Top with marshmallows. serpents, serpents’ eggs, and yellow
jackets.
••••••••••June 30 • At the Battle of Bunker Hill on
June 17, 1775, 449 colonists were
What do you call a cow that cuts grass? killed and wounded by the British. On
A lawn mooooooer! July 5, 1904, 4,169 Americans were
killed and wounded by fireworks. A
year later, the number of dead and
ANSWER:
wounded by fireworks was up to

5,176.
••••••••••July 1
Top-Selling Ben & Jerry’s Flavors ••••••••••July 5
1. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough The Frisbee
2. Cherry Garcia In the mid-1940s, students at Yale
University began tossing around empty
3. Chocolate Fudge Brownie
pie tins inscribed with the name of the
4. New York Super Fudge Chunk pie’s baker: William Russell Frisbie.
5. English Toffee Crunch
The average number of licks in a
••••••••••July 6
single-scoop ice cream cone is 50. More Hot Dogs
• The average American eats between
••••••••••July 2 80 and 100 hot dogs per year.
• From Memorial Day to Labor Day,
In 1957, the United States Chamber of Americans enjoy more than five billion
Commerce officially designated July as hot dogs. Laid end to end, that’s
National Hot Dog Month. enough hot dogs to circle the globe
more than 15 times.
••••••••••July 7 ••••••••••July 10
A kid is walking down the street with a Brighten up your email messages with
banana in his ear. A man says to the kid, these “emoticons”:
“Hey, what are you doing with that *:o) clown
banana in your ear?” The kid says, “I
d:-) baseball player
can’t hear you. I’ve got a banana in my
ear.” (:v duck
Banana warning: A mosquito is more :-! smoking a cigar
likely to bite you after you’ve eaten a :-)8 person wearing a bow tie
banana.
••••••••••July 8 ••••••••••July 11
Shalom means “hello,” “goodbye,” and
Ways to Stop the Hiccups “peace” in Hebrew.
• Swallow hard.
• Pull your knees up to your chest. ••••••••••July 12
• Suck on a slice of lemon.
Back in 1900, it wasn’t always easy to
• Ask someone to scare you. tell if a person was dead or just in a
• Hold your breath. coma. So the Society for the Prevention
• Drink a glass of water very slowly. of Premature Burial came up with the
idea of tying a string around the finger of
••••••••••July 9 the person being buried. The string came
through a hole in the coffin and was
The 10 most landed-on spaces in attached to a bell on top of the grave. If
“Monopoly” are: the person woke up, he or she could ring
1. Illinois Avenue the bell.
2. Go
••••••••••July 13
3. B&O Railroad
1. What would you do if you found
4. Free Parking Chicago, Ill.?
5. Tennessee Avenue 2. How many months have 28 days?
6. New York Avenue 3. When is a potato like a bad idea?
7. Reading Railroad
8. St. James Place
When it’s half-baked 3.
All of them 2.
9. Water Works
Call Baltimore, M.D. 1.
10. Pennsylvania Railroad ANSWERS:
••••••••••July 14
Merci is French for “thank you.”
••••••••••July 15 ••••••••••July 19
1. What do you call a smart duck? 1. When did humans first walk on the
moon?
2. What’s the biggest pencil in the world?
a. July 20, 1969
3. What, by losing an eye, has nothing
left but a nose? b. July 20, 1979
Noise (N-O-I-S-E) 3. c. July 20, 1989
Pennsylvania 2. 2. Buzz Aldrin was the second man to
step onto the moon. What was his
mother’s maiden name?
A wisequacker 1.
ANSWERS:
a. Lunarowski
b. Armstrong
••••••••••July 16 c. Moon
To find a tiny object on the floor, put 1—a; 2—c
a bare light at floor level; the illumination
will cause the object to cast a long
ANSWERS:
shadow, making it easier to spot.

If you’re lost in the woods, and come
to a stream, your chances of finding ••••••••••July 20
civilization are much greater if you travel Which statement(s) is (are) not true?
downstream.
1. Most American car horns toot in the
key of F.
••••••••••July 17
2. “F” is the letter most found in the New
Hair York City residential phone book.
Most of the world’s population has dark
brown hair. The darkest hairs on anyone’s 3. The housefly hums in the middle
body are usually the eyelashes. octave, key of F.
4. Most rock and roll music is played in
••••••••••July 18 the key of F.
Facts about human beings: Statements 1 and 3 are true.
• Your most powerful sneeze flies out Statements 2 and 4 are false.
of your face at a little more than 100 ANSWERS:
miles per hour.
• Your heart beats about 100,000
times a day. ••••••••••July 21
The average adult’s skin weighs six
pounds.
••••••••••July 22 ••••••••••July 25
Exclamation Point A zoologIST is a person who studies
Like the question mark, the exclamation animals. A zoologist who studies a
point was invented by stacking letters. specific animal has a specific name. For
The mark comes from the Latin word io, example:
meaning “exclamation of joy.” Written ApiculturISTS specialize in bees.
vertically, with the i above the o, it forms EntomologISTS study insects.
the exclamation point we use today. IchthyologISTS specialize in fish.
OrnithologISTS study birds.
••••••••••July 23
If you’re a lobster, stay away from Maine! ••••••••••July 26
That’s where more than half of the Match the object with its fastest speed.
lobsters caught in the United States are
Object Speed
trapped.
1. train a. 154 mph
2. white-tailed deer b. 32 mph
••••••••••July 24 3. skier c. 252 mph
Match the -illion word to the equivalent 4. bicycle d. 45 mph
-illion number. 5. ostrich e. 80 mph
-illion word 1—c; 2—b, 3—a, 4—e, 5—d
1. billion ANSWERS:
2. nonillion
3. quintillion ••••••••••July 27
4. sextillion Body Part Slang
-illion number abdomen belly
eyes peepers
a. 1,000,000,000
face mug
b. 1, 000,000,000,000,000,000 hair mane
c. 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 legs wheels
mouth kisser
d. 1, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000
1—a; 2—c; 3—b; 4—d

ANSWERS:
••••••••••July 28 ••••••••••July 31
Match the sport with the official number Did you know that?
of players on a team: • A best boy is an assistant to a gaffer.
Sport No. of Players • A gaffer is an electrician in charge of
baseball 4 lighting on a movie or TV set.
basketball 7 • A cabin boy is a servant on a ship,
especially to the captain.
football (American) 6
• A page delivers messages.
ice hockey 6
• A maître d’ shows diners to their
polo 9 tables in a restaurant.
soccer 11 • A diva is the principal female singer in
ultimate Frisbee 5 an opera.
volleyball 11
••••••••••August 1
When a baby seagull is hungry, it pecks
volleyball—6
4; soccer—11; ultimate Frisbee—7;
(American)—11; ice hockey—6; polo— on its parent’s beak. The parent then
baseball—9; basketball—5; football regurgitates dinner into the young bird’s
ANSWERS: mouth.
••••••••••August 2
••••••••••July 29 If the day before the day after tomorrow
Olympic Rings will be Friday, and the day after the day
Designed in 1913 by Baron Pierre de before yesterday was Wednesday, what
Coubertin, the five rings represent the day is today?
five regions of the world that participated
in the Olympics: Africa, the Americas,
Thursday
Asia, Europe, and Oceania.

ANSWER:
••••••••••July 30
••••••••••August 3
Complete this series:
• Vice President Danke is German for “thank you.” It’s
pronounced dahn-kah.
• Speaker of the House of
Representatives
• President Pro Tempore of the Senate
••••••••••August 4
• Secretary of State “There are people who take the heart out
• Secretary of the Treasury of you and there are people who put it
back.”
in order, of Presidential succession. — Elizabeth David
able to serve, these are the positions,
President of the United States not be
Secretary of Defense. Should the
ANSWER:
••••••••••August 5 ••••••••••August 9
“Animals are such agreeable friends—they Match the object with its fastest speed.
ask no questions, they pass no
1. automobile a. 250 mph
criticisms.”
— George Eliot 2. cheetah b. 70 mph
3. garden snail c. 28 mph
••••••••••August 6
4. helicopter d. 205 mph
What does “Dorito” mean in Spanish?
5. human being e. 0.03 mph
a. Bet you can’t eat just one.
b. Very salty
1—d; 2—b; 3—e; 4—a; 5—c
c. Little bits of gold

ANSWERS:
••••••••••August 10
c
ANSWER:
Solve the Word Puzzle below. The letters

••••••••••August 7 to find the answer. For example:
• Bats always turn left when exiting a cheditorief stands for the phrase “editor
cave. in chief.”
• Owls can’t move their eyes but they casts casts
can spin their heads in an almost casts casts
complete circle. (Hint: Predicts)
••••••••••August 8 forecasts (four casts)

ANSWER:
What does a fly do before eating your
food?
a. Flaps its wings and buzzes in a strange ••••••••••August 11
ritual; this is the perfect opportunity to
Barbie got her first bathing suit, a black
swat it.
and white model, in 1951.
b. Tests the food with its toes to see if
it’s squishy. ••••••••••August 12
c. Vomits chemicals all over the food to Animal Facts
make it more digestible.
• Squids have the largest eyes in
c nature—up to 16 inches across.
ANSWER: • Robins become intoxicated after
eating holly berries and often fall off
power lines.
••••••••••August 13 ••••••••••August 18
At age 26, Iowa farmer Charles Osborne Fleas jump 130 times their own height.
began to hiccup. He then kept hiccupping, That’s like a person jumping over a
right through two marriages and eight 65-story building.
children, until his death at age 95.
••••••••••August 19
••••••••••August 14 Place the fancy word in the correct blank
Complete the analogy: of the not-so-fancy sentences.
EMIT : STAR :: TIME : ? 1. juglandaceous
STAR spelled backwards is RATS.)
2. nuddle
(EMIT spelled backwards is TIME.
RATS 3. powsowdy
4. sally
ANSWER:
a. I enjoy a ___________ muffin for

breakfast.
••••••••••August 15
b. In this party game, you get down on
Your ears and nose never stop growing.
your knees and ___________ the
They are the only body parts that get
basketball over to the door.
larger and larger with age.
c. There’s nothing like a bowl of
••••••••••August 16 ___________ after a cold morning of
ice-skating.
1. What is the only English word that d. Let’s ___________ to the front of the
ends in the letters “mt”? ticket line.
2. What is big and yellow and comes in
the morning to brighten Mother’s day?
4. d, sally
3. c, powsowdy
2. the school bus
2. b, nuddle
1. dreamt
1. a, juglandaceous
ANSWERS:
ANSWERS:
••••••••••August 17 ••••••••••August 20
Opening an umbrella in the house is
Every U.S. state has at least one
bad luck.
nickname. See some examples below:
This belief arose because, at one time,
Florida—Sunshine State
umbrellas weren’t made very well. If you
Massachusetts—The Bay State
opened one in the house, someone could
Idaho—The Hawkeye State
have gotten hurt.
California—The Golden State
Maryland—The Free State
••••••••••August 21 ••••••••••August 24
Riddles Brighten up your email messages with
1. What starts with a T, ends with a T, these surfin’ abbreviations:
and is filled with T? BTW—by the way
2. How many jelly beans can you put in AKA—also known as
an empty jelly bean jar? FYI—for your information
2. Only one. After that it’s not empty! IMHO—in my humble opinion
1. Teapot FWIW—for what it’s worth
ANSWERS: LOL—laughing out loud
ROTFLOL—rolling on the floor, laughing
out loud
••••••••••August 22 B4N—bye for now
If you turn a table fan on in your
bedroom for 10 minutes, how much ••••••••••August 25
cooler will your room be?
Palindromes (words or phrases that
a. 0 degrees cooler read the same backwards as forwards):
b. 5 degrees cooler • A nut for a jar of tuna
• Drowsy baby’s word
c. 15 degrees cooler
• Wontons? Not now
does NOT lower the temperature.)
from your skin so you feel cooler. It
which helps moisture to evaporate ••••••••••August 26
(The fan just moves the air around, Chocolate-Covered Frozen Bananas
6 bananas
a
ANSWER: small (6 oz) bag of chocolate chips
popsicle sticks
small cookie sheet
spatula
••••••••••August 23 Peel bananas. Cut them in half, crosswise.
Can you give the name for the newborn Push a popsicle stick into the cut end of
of each critter below? each half. Put bananas on cookie sheet
human, cockroach, kangaroo, whale and freeze for several hours. Melt chips in
microwave. Use the spatula to spread
kangaroo—joey; whale—calf melted chocolate on the frozen bananas.
human—baby; cockroach—nymph; Chocolate will harden instantly. Smile and
ANSWERS: have yourself a CCFB!
••••••••••August 27 ••••••••••August 31
Weird Laws Match the Kool-Aid flavor with its official
• In Tulsa, Oklahoma no man can walk French translation:
around in public with his shirt Kool-Aid flavor
untucked. 1. Purplesaurus Rex
• In Stockton, California it’s illegal to
“wiggle” while dancing. 2. Rock-a-Dile Red
3. Sharkleberry Fin
••••••••••August 28 4. Berry Blue
Confused by what to call the many little 5. Scary Black Berry
parts of many common things?
Official French translation
Parts of a… include…
Zipper pull tab, slide, teeth a. Cerise Noire Terrifiant
Eyeglasses temples (go over ears), b. Rock-o-dile Rouge
budge (sits on nose), c. Requin Drole
eye wires (surround
glass) d. Baies Bleu
Scissors pivot, bow handle e. MauvoSaurus Rex
(large), ring handle
(small), pail ears
1—e; 2—b; 3—c; 4—d; 5—a
(where handle is
ANSWERS:
attached)
••••••••••August 29 ••••••••••September 1
• Babe Ruth once downed 12 hot dogs Cure for What Ails You
between games of a doubleheader. • To cure a cold, tie fish skin to your
• In 1983, a 1,983-foot-long hot dog feet.
was made by Bill-Mar Food in • To get rid of freckles, rub a live frog
Wisconsin. over your face.
• According to the theme song from • Pierced ears are said to cure eye
“The Patty Duke Show,” what makes trouble.
Patty lose control? You guessed it—a
hot dog! ••••••••••September 2
Afraid of? You have…
••••••••••August 30 Numbers Numerophobia
Americans’ favorite names for female Sitting Thaasophobia
cats, in order of preference, are: Handwriting Graphophobia
Samantha, Fluffy, Misty, and Muffin. Fear of knowledge Epistemophobia
••••••••••September 3 ••••••••••September 8
“Ignorance is the beginning of knowledge; The Secret Service began to protect
knowledge is the beginning of wisdom; presidents and their families in 1901. Can
wisdom is the awareness of ignorance.” you match the protected persons with
— William Rotsler their code name?
1. John Kennedy a. Lyric
••••••••••September 4 2. Jacqueline Kennedy b. Lark
3. Caroline Kennedy c. Dancer
Eat Your Words
4. John F. Kennedy, Jr. d. Rawhide
• Plate—comes from the Old French 5. Jimmy Carter e. Dynamo
plat, meaning “flat.” 6. Rosalynn Carter f. Rainbow
• Bowl—comes from the Anglo-Saxon 7. Amy Carter g. Lace
bolla, meaning “round.” 8. Ronald Reagan h. Deacon
9. Nancy Reagan i. Lancer
• Cup—from the Sanskrit word kupa,
meaning “water well.” 7—e; 8—d; 9—f
1—i; 2—g; 3—a; 4—b; 5—h; 6—c;
••••••••••September 5 ANSWERS:
• Koalas aren’t bears. They aren’t even

related to bears. ••••••••••September 9
• The koala is related to the kangaroo
Talk like your mom and dad do:
and the wombat.
• The koala is a mammal. pad—home
• The reason the koala is called a koala dig—understand
bear is because the koala looks like a get down—have a good time
teddy bear.
hang-up—concern
• The koala’s scientific name is
Phasclarctos cinereus. scene—where the action is
trash—destroy
••••••••••September 6
“We will be victorious if we have not ••••••••••September 10
forgotten how to learn.” Jump Rope Rhymes: Mary Mack
— Rosa Luxemburg
Mary Mack, dressed in black,
Silver gold buttons down her back.
••••••••••September 7 Ask her ma for fifteen cents,
Jail Slang To see an elephant jump the fence.
can—joint He jumped so high he touched the sky,
And won’t come back ’til Fourth of July.
cell block—jug
clink—pen
calaboose—hoosegow
behind bars—drunk tank
What do these “red” terms mean? Match the coin with the face. No peeking!
Term Coin Face
1. in the red 1. penny a. George Washington
2. red eye
2. nickel b. Franklin D. Roosevelt
3. see red
3. dime c. Thomas Jefferson
4. red herring
4. quarter d. Abraham Lincoln
5. paint the town red
5. half-dollar e. John F. Kennedy
6. red-letter day
Meaning
1—d; 2—c; 3—b; 4—a; 5—e
ANSWERS:
a. importance and good fortune
b. get angry
c. overnight flight ••••••••••September 14
d. a distraction What time is it when an elephant sits on
e. celebrate your fence?
f. losing money Time for a new fence!
1—f; 2—c; 3—b; 4—d; 5—e; 6—a ANSWER:
ANSWERS:
••••••••••September 12 Unscramble These Words
Match the game (or toy) with its date of Y N O A D M
invention. R E T M E S B E P
Game or Toy Date F T E N E I F
Silly Putty 3000 B.C.
Scrabble 1000 B.C. FIFTEEN
Monopoly 1902 SEPTEMBER
Crossword puzzle 1913
Marbles 1940s
MONDAY
Teddy bear 1934 ANSWERS:
Frisbee 1930s
Hula hoop 1940s
Hoop—1000 B.C.
bear—1902; Frisbee—1940s; Hula
1913; Marbles—3000 B.C.; Teddy
Monopoly—1934; Crossword puzzle—
Silly Putty—1940s; Scrabble—1930s;
ANSWERS:
Circus Superstitions Match the character with the TV show:
• Never eat peanuts in the dressing Character
room.
1. Hawkeye
• Never sit on the circus ring facing out.
2. Horschack
• Peacock feathers are bad luck.
3. Betty
• Never look back during the circus
4. Mr. Peabody
parade.
5. Barney
6. Chandler
••••••••••September 17 7. Fox
How to Eat Like a Child
TV Show
“Chocolate chip cookies: half-sit, half-on
the bed, propped up by a pillow. Read a a. Friends
book. Place cookies next to you on the b. The X-Files
sheet so that crumbs get in the bed. As c. The Flintstones
you eat the cookies, remove each d. The Andy Griffith Show
chocolate chip and place it on your e. Rocky and Bullwinkle
stomach. When all the cookies are f. M*A*S*H
consumed, eat the chips one by one,
g. Welcome Back, Kotter
allowing two per page.”
— Delia Ephron 7—b
1—f; 2—g; 3—c; 4—e; 5—d; 6—a;
••••••••••September 18 ANSWERS:
Myth: Pandas are bears.

Fact: The panda is an extremely large ••••••••••September 21
cousin of the raccoon.
What is black and white and read all over?
••••••••••September 19 A newspaper
Who said, “Children today are tyrants. ANSWER:
They contradict their parents, gobble their
food, and tyrannize their teachers”?
a. Italian dictator Benito Mussolini ••••••••••September 22
(1883–1945).
• The first toothpaste tube was
b. U.S. President Ronald Reagan (1911– ) created in 1892 in Connecticut.
c. Greek philosopher Socrates • The first lawnmower was built in
(470–399 1830 in England.
B.C.) • The first newspaper photograph was
c taken in 1880 in New York.
ANSWER:
Excuses, Excuses Match the “nightime” movie with its star:
• My baby brother drooled all over it. Movie
• My cousin won the lottery (in some other 1. Bedtime for Bonzo
state). We were all excited, thinking about 2. Dream Lover
who to share the winnings with…like 3. Night at the Opera
teachers, people like that. 4. Nightmare on Elm Street
• Our home was fumigated and we had 5. The Night We Never Met
to leave it immediately. My 6. Night Shift
homework’s still in there.
Star
a. Kristy McNichol
••••••••••September 24 b. Ronald Reagan
Recipe: Worm on a Leaf c. Johnny Depp
Graham cracker crumbs
d. Marx Brothers
Tootsie Rolls e. Michael Keaton
Lettuce f. Matthew Broderick
Put the crumbs in a bag. With the 1—b; 2—a; 3—d; 4—c; 5—f; 6—e
wrapper off, roll the Tootsie Roll back and ANSWERS:
forth like clay until it is long, soft, and
wormy. Put it in the crumbs bag and
shake. Serve on a lettuce leaf.
••••••••••September 25 Surfer Slang Words
OB Talk 1. Set—group of waves
Place the syllable “OB” in front of every 2. Lineup—where one goes to wait for
vowel. waves
Example: MOBy nOBame Obis SOBarOBa.
3. Epic—awesome
(My name is Sara.)
4. Get out—relax
••••••••••September 26 5. Drop in on—to steal a wave after
Put an item in a bag (such as a grape or someone is on it
a feather). Have a friend FEEL the object 6. Crank—to have a good surf
and try to guess what it is.
7. Barney—a thoughtless jerk
••••••••••September 29 ••••••••••October 2
“Learning without wisdom is a load of • Why was the farmer so successful?
books on a donkey’s back.” • Why jam your thumbs into the
— Zora Neale Hurston eyeballs of a crocodile?
••••••••••September 30 To escape from the grip of its jaws.

He was outstanding in his field.
What do these words have in common? ANSWERS:
defy
worst
canopy ••••••••••October 3
roughing You probably use them often. They’re
stupendous idioms—expressions that make no sense
if you think about them literally, but that
letters from the alphabet. make you look smart and inventive when
Each includes three consecutive they’re used correctly.
Here are some idioms:
ANSWER:
eat crow—admit to being wrong

play it by ear—not plan ahead of time
••••••••••October 1
all thumbs—clumsy, awkward
1. Get a pack of Wint-O-Green Life make no bones about it—be blunt and
Savers. candid
2. Grab a friend and go into a room beat around the bush—avoid getting to
that’s as dark as possible (lights off, the point
no windows, curtains drawn, etc.)
3. Wait a few seconds, until your eyes ••••••••••October 4
adjust to the dark.
Hot Dog Float
4. Put one of those Life Savers on your
Make two fists and then stick out your
lower back teeth and BITE INTO IT!
index fingers as if each hand is pointing.
Really chomp! BUT keep your mouth
Put your hands about a foot in front of
open as much as possible so that your
your face. Point your two index fingers at
friend can watch for the sparks that
one another. Stare beyond your fingers as
will fly out of the candy.
you slowly bring the tips of your fingers
together.
Now pull them apart, slowly. See that? A
floating hot dog!
••••••••••October 5 ••••••••••October 7
Weight-Loss Program “The amount of sleep required by the
average person is about five minutes
1. Go stand on the North Pole. Weigh
more.”
yourself. Let’s say you’re 150.8
— Max Kauffman
pounds.
2. Now go to the equator and weigh What number of Americans get up
yourself. There you’ll weigh 150 before 7 a.m. during the week?
pounds.
a. half
3. You’ve lost .8 pound. Way to go!
b. 60%
Explanation: The Earth is not a perfect
c. 70 out of 100
ball. The equator is 13 miles farther from
the Earth’s center than the North and c
South Poles are. The farther you are from ANSWER:
the center of the Earth, the less that
gravity pulls on you. The less gravity, the
less you weigh. (Weight is a
measurement of the Earth’s pull.)
••••••••••October 8
Match the character with the TV
show:
••••••••••October 6
Character
Weird Superstitions 1. Fonzie
• If a redheaded woman comes to your 2. Pugsley
house on Monday, there will be 3. Lumpy
confusion all week.
4. Fearless Leader
• Cutting a baby’s nails before he is a
5. Shirley
year old makes a thief of him. Bite
them off. 6. Wilson
• Never take a broom along when you 7. Kevin
move. Throw out your old broom and Show
buy a new one for your new home. a. Leave It to Beaver
b. The Wonder Years
c. Happy Days
d. Rocky and Bullwinkle
e. The Addams Family
f. Home Improvement
g. The Partridge Family
7—b
1—c; 2—e; 3—a; 4—d; 5—g; 6—f;
ANSWERS:
••••••••••October 9 ••••••••••October 13
What’s “Bob” spelled backward? How “Judge a man by his questions rather
about “wow”? A palindrome is a word or than by his answers.”
phrase that is spelled the same backward “Common sense is not so common.”
or forward. Check out these:
“The biggest reward for a thing well done
• Madam, I’m Adam. is to have done it.”
• Never odd or even. “It’s dangerous to be right when the
• Step on no pets. government is wrong.”
Can you make up your own palindromes?
••••••••••October 14
••••••••••October 10 Eat your vegetables before they eat you!
How to get rid of Dracula: Killer veggie flicks:
1. Invite him to the beach. Sunlight! The • Invasion of the Star Creatures
stuff kills him. (1965)—An army of carrots terrorizes
earthlings.
2. Garlic! Eat it, wear it, sleep in it—he
• Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1978)
can’t stand the stuff.
• Please Don’t Eat My Mother (1973)—A
3. Flash him a crucifix. That burns him giant vegetable wreaks revenge and
and he’ll take off for sure. havoc.
4. And the best thing to do? Turn off the • Attack of the Mushroom People (1963)
TV!
••••••••••October 15
••••••••••October 11 An oxymoron is a figure of speech
Green Expressions usually composed of a pair of
• green thumb—good at gardening contradictory words. For example:
• green around the gills—looking pale • Open secret
• greenhorn—newcomer, novice • Pretty ugly
• green room—where entertainers relax • Original copies
just before performing • Definite maybe
• green-eyed monster—jealousy
••••••••••October 16
••••••••••October 12 Favorite snacks and when they were
Anagrams are sets of words that use the invented:
same letters. These sets are even related potato chips—1853
in meaning!
doughnut—1500s
• astronomer—moon starer
chewing gum—1860s
• the Morse code—here come dots
• Western Union—no wire unsent ice-cream cone—1904
Graham Crackers—1830s
sandwich—1760
Crackerjacks—1893
••••••••••October 17 ••••••••••October 20
Sneezing superstitions: Why Ask Why?
• Sneeze three times in a row and you’ll • Do hungry cows have ravenous
have good luck. appetites?
• If the bride or groom sneezes during • When cheese gets its picture taken,
their wedding ceremony, it will bring what does it say?
bad luck. • If a word was misspelled in a
• Sneeze while on the right side of the dictionary, how would we ever know?
boat, and the voyage will be fine. But • Why is it called lipstick, if you can still
sneeze on the boat’s left side, and move your lips?
lousy weather is sure to follow.
• Sneeze before breakfast and you’ll get ••••••••••October 21
a gift within a week.
Sleep Riddles
••••••••••October 18 • What do you call a sleeping monster
who is very noisy?
Can you match the foreign word or
phrase with its meaning? • How does a cow ignore her alarm
clock?
1. Aloha a. please
• Who makes movies and sleeps late?
2. Ciao b. goodbye
3. Cul de sac c. I’ve found it! button; Tom Snooze
4. Faux pas d. social error Frankensnore; By pressing the moos
5. Prego e. greeting or farewell ANSWERS:
6. Eureka f. dead end
••••••••••October 22
1—e; 2—b; 3—f; 4—d; 5—a; 6—c
ANSWERS:
• What can a kid put in his or her right

hand but not in his or her left hand?
••••••••••October 19 • What goes through a door but never
What do these four numbers have in comes in or goes out?
common? • What has a bed but never sleeps?
6119 6009 1961 1881 Left elbow; keyhole; river
as they do upside down. ANSWERS:
They all read the same right-side up
ANSWER:
••••••••••October 23
Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November;
All the rest have thirty-one,
Excepting February alone:
Which hath but twenty-eight, in fine,
Till leap year gives it twenty-nine.
••••••••••October 24 ••••••••••October 27
Tongue Twisters Circus Slang
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled Clown Alley—The dressing area for the
peppers. clowns
Did Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled First of May—A rookie on the circus
peppers? Home Sweet Home—Last show of the
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled season
peppers,
Where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter
Piper picked?
••••••••••October 28
**** Knock, Knock!
She sells seashells by the seashore. Who’s There?
The shells she sells are surely seashells. Who.
So if she sells shells on the seashore, Who who?
I’m sure she sells seashore shells. Is there an owl in here?
Note: About an hour after an owl eats a
••••••••••October 25 little critter like a mouse, it throws up a
neat little pellet full of the critter’s bones,
You may need a calculator for this math
skull, teeth, and hair.
problem:
Divide 1 by 9 (1 ÷ 9). Now try 2 ÷ 9.
And then 3 ÷ 9, and so on and so on.
••••••••••October 29
• What subject do witches like?
••••••••••October 26 • Where do ghosts shop?
• Who did the ghost take to the dance?
Twist Your Tongue
• Why did Dracula go to the doctor?
Ned Nott was shot and Sam Shott was
not. friend; because of his coffin
So it is better to be Shott than Nott.
spelling; in boo-tiques; his ghoul
Some say Nott was not shot.

ANSWERS:
But Shott says he shot Nott.

Either the shot Shott shot at Nott was not ••••••••••October 30
shot,
• Vampire bats lick the blood from their
Or Nott was shot. victims; they don’t suck it.
If the shot Shott shot shot Nott, Nott was • This way! Bats always turn left when
shot. exiting a cave.
But if the shot Shott shot shot Shott, • Jack-o’-lanterns were originally carved
Then Shott was shot, not Nott. out of carrots, not pumpkins.
However, the shot Shott shot shot not • A vampire bat can lick half his weight
Shott, but Nott. in blood.
••••••••••October 31 ••••••••••November 4
Knock, Knock! Pig Latin is a really popular secret
Who’s there? language for creating mystery messages.
Catch. For every word, just add the first letter to
Catch who? the end of the word and add “ay” to it.
Gesundheit! And it sounds hilarious. For example:
ICKKAY EMAY!
••••••••••November 1
Homonyms
What are these words, which have the Match the animal with the name of its
same sound, but a different spelling? newborn:
Animal Newborn
naked—animal
dog cygnet
musical group—not allowed
elephant whelp
part of a window—ouch
seal calf
fracture—stop
swan puppy
pain; break—brake
bare—bear; band—banned; pane— whelp; swan—cygnet
ANSWERS: dog—puppy; elephant—calf; seal—
ANSWERS:
Blue, Very Blue
true blue—loyal and faithful Stongue Stwisters
• 6 silent snakes slithering slowly
feeling blue—feeling sad southward
out of the blue—something unexpected • The 6th sheik’s 6th sheep’s sick
from somewhere unexpected at an • 66 sickly chicks
unexpected time
bluenose—strict, puritanical person ••••••••••November 7
into the blue—into the unknown
Body part Slang
abdomen breadbasket
••••••••••November 3 eyes headlights
It’s a Dog’s Life feet dogs
hands mitts
Ever consider what dogs must think of nose beak
humans? I mean, here we come, back teeth choppers
from a grocery store, with the most
amazing haul—chicken, pork, half a cow.
They must think we’re the greatest
hunters on earth!
••••••••••November 8 ••••••••••November 10
1. Who wrote Star Wars? V.I.P. (Very Important Person) was
coined in World War II by a British officer
a. Steven Spielberg in charge of organizing flights for
b. George Lucas important military leaders. In order to
c. Harrison Ford conceal the names from enemy spies,
each of these were referred to as a
d. Ben Murphy “V.I.P.” in the flight plan.
2. How old was Yoda when he died?
a. 100 years old ••••••••••November 11
b. 200 years old What’s bogus about these rat facts?
c. 500 years old • Rats balance their diet by eating
healthy proportions of protein,
d. 900 years old carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and
3. What is the Emperor’s name? minerals.
a. Palpatine • Rats carried deadly fleas from Asia to
Europe. The black plague resulted, and
b. Calrissian
two-thirds of Europeans died.
c. Antiles • Pet rats crave physical contact with
d. Chewbacca their owner.
• Rats are especially active at dusk, but
like to sleep during the day without
3. a, Palpatine
2. d, 900 being disturbed.
1. a, George Lucas
thing bogus is the question!
ANSWERS: All the rat facts are legit. The only
ANSWER:
Cranberry and Cheerios Garland ••••••••••November 12
Using a sturdy needle and dental floss, Scrabble Stuff
string cranberries and plain (NOT
sweetened) Cheerios to make a garland. • The highest scoring four-letter word in
You should string the floss through the Scrabble is “JAZY” (a worsted wig). It’s
top and bottom of each berry (NOT the worth a whopping 23 points.
sides). Place the garland on a tree. • Mel Gibson, John Travolta, and Keanu
Reeves are all big Scrabble players.
••••••••••November 13
A French Tongue Twister:
Ces chaussures sont sous la chaise.
(Translation: These shoes are under the
chair.)
Knock, Knock! Below are twisted game names. The first
Who’s there? one is solved for you.
Who. 1. OG (GO)
Who who? 2. OGNIB
Is there an echo in here? 3. CITTIC-EAT-
4. REWTTSI
••••••••••November 15 5. OLPOYNOM
Rent-a-Rover! 5. MONOPOLY
In China, it is considered frivolous to own 4. TWISTER

a dog. But for about 25¢ an hour you can 3. TIC-TAC-TOE
walk and play with a rented one. 2. BINGO
ANSWERS:
••••••••••November 16
• The average brain accounts for only 2
percent of a person’s total body ••••••••••November 20
weight. Yet it requires 25 percent of all Famous Landmarks—Famous Locales
oxygen used by the body.
The Statue of Liberty—New York City
• A housefly has more than 4,000 lenses
in each eye. The Eiffel Tower—Paris, France
• You burn one to two calories per The Taj Mahal—Agra, India
minute watching TV. Westminster Abbey—London, England
The Acropolis—Athens, Greece
••••••••••November 17
If you have to choose between total lack ••••••••••November 21
of sleep or food for the next 10 days,
• The term “lucky break” comes from
go with the lack of food. You’ll die from
the ancient tradition of breaking the
total lack of sleep sooner (in about 10
wishbone. The person who gets the
days) than from starvation (a few
larger end of the bone also gets
weeks).
his/her wish.
• Abraham Lincoln proclaimed
••••••••••November 18 Thanksgiving a national holiday in
What kind of person is described below? 1863.
5 • Turkey is served in 90 percent of
good American homes on Thanksgiving.
22 47 That’s over 535 million pounds of
turkey!
129
56
12 9 987
Someone who is good with numbers
ANSWER:
Here are the origins of some common REMEMBER M.
words. Can you spot the made-up one? REMEMBER E.
Cereal: Comes from “Ceres,” the ancient PUT THEM TOGETHER,
goddess of agriculture. AND REMEMBER ME.
Barbie: Named after the daughter of the
folks who started the Mattel Company. ••••••••••November 26
Joker: Named for Jack “The Joker” Jacques Quirk!
Jones, a Las Vegas card dealer who was In France it’s illegal to give children
fired in 1950 for slipping an extra card names that are insulting or that would
into a high stakes poker game. invite teasing.
••••••••••November 27
became joker.
and mispronunciations, euchre
Chopstick Etiquette
Eventually, after many misspellings
extra card was also called “euchre.”
1860s—required an extra card. That • When eating long, slippery noodles, it’s
game of “euchre”—popular during the okay to put one end in your mouth
“Joker” is a joke origin. Actually, the and suck up the rest.
ANSWER:
• When you’ve finished with your meal,
place your chopsticks across your dish
or bowl.
••••••••••November 23 • It’s impolite to suck on your chopsticks.
In the noisy, crowded rush of a diner • And if you’re superstitious, they say
restaurant, you’re sure to hear diner it’s bad luck to stick your chopsticks
lingo. Here’s what it means: upright in your rice!
BLT—bacon, lettuce, and tomato
sandwich ••••••••••November 28
tuna down on wheels—tuna on toast to When the 1931 film Frankenstein was
go shown, what made the movie seem
stack—an order of pancakes scarier than it really was?
set-up—silverware and napkin
a. Theater ushers were paid to scream at
••••••••••November 24 certain points in the film.
Smart Advice b. During its first week, viewers had to

“There are two things to aim at in life: be 50 years of age or older.
first, get what you want; and after that, c. Theaters hired nurses to assist any
enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind frightened viewers.
achieve the second.”
c
ANSWER:
••••••••••November 29 ••••••••••December 2
Card Sharks Every December near Katmandu, a three-
Ace—a suit’s “A” card day polo contest is held in which
elephants—not horses—are ridden by the
Dead Man’s Hand—a pair of aces and a
players. The colorfully painted elephants
pair of 8s
seem to understand the game, following
Deuce—card with the number 2 on it the ball up and down the field, constantly
Face Cards—Jacks, Queens, and Kings moving into the best position for the
Pip—suit symbol player to swing his or her mallet, and
never picking up the ball with their trunks
Spot Cards—cards with a number (not as they could easily do. For several years
face cards) the games were played with a large
Wild Card—card that can be used as soccer ball, but the elephants took such
whatever number or suit you want it to delight in squashing the soccer balls that
be. the players went back to regulation
wooden polo balls.
••••••••••November 30
Mind Stumpers ••••••••••December 3
Can you make one word out of “Minds are like parachutes. They only
DRENOOW? function when they are open.”
— James Dewar
ONE WORD
ANSWER:
••••••••••December 4
Elevator Etiquette…Maybe!
••••••••••December 1 1. Face forward.
Tomorrow, on the 2nd day of the 12th 2. Hold hands in front.
month, try a 2 x 2 2-worded tongue 3. Do not make eye contact.
twister 2 times fast!
4. Watch the numbers.
• Greek grapes
• flash message 5. Don’t talk to anyone you don’t know.
• fast fishes 6. Stop talking with anyone you do know
when anyone you don’t know enters
the elevator.
••••••••••December 5 ••••••••••December 8
Words that end in “onym” are names for Phobias
a type of word. Here is a list of “onym” • Bathophobia—means a serious dislike
words and their meanings: of baths
• acronym—formed by combining the • Teratophobia—means an abnormal
first letters in an expression or phrase fear of monsters
(“Scuba” comes from self-contained • Cynophobia—means a major dislike
underwater breathing apparatus.) of dogs
• aptonym—a name that’s suited to the
person’s profession (Boom-Boom
Mancini, a professional boxer)
••••••••••December 9
• capitonym—takes on new meaning “Character is what you are in the dark.”
when capitalized (polish vs Polish) — D. L. Moody
• toponym—began as the name of a “The final forming of a person’s character
place (hamburger from Hamburg, lies in their own hands.”
Germany) — Anne Frank
“No one can make you feel inferior
••••••••••December 6 without your consent.”
— Eleanor Roosevelt
Here’s a great way to trick your body:
1. Stand up against a wall. ••••••••••December 10
2. Try to raise your arm against the wall. “I remember turning from one year old to
Basically, you try to lift your arm two years old. I was real upset, because I
through the wall. figured in one year my age doubled. If
3. Do this for several minutes. this keeps up, by the time I’m six, I’ll be
ninety.”
4. Step away from the wall.
—Steven Wright
5. Relax your arm down to your side.
Whoa! Your arm has a mind of its own! ••••••••••December 11
Match the dance with its decade:
••••••••••December 7 1. Disco a. 1990s
Ball Trivia 2. Break b. 1960s
3. Twist c. 1980s
• smallest—tip of ballpoint pen 4. Swing d. 1950s
• Wiffle—invented by two young brothers 5. Hip Hop e. 1970s
• billiard—Louis XI, King of France 6. Mambo f. 1940s
(1461-1483) had them
• bowling—from ancient game of
1—e; 2—c; 3—b; 4—f; 5—a; 6—d
Heidenwerfen, meaning “knock down

ANSWERS:
pagans”
• State University—David Letterman’s
alma mater
• Lucille—zany, redheaded actress
Interested in Magic? Confused about which foods it’s okay to eat
Kids 12 and over who have a serious with your fingers? If it’s on the following
interest in magic can get a junior list, you can pick it up and chow down:
membership in the International asparagus (but not with sauce), bacon,
Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM), the French fries, fried and barbecued chicken,
world’s largest magic organization. Write hamburgers and hot dogs (in a bun), pizza.
to: IBM Application, 11155 South Towne
Square, St. Louis, Missouri 63123. ••••••••••December 17
Membership dues are $40.00 for the first
Rice Krispie Treat Holiday
year; members receive a membership
Decorations
certificate, card, and pin; a one-year 5 cups Rice Krispies
subscription to The Linking Ring; and a ¼ cup butter or margarine
one-year subscription to Top Hat. 4 cups miniature marshmallows
10 to 12 regular size marshmallows
1 teaspoon green food coloring
••••••••••December 13 red cinnamon candies
400 years ago in Mexico, the Aztecs Melt margarine in a 3-quart saucepan,
played “Ollamalitzli,” a game that closely then add 4 cups marshmallows and cook
resembled basketball. over low heat, stirring until it gets syrupy.
Remove from the heat and add green
••••••••••December 14 food coloring. Stir in Rice Krispies and
mix thoroughly. Make sure that the
Author Anagrams mixture is not too hot to touch before you
A.A. Milne—Am alien mold it into a holiday shape. When your
Roald Dahl—A hard doll creation has completely cooled, stick a
toothpick through a marshmallow and
Beverly Cleary—Very racy belle
then onto the bottom as a base. Decorate
with the cinnamon candies.
••••••••••December 15
How and Why? ••••••••••December 18
• It takes 200,000 frowns to make a “How much deeper would the ocean be if
permanent wrinkle. sponges didn’t live there?”
• Baby blue whales gain ten pounds — Steven Wright
every hour. What is full of holes but is great for
• Pigs and humans are the only holding liquid?
mammals that get sunburned. Weird note: If a living sponge is
• To say one word, you use over 70 squeezed through a fine mesh, each piece
muscles. will regenerate into an individual living
sponge.
a sponge
ANSWER:
Alliterations (words that start with the Sports Superstitions
same sound): Golf—Carry coins in your pockets.
Hundreds of hectic hummingbirds hum Tennis—Don’t wear yellow clothes.
hilariously as they hungrily hover and
Bowling—Don’t change your clothes
hide in henna highlighted hibiscus.
during a hot streak.
Basketball—Be the last player to shoot
••••••••••December 20 during warm-up.
1. What did the snail say when it hitched
a ride on the turtle’s back? ••••••••••December 24
2. Why did the turtle cross the road? Who’s Missing?
2. To get to the shell station 1. Blitzen
2. Comet
3. Cupid
1. Weeeeeeeeeeee!
4. Dancer
ANSWERS:
5. Dasher
6. Donner
••••••••••December 21 7. Prancer
Solve the Word Puzzle below. The letters 8. Vixen
and words are arranged to give you clues 9. ___________
to find the answer. For example: Rudolph (These are Santa’s reindeer.)
cheditorief stands for the phrase “editor ANSWER:
in chief.”
ABCDEFGHIJKMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
Hint: “We wish you a merry Christmas…” ••••••••••December 25
Noel (no “L”) Why do people “cry” when they peel
ANSWER: onions?
The eyes are very sensitive to the onion’s
volatile oils, which easily escape whenever
••••••••••December 22 an onion is sliced. When the oil in the air
hits your eyes, your body snaps into a
Right? defensive position, producing tears to
Chicago is called the “Windy City” expel the irritant. Wearing a scuba diving
because of the strong winds blowing in mask would help a lot!
from Lake Michigan.
Wrong!
Chicago is not even among the country’s
top 20 windy cities. Chicago picked up
the nickname because so many of its big-
mouthed politicians are considered to be
full of “hot air.”
Match the “jack” with who or what it is: What am I?
Jack I come more softly than a bird,
1. Jack and Jill And lovely as a flower;
2. Jackstraw I sometimes last from year to year,
3. Jack Benny And sometimes but an hour.
I stop the swiftest railroad train,
4. Jack-o’-lantern
Or break the stoutest tree.
5. Jack Nicholson
And yet I am afraid of fire,
6. Jack-in-the-pulpit
And children play with me.
Who or What
snow
a. Radio and TV funny guy born this day
in 1894
ANSWER:
b. Thirsty, clumsy, and very sore

c. Game similar to pick-up sticks ••••••••••December 29
d. Pumpkin head TERMI KASIH!
e. Flower Termi kasih is Indonesian for “thank you.”
It’s pronounced t’ree-ma kas-seh.
f. Actor
1—b; 2—c; 3—a; 4—d; 5—f; 6—e ••••••••••December 30
Complete the following, stick it in a soda
ANSWERS:
bottle with a screw-on top, grab a shovel,

and bury the bottle as a time capsule.
••••••••••December 27 (You can put in photos, front pages of
Breakdown of M&M Plain Chocolate newspapers, and other items too.)
Candy colors per bag: My name is:
• Brown 30% I buried this on (date):
• Yellow 20% I was born (year):
• Red 20% My favorite book is:
• Tan 10%
My favorite movie is:
• Blue 10%
My favorite TV show is:
• Green 10%
Brown was the original color of M&M’s
Peanut Chocolate Candies. Yellow, ••••••••••December 31
orange, and green were added later. Share your New Years Resolution with
Tan replaced violet in 1950. The little m’s someone you love.
were originally printed in black, but were
changed to white in 1954.
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What’s “Dad” spelled backward? How (25) $167,772.16 (10) $5.12

Why do they call computer goofs

••••••••••January 20 for I ate nothing.”

Match the Actor with the Movie

Your eyeballs are 3.5% salt.

2. Who was the voice of the genie in ANSWER:

state of great excitement. I looked up

from my work and asked her what was

the trouble. ‘He’s up there—sitting on the

1. A doctor and an actor were in love

with the same girl. On Valentine’s Day

1. Where was President Franklin

2. downpour 2. Jimmy Carter (1977–1981)

1. partly cloudy 1. He was in the shower.

••••••••••February 20 When they’re going cheap!

By age 10 the average North American

kid uses up 730 crayons. Birds of prey

created by your arms and chest. You

fingers. (Remember—don’t touch!)

festival, celebrated in early March. Folks

celebrate by covering themselves and

6 silly sisters sell silk to 6 sickly seniors.

Slim Sam shaved 6 slippery chins in 6 4. Jump dime D with penny B.

• If both of the horse’s front legs are in

••••••••••April 2 1. Put the bottom sheet on the bed and

1. What does Charlie Brown’s dad do for

h. just the right amount of glue ANSWER:

If you’re an average sort of person, how

around the floor.

••••••••••May 13 b. Bram Stoker, a 52-year-old Irishman

And, as their first row of teeth wears out,

teeth from the other rows move forward

• Stratovolcano—Fuji in Japan; Mount ANSWER:

St. Helens in Washington state

3. “I’m stuck on you.”

shared plates and drinking vessels.

although her birthday is in July, and

grow up to marry her father?

2. How can you cut a wheel of cheese

“When I was growing up I always wanted

Place the fancy word in the correct

wounded by fireworks was up to

shadow, making it easier to spot.

1—a; 2—c; 3—b; 4—d

Asia, Europe, and Oceania.

c. Little bits of gold

Solve the Word Puzzle below. The letters

••••••••••August 8 forecasts (four casts)

a. I enjoy a ___________ muffin for

• Koalas aren’t bears. They aren’t even

Teddy bear 1934 ANSWERS:

Myth: Pandas are bears.

••••••••••September 30 To escape from the grip of its jaws.

eat crow—admit to being wrong

• What can a kid put in his or her right