National Geographic Kids - 2021.04

You might also like

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 36

NATGEOKIDS.

COM • APRIL 2021

EARTH
DAY
GAMESand
TIPS

SPECIAL

TRICKSTER re!
ISSUE
, and mo
nks, cake fakes
Animal pra

BIRD CAT
SNEAKY FULL OF GOES
PLANTS SURPRISES UNDERCOVER
ADVERTISEMENT

GET
GET GET
This book is packed with useful tips and solutions to
everyday problems, from curing hiccups or stage fright
to the best ways to eat a cupcake, study, or fall asleep.
Check out these handy hacks and create some of your own.

This Earth Day, be part


of the pollution solution.
Learn the science of
plastic and get the facts
and stats about plastic
waste. Then discover
the many ways you can
take action!

Pizza! Golf! Bubble wrap!


Piggy banks! Ever wonder
how common things
came to be? Find out in
this riveting little book.
It might inspire you to
invent something!

AVAILABLE WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD


Discover more at natgeokids.com © 2021 National Geographic Partners, LLC
Editor in Chief and Vice President,
IN THIS ISSUE
Kids Magazines & Digital
Rachel Buchholz
Design Director, Magazines Eileen O’Tousa-Crowson 12 Wild
Editorial Kay Boatner, Senior Editor / Digital Producer;
Allyson Shaw, Editor / Digital Producer Animal
Pranksters
Photo Shannon Hibberd, Senior Photo Editor
Production Sean Philpotts, Director
Digital Laura Goertzel, Director
See how 7 sneaky species
PUBLISHED BY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PARTNERS, LLC play tricks to survive.
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Jean Case
Chairman, National Geographic Partners
Gary E. Knell
Editorial Director
Susan Goldberg
Managing Editor, Magazines
David Brindley
DEPARTMENTS
Advertising Offices John Campbell, Senior Vice President,
Partnerships, john.campbell@natgeo.com
18 Cake Fakes
Detroit Karen Sarris, karen.sarris@natgeo.com
Find out how bakers 4 Weird
Los Angeles Eric Josten, eric.josten@natgeo.com cook up these desserts But True!
New York Hilary Halstead, hilary.halstead@natgeo.com in disguise. 5 Naughty Pets
International Magazine Publishing Yulia Petrossian Boyle,
Senior Vice President; Jennifer Jones, Director; 6 Guinness
Leanna Lakeram, Editorial and Marketing Coordinator World Records
Finance Jeannette Swain, Senior Budget Manager;
Tammi Colleary-Loach, Senior Manager, Rights Clearance;
7 Bet You
Joey Wolfkill, Senior Business Specialist 20 Fooled Ya! Didn’t Know!
Consumer Marketing John MacKethan, Vice President and Discover five ways ostriches 8 Brain Candy
General Manager; Mark Viola, Circulation Planning Director;
Janet H. Zavrel, Manager, Circulation Planning aren’t your basic bird. 10 Amazing Animals
Consumer Insights and Analytics
Jessica Bates, Senior Director
Advertising Production Kristin Semeniuk, Director;
Julie A. Ibinson, Manager
Publicity Anna Kukelhaus, anna.kukelhaus@natgeo.com; SPECIAL
24 This Car Is EARTH DAY
Caitlin Holbrook, caitlin.holbrook@natgeo.com;
Chandler Hueth, chandler.hueth@natgeo.com
Parents, contact us online: kids@natgeo.com Confidential FUN
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS (ISSN 1542-3042) is published ten times a year
But we’ve got some secrets STUFF!
by National Geographic Partners, LLC, Washington, DC 20036. For more about the president’s ride. PAGE 28
information contact natgeo.com/info.
Periodical postage paid at Washington, DC, and additional mailing offices.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS, P.O.
Box 37545, Boone, IA 50037. Subscriptions: United States, $30.00; to
Canada, $37.00; elsewhere, $48.00; all in U.S. funds. Single copy: United COVER: KLEIN & HUBERT / NATURE PICTURE
States, $5.00; to Canada, $10.00; elsewhere, $15.00; all in U.S. funds. In
Canada, Agreement number 1000010298, return undeliverable Canadian 26 Sneaky Plants LIBRARY (MEERKAT); ALEJANDRO MESA
(VENUS FLYTRAP ILLUSTRATION); JURGEN
AND CHRISTINE SOHNS / FLPA / MINDEN
addresses to NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS, P.O. Box 819 STN Main, Markham,
Ontario L3P 9Z9.
You won’t believe how PICTURES (OSTRICH); LISA SHAFFER (CAT).
PAGE 3: SANDYMOSSPHOTOGRAPHY /
The submission of photographs and other material to NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC sly these shrubs can be. GETTY IMAGES (OWL); SERDAR YENER OF
YENERS WAY, ONLINE CAKE TUTORIALS
KIDS is done at the risk of the sender; NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS cannot (TIGER); KLEIN & HUBERT / NATURE PICTURE
accept liability for loss or damage. LIBRARY (OSTRICH); SPECULATOR27 /
DREAMSTIME (CAR); ALEJANDRO MESA
(VENUS FLYTRAP ILLUSTRATION)
SUBSCRIBE TO NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS!
CALL TOLL FREE 1–800–647–5463
MON.–FRI., 8 A.M.–9 P.M. EST, SAT., 9 A.M.–7 P.M. EST
For a subscription to NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS, send written requests—
including name, address, zip code, and payment in U.S. funds or equivalent—to
JUST FOR PARENTS E X P L O R AT I O N H A P P E N S
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS, P.O. BOX 37545, BOONE, IA 50037 because of you.
For gift subscriptions, send giver’s name and address as well as recipient’s.
For corrections and clarifications,
go online. natgeo.com/corrections When you read with us, you help further
Copyright © 2021 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the the work of our scientists, explorers, and
whole or any part of the contents of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS without written permission
is prohibited. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS and Yellow Border: Registered Trademarks ® Marcas educators around the world.
Registradas. Printed in the U.S.A. ISSUE 509
Follow us on Twitter @NGKids
PRINTED ON 100% PEFC-CERTIFIED PAPER—PEFC/29-31-58—
and like us on Facebook. Parents, to learn more, visit natgeo.com/info

Please recycle.
Check out these CHECK OUT
THE BOOK!

outrageous facts.
BY MICHELLE HARRIS AND JULIE BEER

RIPE BANANAS
APPEAR BLUE
Play-Doh
UNDER A BLACK LIGHT. was originally used as
wallpaper
cleaner.
Dairy cows may produce
more milk while listening to

classical eople say


In Bulgaria, p ad of “cheese”
music. ste
“cabbage” in oto is taken.
when their p
h
It takes about
100,000 YEARS
for light to
travel from the

PLASTICROBOT / DREAMSTIME (BANANA); TAELOVE7 / SHUTTERSTOCK (CAMERA); FLYNT / DREAMSTIME (PLAY-DOH); GK HART / VIKKI HART / PHOTODISC /
GETTY IMAGES (COW), RICHARD THOMAS / DREAMSTIME (HEADPHONES), IMAGE DIGITALLY COMPOSED; R. GINO SANTA MARIA / DREAMSTIME (HAND);
sun’s core to
its surface.

DAVID KJAER / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (WASP); FLPA / DAVID HOSKING / AGE FOTOSTOCK (PALMS); TYLER OLSON / SHUTTERSTOCK (LIMO)
SAND WASP

Some wasps use


Your hands and wrists pebbles as
contain 26 percent hammers
of the bones in to pound dirt
your body. into their nests.

The leaves

2 stretch limos.
of the raffia palm
can grow as long as

4 NAT GEO KIDS • APRIL 2021


Naughty C’MON,
LEMME IN. I

PETS
DIDN’T ROLL
IN THE GRASS
THAT LONG.
THE TUNA I
ADDED TO
THIS TEA
MAKES IT
VERY TASTY.
NAME Ed
FAVORITE ACTIVITY
Dyeing his fur green
with grass stains
FAVORITE TOY
Food coloring
PET PEEVE
Brown winter grass

NAME Bella
FAVORITE ACTIVITY
Fishing at teatime
FAVORITE TOY
Squiggly rubber
worm bait
REMOTE
IT’S SO PET PEEVE Coffee LEARNING
FUNNY WHEN ISN’T JUST
THEY THINK I’M FOR KIDS.
LOST IN THE
COUCH.
RADIUS IMAGES / ALAMY (BELLA); ALEXA MILLER / WORKBOOK STOCK / GETTY IMAGES (ED);
JUNIORS BILDARCHIV GMBH / ALAMY (CULLEN); ARNAUD MARTINEZ / ALAMY (ITO)

NAME Cullen
FAVORITE ACTIVITY NAME Ito
Playing hide-and-seek
without his people FAVORITE ACTIVITY
knowing it Changing the
virtual background
FAVORITE TOY
Toilet paper tube to FAVORITE TOY
nibble on Mouse
PET PEEVE PET PEEVE
Locked cage Low battery power

APRIL 2021 • NAT GEO KIDS 5


GUINNESS
WORLD
RECORDS
TOWER
OF GLASS
Talk about keeping
your chin up. Ashrita
Furman can balance
81 glass mugs on his
chin—the most ever.
After stacking all the
mugs and then placing
them on his chin
(with the help of an
assistant), Furman
held the glass tower
for 12.1 seconds. He
broke hundreds
of mugs during
practice sessions
and always kept
an eye out for a
swaying tower.
Because if it
swayed too
much, there
was only one CAT SPROUTS HUMONGOUS WHISKER
thing to do: Being the cat with the world’s longest whisker is amazing enough. But what’s
Run! even more amazing is that Missi’s whisker is longer than a dollar bill, reaching
a record 7.5 inches long. That’s a full inch longer than the previous record.
Missi really did beat the competition by a whisker!
thInk I
can fIt a
fork In

BALANCING
here?

ACT
Dalibor Jablanovic is
a human spoon rest.
Jablanovic, from the
European country
of Serbia, set a record
by simultaneously
balancing 31 stainless
steel spoons on
his face. Maybe he
celebrated with 31
bowls of ice cream.

6 NAT GEO KIDS • APRIL 2021


GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS (MISSI); DREW GARDNER / GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS (FURMAN); DALIBOR
JABLANOVIC (JABLANOVIC). INFORMATION PROVIDED BY © 2021 GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS LIMITED.
7 cute facts
about babies
2 A baby
BY PAIGE TOWLER

alpaca is
called a
1 According to cria.
a study, puppies
react more positively
when humans use
“baby talk.”

3 Babies of
mammals that have
large brains—like
humans—take the 4
longest Tyrannosaurus
rex babies might
to learn to walk.
have been 7
covered in Sandgrouse
fuzz. chicks drink
water from
5 Scientists their dad’s feathers
think that 6 Silvery lutung after he soaks
wild parrots monkeys are born in puddles.
might name with bright-
their babies, orange fur that
just like humans do. changes
to dark gray as
PHONLAMAIPHOTO / ISTOCK
they age.
NAT GEO KIDS 7
BY JULIE BEER AND CHELSEA LIN

Where’s
the
KIBBLE? Your
grocery store
is all
mixed
up. St
rasp
ra
b
w
e
b
rr
e
ie
rr ies,
s, and
ies
blackberr
EN ’T REALLY
AR
BERRIES.

8 NAT GEO KIDS • APRIL 2021


CHECK
OUT
THE
BOOK!

Tomatoes,
bell peppers, avocado
s,
But bana green peas, and
nas, egg
chili pep plants, okra are all
oranges pers, and
ARE BE FRUITS,
RRIES. not vegetables.

s,
Peanuts, almond

EWA STUDIO / SHUTTERSTOCK (CAT); MAKS NARODENKO / SHUTTERSTOCK (BANANAS); DIONISVERA / SHUTTER-
ews
pecans, and cash

STOCK (PEAS); ALEKSEY PATSYUK / SHUTTERSTOCK (STRAWBERRIES); MAYAKOVA / SHUTTERSTOCK (ALMONDS)


ts;
aren’t actually nu
they’re SEEDS.

APRIL 2021 • NAT GEO KIDS 9


Costumed Kitty
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
Horatio the cat has dressed up as Dorothy events or authors’ birthdays. Each costume
from the Wizard of Oz, Arthur the aardvark, takes about two hours for her to make, and OK,
and even Ron Weasley from the Harry Potter Shaffer asks a pal to call the kitty’s name while BUT YOU
series. Why? The 12-year-old kitty belongs she snaps pics. “He sees me take the camera KNOW I’D
to a librarian, and his costumes show off out and is like, ‘Oh, a photo shoot? I’m ready,’” NEVER HAVE
the books available to borrow at the Centre Shaffer says. A RAT FOR
County Library and Historical Museum. The fashionable feline has donned hundreds A PET.
Horatio’s owner, Lisa Shaffer, chooses of costumes so far. Says Shaffer: “He has more
the characters based on library outfits than me.” —Elizabeth Hilfrank
This cat likes
wearing costumes,
but your pet may not.
Never force your pet
to do something it
doesn’t want to do.

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT:


HORATIO DRESSED AS
CAPTAIN AMERICA,
RON WEASLEY, AND
ALBERT EINSTEIN.

10 NAT GEO KIDS • APRIL 2021


LISA SHAFFER (HORATIO, ALL); © REFUGE FOR WILDLIFE / INTERNATIONAL ANIMAL RESCUE (TAMANDUA
ON POWER LINE, BOTH); MICHAEL AND PATRICIA FOGDEN / MINDEN PICTURES (TAMANDUA IN TREE)
TIGHTROPE TUI T. SUTHERLAND’S
WALKER? I’M
A TIGHTROPE
SLEEPER. THE YOUNG ANTEATER
NAPPED ON THE POWER
LINE FOR AT LEAST 30
MINUTES BEFORE
HELP ARRIVED.
G
SNOOZIN

RISKING
HOW AN
ANTEATER IS
SUPPOSED TO
CROSS OVER
THE LAND
EVERYTHING
IS THE ONLY
WAY TO
REMAIN SAFE.

Superhigh Snooze
Playa Guiones, Costa Rica
Talk about a high-wire act: This anteater took a nap on a 25-foot-high power line.
Wild animals from nearby habitats sometimes use the power lines to cross over
developed areas. A conservation group called Refuge for Wildlife had placed rubber
covers on that section of the line, protecting wildlife from being electrocuted. But
rescuers worried that the young northern tamandua (a type of anteater) might walk
along the line to an unprotected section. “She was OK in that spot but not out of
danger,” wildlife rescuer Brenda Bombard says.
Refuge for Wildlife rescuers and the local power company used long poles to gently
wake up the tamandua, and they nudged her to grab onto the pole. Then they lowered
her down and put her into a transportation kennel.
After a quick checkup, the rescuers released the tamandua into a forested area with
plenty of tasty ants and termites. Hopefully next time she’ll find a safer spot to catch
some z’s. —Susan B.B. Schabacker

CAT START FROM THE


Bellefonte,
Pennsylvania
BEGINNING

ANTEATER
Playa Guiones,
Costa Rica

WATCH THE TRAILER


SCHOLASTIC.COM/WINGSOFFIRE

APRIL 2021 • NAT GEO KIDS 11 SCHOLASTIC TM/® Scholastic Inc.


Wild Animal

p Knock,
Knock.
ran sters
k How 7 sneaky species play tricks to survive
BY JASON BITTEL
Think pranks are just for kids? You’re in for a surprise! Wild
animals use tricks to swipe snacks, hide from predators, and
even steal from their friends. Read on to discover how these
seven critters are masters of mischief—no joke! WAIT—
Who’s
There?

1 PRANK CALLER
Most of the time, meerkats in the Kalahari Desert of southern Africa are glad to have a bird
called the fork-tailed drongo nearby. While the meerkats dig for insects, they rely on the
drongo to let out a screeching alarm call if a hawk, owl, or other predator approaches—then
they’ll scamper back to the safety of their burrows. But this security system has a price.
“Sometimes when a meerkat finds a tasty treat, the drongo gives a false alarm,” behavioral
ecologist Mandy Ridley says. The meerkats drop their goodies and run as the drongo dives
down to steal an easy meal.
But if the drongo performs the trick too often, the meerkats realize they’ve been fooled
and stop fleeing. So this prankster has to come up with another plan: It mimics alarm calls
from dozens of other species until the meerkats are tricked once again.
FORK-TAILED DRONGO

We aren’t
fallIng for
that agaIn.

YeaH,
rIght.

12 NAT GEO KIDS • APRIL 2021


THIS SPONGE
CRAB IS USING A
SEA SQUIRT AS A
Maybe I’ll PROTECTIVE HAT.
try out for
The Masked
SInger.
SEA SQUIRT
“HAT”!

CRAB-ULOUS
3 COSTUME
The ocean is full of sharp
teeth and hungry mouths,
so how can a little crab avoid
being eaten? For sponge
crabs, the answer is to make
a helmet. These crabs cut off

NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (ORANGUTAN); FRED BAVENDAM / MINDEN PICTURES (CRAB); KARINE AIGNER / NATIONAL
GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION (OPOSSUM IN TREE); JOE MCDONALD / GETTY IMAGES (OPOSSUM PLAYING DEAD)
pieces of sponges or other

SCARI DIEGO / ADOBE STOCK (MEERKATS); GABRIEL ROJO / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (DRONGO); FIONA ROGERS /
materials, dig a hole in one
side to fit their backs, and
then wear them like hats. The
fashionable defense keeps the
crabs safe because the toppers
2 VOICE-OVER
Although orangutans are the largest tree-living mammals,
seem unappetizing.
Another type of crab, called
they still might become dinner for a clouded leopard. So the decorator crab, camou-
some Bornean orangutans use a trick to fool potential flages itself by playing a game
predators. When an animal sniffs up an orangutan’s tree, of dress-up. “If you look up
the ape will sometimes put a hand or leaf up to its mouth close at their shells, you can
and let out a special distress call. “This lowers the sound of see these hooked hairs all over
their voice, making them sound bigger than they actually their bodies,” marine ecologist
are,” biologist Adriano Lameira says. Jay Stachowicz says. The crabs
The forest canopy is thick with branches and leaves, use those built-in hooks to
so predators usually can’t see the entire orangutan—or attach things like slimy seaweed,
how big it is. “With this sly and smart trick,” Lameira says, green algae, and stinging
“orangutans deceive a potential predator from even anemones to their shells.
thinking about attacking them.” “These crabs basically invented
Velcro way before people did,”
NOT REALLY DEAD! Stachowicz says.

4 DEATH FAKER
Opossums could win an
award for their acting I’ll
accept
abilities. When a coyote, my oscar
mountain lion, or other now.
predator approaches, this
marsupial puts on a perfor-
mance to save its own life: The
opossum’s body goes limp, its
drool-covered tongue hangs out of
its mouth, and it may leak a stinky,
green goop out of its rump. Even if
the predator bites or paws at the
opossum, it stays totally still. (It’s
how we got the saying “playing
possum.”)
“This is one last attempt to sur-
vive a predator’s attack,” behavioral
ecologist Ted Stankowich says. These
scene stealers convince the carni-
vore to stop the fight. If it works,
the predator will slow down; when it
looks away, the opossum can come
back to life and make an escape.
Your house
Isn’t covered
In dung?

POOP

5 POOP BAIT
Burrowing owls are oddballs: Unlike other owls, they’re
active during the day, and they live in holes in the ground
instead of nests in the trees. But the weirdest part? Rather
than flying off to hunt, they sometimes trick their food into
coming to them … using poop.
These owls collect pieces of dung from cows, horses,
antelope, and even cats and dogs. Then they arrange the
patties and pieces around the entrance to their burrows
like little welcome mats. But these aren’t for decoration,
says National Science Foundation scientist Douglas Levey.
The clever birds use the poo to attract dung beetles, a
favorite snack, right to the owls’ doorstep. “It’s easy to
think that owls standing quietly at their burrow entrance
aren’t doing anything,” Levey says. “But they’re waiting for
prey to arrive.”

Once Upon a Time …


For thousands of years, people around the world have told stories about characters that loved to play jokes and couldn’t follow the
rules. Often the trickster fooled the gods, sometimes to help mortals. Meet a few of these mythical tricksters.

ANANSI COYOTE BRER RABBIT RAVEN


This spider god from West Coyote is a trickster spirit found African people enslaved in Native American people
Africa and the Carribbean in many Native American America created stories of living around the North-
is said to have tricked the myths. This character is said Brer (or Brother) Rabbit, a west coast told the story of
sky god into sending rain to to have given humans the clever trickster-hero. The Raven, who created the land,
Earth so people could cool gift of fire and warned them stories often taught moral brought people fire, and was
off from the hot sun. of a huge flood. lessons to children. always on a quest for food.

14 NAT GEO KIDS • APRIL 2021 SANDYMOSSPHOTOGRAPHY / GETTY IMAGES (OWL); RON WOLFF (OWL WITH DUNG); JOEL SARTORE / NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE
COLLECTION (BATS); JURGEN AND CHRISTINE SOHNS / FLPA / MINDEN PICTURES (SQUIRREL); MAXFOCUS / GETTY IMAGES (SNAKE SKIN)
6 BUG BLOOPER
Stare up into the sky at dusk, and you might see bats
zooming through the air, chasing after tasty bugs. Each
bat uses a sonar-like system called echolocation to
snatch its prey: The bat produces pulses of sound from
its nose and mouth, then listens for the echo to detect Bat-cha
can’t
the insect’s location. But what if two bats want the catch
same bug? the fIrst
Biologist Aaron Corcoran discovered that when two bug!
Mexican free-tailed bats go after the same insect, the
bat that’s farther away will send another type of call to
the first bat. This noise overlaps with the feeding echo-
location, creating a mess of sounds that causes the first
bat to miss.(It’s like if you were trying to listen to a
MEXICAN FREE-
song, and your friend blasted another tune—it’d make TAILED BATS FLY
it hard for you to focus!) “This was the first time anyone OUT OF A CAVE
IN TEXAS.
had observed bats actively jamming one another’s sig-
nal,” Corcoran says. In this battle for bugs, the sneaky
bat gets the snack!

SNAKE SKIN
7 INVISIBILITY CLOAK
While studying behavior between rattlesnakes and ground
Snake squirrels in California, biologist Barbara Clucas noticed some-
Goo Is
actually thing strange. She knew that snakes shed their top layer of skin
sort of when they outgrow it. But she was surprised by what the
tasty. ground squirrels did next: When a squirrel found the old skin,
sometimes the rodent would chew it up, then smear the gross
goo all over its fur. “It was so bizarre that I just had to figure
out why the squirrels were doing it,” Clucas says.
After performing experiments in the lab, Clucas learned that
the snakes couldn’t sniff out the difference between another
rattler and a squirrel coated in snake-skin perfume. “The squir-
rels were using the snake scent to hide from rattlesnakes,”
Clucas says. “By smelling less like a squirrel, mother squirrels
and their pups could be safer in their burrows.” It’s sort of like
a stinky cloak of invisibility.
Watch optical illusion videos to find out how
your brain plays tricks on you!
natgeokids.com/april

MBE REYNARD KAGGEN SUN WUKONG


The Igbo people of West Africa Stories about Reynard the fox This spirit comes from the This trickster monkey first
told stories about Mbe the were popular in Europe about San people of southern Africa appeared in writing in a 1592
tortoise. (Say mm-bay.) He a thousand years ago. In one and often appears in the Chinese novel. Born from
attended a feast in the sky but story, Reynard is summoned shape of a praying mantis. a magical rock, he was on a
then ate too much. So the birds to King Lion’s court for his In one tale, Kaggen tricks quest to earn immortality
dropped him back to Earth— crimes, but he lies his way out a fellow spirit, Ostrich, into and a place among the
giving his shell the checkered of every charge. sharing fire with people. other gods.
pattern.

VTAURUS / SHUTTERSTOCK (SPIDER); OORKA / SHUTTERSTOCK (COYOTE); CAMMEP / SHUTTERSTOCK (RABBIT); TANTRIK71 / SHUTTERSTOCK (RAVEN); YIK2007 /
SHUTTERSTOCK (TORTOISE); CREATIVEBUCKET / SHUTTERSTOCK (FOX); RATOCA / SHUTTERSTOCK (MANTIS); CREATIVEBUCKET / SHUTTERSTOCK (MONKEY)
APRIL 2021 • NAT GEO KIDS 15
PLAY!
E
Find the Tricky Animals
Animals often blend in with their environments to mask their
identities. Some critters are hiding from predators, while others
are sneaking up on prey. Find each animal listed below in one of
the pictures. Write the letter of the correct photo next to each
animal’s name. F
1. herring gull chicks ___ 10. crab spider ___
2. pika ___ 11. green tree frog ___
3. ghost crab ___ 12. leaf insect ___
4. agile frog ___ 13. geometer moth ___
5. white-tailed deer ___ 14. arctic hare ___
6. Asian vine snake ___ 15. western screech owl ___
7. flatfishes ___ 16. red-shouldered macaws ___
8. hoary marmot ___ 17. sac-winged bats ___
9. day octopus ___ ANSWERS ON PAGE 31
GETTY IMAGES (G); JEREMY WOODHOUSE / GETTY IMAGES (H); PLACEBO365 / GETTY IMAGES (I); SCOTT MCCUSKER / 500PX / GETTY IMAGES (J); DAVID
JEFF R CLOW / GETTY IMAGES (A); VISUALCOMMUNICATIONS / GETTY IMAGES (B); MARK NEWMAN / GETTY IMAGES (C): VICKI JAURON, BABYLON AND

LAURENT / EYEEM / GETTY IMAGES (K); BREAKINGTHEWALLS / GETTY IMAGES (L); CHICO SANCHEZ / GETTY IMAGES (M); SOMNUK KROBKUM / GETTY

A G
BEYOND PHOTOGRAPHY / GETTY IMAGES (D); MATTEO COLOMBO / GETTY IMAGES (E); SAVA IVANOV / GETTY IMAGES (F); SHAWN WHITE / EYEEM /

IMAGES (N); COLLEEN GARA / GETTY IMAGES (O); JOSE A. BERNAT BACETE / GETTY IMAGES (P); OLIVER MARX / EYEEM / GETTY IMAGES (Q)

B C

16
J K L

O P

TAKE THE QUIZ:


WHAT TYPE OF TRICKSTER ARE YOU?
natgeokids.com/april

APRIL 2021 • NAT GEO KIDS 17


TOILET PAPER …
YUM?
Baker Kate Pritchett knew her
toilet-paper-roll cake looked
like the real deal when her
husband found it in the fridge
and tried to take it out. “He
thought it was actual toilet
paper and didn’t know why it
How bakers cook up these desserts in disguise was in the refrigerator!” she
says. The fake TP is actually a
BY KITSON JAZYNKA three-layer chocolate cake
According to cake artists, the best thing about baking fancy cakes isn’t eat- topped with marshmallow-
ing them—it’s delivering their awesome creations to customers. “In the 50 flavored icing. Pritchett used
years I’ve been doing this, the thing I most look forward to is someone’s several tools to scratch pat-
reaction when I present them with their cake,” cake decorator Serdar Yener terns on the icing to give it a
says. Cake artists like Yener use some cool tricks to inspire these reactions toilet-paper-like appearance.
from customers—and to make their baked goods look extra-realistic. A few
of these artists spill their secrets here.

SWEET TOOTH,
ER, TEETH
Makeup artist Molly Robbins
decided to try painting cakes
instead of people’s faces
after making desserts that
resembled her customers’
pets. She eventually moved
on to crafting complicated
wild animals, such as sloths,
giraffes, and, yup, sharks.
To give this predator its
sharp-looking teeth, THE PERFECT PIZZA
Robbins sculpted cubes
Bite into this greasy-looking slice
of sugar into some 30
of pepperoni pizza and you’ll get
individual shark
a sugary surprise: chocolate cake,
teeth—only a 10th as
vanilla buttercream, and pieces of
many as the 300 a real
chocolate painted to look like pep-
great white shark
peroni. Baker Ben Cullen drizzled a
would have.
sugary glaze over the “cheese” to
make it look oily, plus he curled up
the edges of the chocolate pepper-
onis with a tweezer for a just-out-
of-the-oven appearance. To get the
crust color right, he experimented
with yellow, red, and brown food dyes
for a slightly burnt look.

18 NAT GEO KIDS


ONE SCOOP OF
CAKE, PLEASE
This sundae actually is as sweet
as it looks! But the entire treat is
made of mostly cake, and not, well,
ice cream. Decorator BethAnn
Goldberg uses a special icing called
fondant that’s easy to mold and
creates a smooth surface. The
cherry on top? A hunk of fondant.
The bowl and spoon? Also fondant.
“Working with fondant is sort of
like playing with edible Play-Doh,”
Goldberg says. She did include some
cake in the dish: The “scoops” of
ice cream are cake—they’re fla-
vored to taste like the ice cream
they represent.
TIGER-LICIOUS
This 10-pound tiger cake gets its real-life look from colored airbrushing:
orange-and-white fur that was airbrushed on, then finished with air-
brushed black stripes. Its eyeballs are actually white-sugar spheres that
have been painted to look like a real tiger’s eyes. To keep the heavy cake
head from falling off, Yener stuck chopsticks on both sides of the tiger’s
neck to hold the head in place.

SNEAKY SNEAKERS
Like new-but-ripped jeans, Goldberg
scuffed up these kicks on purpose. “That’s
what makes it look like it’s really a shoe,”

(SHARK); THE_BAKEKING / COVER IMAGES / NEWSCOM (PIZZA); SERDAR YENER OF YENERS


she says. Goldberg started with a block of

GOSS IMAGES / ALAMY (PINK ICING); KATE PRITCHETT (TOILET PAPER); MOLLY ROBBINS
EAT THE BEAT vanilla sponge cake that she carved into a

WAY, ONLINE CAKE TUTORIALS (TIGER, GUITAR); STUDIO CAKE (ICE CREAM, SHOE)
You can strum this guitar cake— sneaker shape. Then she molded fondant
but you’d have to lick your fingers over the sneaker structure. Finally, she
afterward. Except for the flexible brushed powdered edible paint over
cords used to mimic real guitar the fondant to look like
strings, this 2.8-foot-long instru- fabric and added gray
ment is completely edible. Plus, scuff marks with a
the whole thing is coated in a tiny paintbrush.
sweet glaze to make it shine. To
make the neck, Yener used a sugar
paste that dries superhard; the
body of the guitar is made of
sponge cake that Yener covered
with colored fondant. “The
hardest part of making any
cake is always delivering it,”
he says. “You’re like an air-
line pilot who has to land
very carefully.” GET MORE FUN FOOD FACTS!
natgeokids.com/april
Fooled
Ya!Five ways
ostriches
‹ aren’t your
basic bird.
BY JAMIE KIFFEL-ALCHEH
An animal sprints across
the savanna, startling a
bunch of nearby zebras.
It’s not a big cat, though.
It’s an ostrich!
These feathered
creatures aren’t exactly
what you picture when
you think of birds. You’ll
never spot an ostrich
soaring gracefully across
the sky or chirping softly
on a tree branch. And
instead of being easy
prey, these African birds
are totally capable of
defending themselves
against fierce predators
like lions, cheetahs, leop-
ards, and spotted hyenas
if they have to. Discover
five ways the tough
ostrich isn’t just
an ordinary bird.

A CURIOUS OSTRICH
CHECKS OUT A
PHOTOGRAPHER’S
CAMERA IN SOUTH
AFRICA.

20 NAT GEO KIDS • APRIL 2021


You
think they’re
harmless birds,
but they can
mess you up.

Ostriches’ big eyes—the


largest of any land animal—
and fluttering, long lashes
seem adorable. But watch
out: These birds have some
seriously scary moves. “An
ostrich’s only defensive
method is kicking forward,”
zoologist Brian Bertram
says. In fact, their kicks are
powerful enough to break
bones. Although they don’t
often approach humans in
the wild, ostriches living on
farms can be bolder. “If one
ever tried to attack you, the
best thing to do would be A FEMALE OSTRICH
SPREADS HER WINGS You
to lie flat on the ground,” TO LOOK LARGER AND think they’re
Bertram says. “Then they’d MORE THREATENING TO
NEARBY PREDATORS. quiet, but they
only stomp on you a bit.” can crank up
Since these birds can weigh the volume.
as much as 350 pounds, it’s
probably best just to steer Don’t expect to hear a
clear of them completely! soft, sweet birdsong
from an ostrich. “The

JURGEN AND CHRISTINE SOHNS / FLPA / MINDEN PICTURES (MAIN


OSTRICH); DENIS-HUOT / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (OSTRICH WITH
OPEN WINGS); STEPHEN MAKA / GETTY IMAGES (LOUD OSTRICH)
territorial males make
a deep sort of booming
noise,” Bertram says.
The boom is so deep
that it’s sometimes mis-
Ostriches taken for a lion’s roar.
have such good
eyesight that zebras, “The coolest part is, you
antelopes, and other don’t just hear the
grazers use the birds sound—you see it,” says
as lookouts for wildlife ecologist Flora
danger. Magige, who studies the
animals in Tanzania.
“Part of the ostrich’s
neck swells and con-
tracts when they make
this particular sound.”
Female ostriches can’t
boom, but they can hiss
and snort.

AN OSTRICH IN
KENYA HISSES
AT ANOTHER
OSTRICH TO GET
ITS ATTENTION.
THE SAVANNA
IN KENYA IS A
GREAT PLACE
FOR SPRINTING!

AN OSTRICH
IN SOUTH
AFRICA GRAZES
ON PEBBLES.

You
think they
eat only plants
and seeds, but
they also eat
small stones.

It’s easy to picture an ostrich


chowing down on leaves and roots
like other birds. And like bigger
fliers, they also eat rodents and
lizards. “They’ll swallow almost any-
thing,” Bertram says. That includes
small stones. Birds don’t have You
teeth, which means they can’t think they
break down food in their mouths. fly, but they
So instead, ostriches(and some run ... fast.
other birds) swallow pebbles whole,
which will wear down their food Ostriches can’t fly. But these birds are the fastest animals on two legs, sprinting at
once it reaches a muscular part of speeds up to 43 miles an hour on muscular legs that race 16 feet in a single stride.
their stomachs called a gizzard. That means they can outrun some big cats!
“The stones in their gizzard grind Another secret to their speediness: Ostriches have just two toes on each foot.
food into smaller pieces that can (Most other birds have four toes.) “Having only two toes helps ostriches run at top
pass through the rest of the body,” speeds,” Magige says. “Focusing pressure on such a small area makes it easier for
Magige says. “The stones grind each them to move blazing fast.”
other down, too.” This built-in food Then what’s the point of even having wings? Although extending them can some-
mill takes the place of teeth so the times help the birds balance as they run, their wings are mainly used for courtship
birds can gulp down, well, whatever displays and to protect their chicks, which huddle underneath to hide from bad
they want. weather or predators.

Egg Equations These


Ostrich eggs are the largest birds lay up
eggs in the world, weighing to 11 eggs at
in at an impressive three a time.
pounds and measuring
about six inches in diameter.
They’re so big, travelers in
Africa’s Kalahari Desert often
fill up the hollowed-out eggs
with nearly a half gallon of
water to quench their thirst

= = =
on journeys. Check out how
other items compare to 60 ostrich eggs weight of 1 ostrich 1 ostrich egg size of
cantaloupe
1 12 chicken
eggs
these whoppers.

BLICKWINKEL / ALAMY (OSTRICH WITH STONES); KLEIN & HUBERT / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (RUNNING OSTRICH); PHILIP J. BRIGGS / ALAMY (OSTRICH

22 NAT GEO KIDS • APRIL 2021


EATING FRUIT); EMANUELE BIGGI / FLPA / MINDEN PICTURES (OSTRICH EGGS, ALL); KRAKENIMAGES / SHUTTERSTOCK (SOLO OSTRICH); BRENT
HOFACKER / SHUTTERSTOCK (CANTALOUPE); RANGIZZZ / SHUTTERSTOCK (CHICKEN EGGS); GREGORY GUIDA / BIOSPHOTO / SCIENCE
Grounded!
Like ostriches,
these birds are
flightless. But they
use their wings in
surprising ways.

CASSOWARIES
These ostrich
cousins have dense
black feathers that
look like long human hair covering their wings.
You Cassowaries use these wings—along with the horned
AN OSTRICH BREAKS
think they OFF A PIECE OF FRUIT crest atop their head called a casque (CASK)—to push
FROM ITS STEM AND aside thorny plants in their rainforest homes of northern
drink a lot of TOSSES IT UP TO
water, but they SWALLOW IT WHOLE. Australia and New Guinea, plus their surrounding islands.
don’t drink much
of anything. PENGUINS
Since they live in some of the hottest parts of Africa, Unlike birds that can fly, all 17
you might assume ostriches need to guzzle lots of water. species of penguins have solid
But ostriches have earned the nickname “camel birds” bones rather than hollow ones.
for good reason. They can survive for long stretches of That makes them too heavy to
time with just the moisture they get from the plants they take flight. But penguins make
eat. “In large parts of their habitat, there’s really no up for it in water. Their flipper-
water at all,” Bertram says. “Depending on how much like wings are built to propel
water they get from them through the ocean up to
their food and how 22 miles an hour.
hot it is, they can go
virtually forever
without drinking
KAKAPOS
any water.” Found only in New Zealand,
That’s not to say A F R I C A these parrots reach the top
they never drink water. of trees by climbing instead
According to Bertram, of flying. Their strong legs
when ostriches find a A TLANT IC boost them up branches,
O CEA N and their wings act like
watering hole, they’ll
usually stop for a parachutes to help them
drink just for the Where
float gently to the ground.
extra hydration. ostriches I ND IA N
live OCE AN
EMUS
Most bird feathers
have small “hooks”
that help keep each
The world’s smallest egg, from a feather connected,
VERVAIN
vervain hummingbird, is about HUMMINGBIRD creating a smooth
the size of a small pea. Around surface against a
5,600 of these eggs could fit bird’s body. But
inside of one not emus. The
ostrich egg! largest bird in Australia, emus don’t have these hook-like
features, so their feathers sit looser against their bodies.
This helps them more easily fluff their feathers in cold
OSTRICH weather to trap their body heat and stay warm.

=
EGG

1 hummingbird egg 1 pea WATCH SOME SLEEPY NEWBORN OSTRICHES.


natgeokids.com/april

SOURCE (HUMMINGBIRD EGG); HORTIMAGES / SHUTTERSTOCK (PEA); NEIL BOWMAN / GETTY IMAGES (VERVAIN
HUMMINGBIRD); BENDENHARTOG / GETTY IMAGES (CASSOWARY); SUZI ESZTERHAS / MINDEN PICTURES
(PENGUIN); TUI DE ROY / MINDEN PICTURES (KAKAPO); ROB DRUMMOND / BIA / MINDEN PICTURES (EMU)
THIS CA R IS
N FIDE N TIAL
CO
But we’ve got some secrets
about the president’s ride.
BY CRIPSIN BOYER AND SUZANNE ZIMBLER
The president of the United States doesn’t
take the bus or fly coach. For long trips, the
commander in chief boards the presidential
plane, called Air Force One, or the official
helicopter, Marine One. But once the
leader lands, he or she climbs inside
the Beast.
The Beast is the nickname of the
official state vehicle that carries the
president in comfort and safety using
the latest in science and technology.
It’s based off a Cadillac CT6 (the cur-
rent model rolled out in 2018), but
the Beast is more like an armored
truck—President Barack Obama
called it a “Cadillac on a tank frame.”
And like a tank, the 10-ton Beast was
designed to be nearly indestructible.
Many of the Beast’s features are
classified. But according to reports, it’s
loaded with James–Bond–style tricks,
including the ability to create a smoke
screen or oil slick as well as launch tear gas.
Check out these other sort-of-secret details
about the president’s ride.

HOW TO GO COVER STORY DRESS FOR SUCCESS


UNDERCOVER Invent a boring backstory (aka your Look for outfits that won’t seem out of
The Beast is like an extremely large- legend). Tell people you’re a distant place with the group or event you’re trying
and-in-charge bodyguard. But relative in your family or a student to snoop on. (Wear a superhero T-shirt
spies—who also help protect the from far away. The legend should be if you’re going to a sci-fi convention, for
country—are more secretive. Want believable but forgettable. Make instance.) Throw people off by borrowing
to try out your spy skills? Check out it more convincing by highlighting duds from an older sibling or close buddy.
these tricks for going undercover. specific phony experiences.

24 NAT GEO KIDS • APRIL 2021 SPECULATOR27 / DREAMSTIME (THE BEAST); PIOTR_PABIJAN / SHUTTERSTOCK (BULLETIN BOARD)
BEHIND THE WHEEL MORE THAN FREE WI-FI
The Beast’s most impressive feature isn’t any of its high-tech The president has access to a state-of-the-art com-
gadgets—it’s the human driver, trained for making getaways munications system that keeps him or her connected
and handling dangerous situations. The driver even has access to to the world. The leader can even place a call to a
night-vision technology to keep on rolling if the headlights go out. nuclear submarine on the other side of the world.

WINDOW TREATMENT
Up to seven people can ride inside the
Beast. Several passengers are Secret
Service agents, who protect the presi-
dent in case of an attack. The Beast
typically rides in a convoy that includes
Secret Service vehicles, a backup
Beast, and a communications truck.

AIR FORCED
The interior of the Beast can
be sealed off and supplied with
its own air in case of a chemical
attack or if the vehicle crashes
into water.text box
It can basically turn
into a submarine!

DOOR BUSTERS
The Beast’s doors are
rumored to be at least
eight inches thick—
about as thick as the
doors of a commercial
airplane. That’s one
reason you never see
the president open his
or her car door. It’s too
heavy!

FLAT CHANCE BEASTLY HIDE


The Beast’s tires are called run-flat The Beast’s skin is made of layers of aluminum,
tires, meaning they’re designed to steel, and ceramic armors, designed to withstand
keep rolling even if they’re damaged. any sort of attack—even from rockets!

FACING FACTS PLAY THE PART WALK THIS WAY


Forget the fake beards Do your hair in a way that Keep people from recog-
and eye patches. Dark doesn’t look like you. Part nizing you by walking in a CHECK
sunglasses are an easy it a different way or slick it new way. Try moving your OUT
way to disguise your back. Make a bun. Braid it. arms more or taking longer THE
BOOK!
eyes, one of your most steps. You can even put
recognizable features. pebbles in your shoes.

APRIL 2021 • NAT GEO KIDS 25


MEAT EATER Bugs beware: The
Venus flytrap has you on the menu. Most
plants live on nutrients absorbed from
the soil, but this devious diner lives only in
swampy, low-nutrient dirt near the coasts of
North and South Carolina. So to lure dinner
(like flies and crickets), it oozes nectar inside
its leaves. Attracted to the sweet yumminess,
an unsuspecting bug that bumps against one
alarm hair, then another, within 20 seconds
will trigger the jaw-like leaves to slam shut.
As the prey struggles, it bumps more hairs,
and the plant releases digestive juices so it
can eat. After about a week, the trap opens
again—revealing the inedible bits—and the
plant is ready to strike again.

26 NAT GEO KIDS • APRIL 2021


MEMORY MAKER You’ve
probably learned from experience not to
poke a thorny bush. Turns out that some
plants might learn from experience, too!
Ecologist Monica Gagliano of the University
of Western Australia experimented on
Mimosa pudica, a plant with leaves that curl
up when they’re disturbed. Using a special
device, she gently dropped the plants
60 times. The first few times, the leaves
closed up in defense. But then they stopped
reacting, as if they’d learned that the fall
wasn’t dangerous. The plants even re-
membered not to curl a month later. Why?
Scientists think that because the leaf-
curling defense likely takes a lot of energy,
the plants learn not to overre-
act to something harmless, like
a strong breeze. Instead they
save their energy, perhaps to
shake off a leaf-eating
bug. That’s one
smart shrub!

SHAPE-SHIFTER This vine in the rainforests


of Chile and Argentina performs a disappearing act. The
leaves of Boquila trifoliolata can change their shape, size,
color, and vein pattern to look like the leaves of the trees
and shrubs it wraps around—or even nearby plants.(How
they do this is still a mystery, but scientists think the vine
might be sensing chemicals from the other plants.) By
camouflaging among other tree leaves or mimicking toxic
plants, the vine protects itself from hungry leaf-eating
caterpillars. Stealth mode, activated.

GROSS GROWER What’s that smell? If you’re on the island


of Sumatra in Southeast Asia, it might be the titan arum plant, also
called the corpse flower. Like its name, this plant stinks like rotten
meat. Growing up to 12 feet tall, it heats up to about 98°F and releases
its odor to trick flies and beetles that usually lay their eggs on dead
animals. Attracted to the smell, these bugs will visit multiple corpse
flowers in search of raw meat, spreading
SEE FLOWERS THAT the pollen among the plants so they can
LOOK LIKE ANIMALS! reproduce. The corpse flower blooms only
natgeokids.com/april once every seven to 10 years—that might
not be a bad thing since it stinks so much!

APRIL 2021 • NAT GEO KIDS 27


SPECIAL EARTH DAY

GAMES,
LAUGHS,
AND LOTS
TO DO!

STUFF
5 Eco-Friendly Hacks
BY AUBRE ANDRUS
Hacking is all about solving a problem in
2 REDUCE THE
WRAPPING
a creative way—sometimes in ways that Even though plastic sandwich bags can
protect the planet. be recycled, they usually need to go to
These solutions, for instance, can help a special recycling center, which many
you cut back on water waste and single-use people can’t do. That means the bags
plastic pollution.(An estimated seven billion often end up in a landfill or blown into
tons of plastic sit in landfills or pollute the ocean. Instead of plastic, wrap
Earth’s oceans. That’s about the same your sandwich or snack in a bandanna.
weight as a billion T. rex!) Try out these Bonus: It doubles as a napkin!
planet-protecting life hacks.
KEERATI / SHUTTERSTOCK (TOILET), BRAND X (FLOWERS), IMAGE DIGITALLY COMPOSED; NATALIYA
TURPITKO / SHUTTERSTOCK (BUBBLES); MARK THIESSEN & BECKY HALE / NGP (BANDANNAS)

TRICK OUT
1 YOUR TOILET
Put sand or small rocks inside a half-
gallon milk jug or water bottle, then top
it off with water and close the bottle.
Ask an adult to place it in the tank of
your toilet away from any moving parts.
Now the water bottle takes up room in
your toilet tank—not new water.

CHECK OUT
THE BOOK!

28 NAT GEO KIDS • APRIL 2021


4 HOLD
THE HOSE
When you wash the family car or clean
up your bike, don’t just grab the hose.
Instead, fill up a bucket with water and
use a sponge to scrub it clean. When you
let the hose run, you’re using (and losing)
Use some more water than you actually need.
parchment paper
to line the bandanna
if your sandwich is
extra melty.
REUSE AND
5 RECYCLE

Keep plastic out of the ocean and landfills by coming up


with creative ways to reuse or upcycle items. For example:

Plastic eggs are


egg-cellent for
storing jewelry
or headphones.

A shower cap wrapped around dirty


Sunglasses can do shoes can protect your clothes in a
double duty as a cell- suitcase the next time you travel.
phone stand to watch (Just make sure to wash it out
videos and movies. before using it for your hair!)

3 DITCH WASTEFUL
DISHWASHING A binder clip can

VENIAMIN KRASKOV / SHUTTERSTOCK (BUCKET); ANDREY POPOV / SHUTTERSTOCK (DISHWASHER); STUDIOVIN /


An empty double as a wallet
Dishwashing machines lip balm or a key chain, or as

SHUTTERSTOCK (SUNGLASSES); DEEP DESERT PHOTOGRAPHY / SHUTTERSTOCK (EGG); TRAVIS MANLEY /


SHUTTERSTOCK (TUBE); NATAN86 / SHUTTERSTOCK (SOCKS); LUCKYRACCOON / SHUTTERSTOCK (CLIP);
actually use less energy container A clean-but-holey a device to squeeze

UNKAS PHOTO / SHUTTERSTOCK (UTENSIL ORGANIZER); DANNY SMYTHE / SHUTTERSTOCK (CUP)


and water than hand can be used sock can keep drinks out the last of the
washing. Scrape the food as a hiding cool and your hands toothpaste.
from your plates instead place for warm. Just cut off the
of rinsing them, and load rolled-up foot and using the top
up the dishwasher. Run it money. as a drink cozy.
only when it’s full. If you
don’t have a dishwasher,
fill up a large bowl with Plastic shower hooks can be clipped
soapy water and another onto a hanger to organize hats, belts, A utensil organizer
large bowl with water for necklaces, and even tank tops! can tidy tooth-
rinsing.(If you have a brushes and tooth-
sink with two basins, fill paste in a bathroom
one side with some soapy A plastic cup glued to a drawer. You can even
water and the other side wide magnet can turn into a write the names of
with rinsing water.) You’ll pen-and-pencil holder that each family member
use about half as much you can stick on a locker or on the bottom to
water than if you let the refrigerator. prevent mix-ups.
faucet run!

APRIL 2021 • NAT GEO KIDS 29


SP
GO GREEN EARTEH
CIAL
These photos show close-up views of
DAY
FUN
Earth-saving items. Unscramble the STUFF!
letters to identify what’s in each picture.
ANSWERS ON PAGE 31

P T L N A- S BA D E
OLHTC KPNAINS GBEURR LOSAR ASEPLN

RIGHT): MARIA FRANCESCA MOCCIA / SHUTTERSTOCK; SSUAPHOTOS / SHUTTERSTOCK; AMOPHOTO_AU / SHUTTERSTOCK. BOTTOM
ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): MICHAEL H JONES / SHUTTERSTOCK; CHOKSAWATDIKORN / SHUTTERSTOCK; OKSANA2010 / SHUTTERSTOCK.
TOP ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): MARAZE / SHUTTERSTOCK; FRANNYANNE / SHUTTERSTOCK; HSC / DREAMSTIME. MIDDLE ROW (LEFT TO
EUSERABL IDWN NUETIBR R E Y E G N -V I N A S G
R WA E T T O B LT E HLGTIULBB

B M OA B O ABR ASPO
C C L RY E E I B N ASWTRS

30 NAT GEO KIDS • APRIL 2021


31 • NAT GEO KIDS APRIL 2021
Answers
“Find the Tricky Animals” (pages 16-17):
1. P, 2. O, 3. E, 4. F, 5. G, 6. Q, 7. L, 8. D, 9. I,
10. M, 11. A, 12. N, 13. H, 14. B, 15. J, 16. K, 17. C.
“Cleanup Mix-Up” (this page): Row 1: 9.
Row 2: 2, 4, 6. Row 3: 7, 5, 1. Row 4: 8, 3.
“What in the World?” (page 30):
Top row: cloth napkins, plant-based burger,
solar panels. Middle row: reusable water bottle,
wind turbine, energy-saving lightbulb. Bottom
row: recycle bin, bamboo straws, bar soap.
JAMES YAMASAKI

ANSWERS BELOW
events took place.
the order in which the
of each box to show
up. Number the corner
have gotten all mixed
Day Lake Cleanup
from the Annual Earth
The scrapbook photos
else—safe.
you— and everyone
PLAY!
guidelines to keep
all local and state health
year, make sure you follow
community cleanup this
to participate in a
If you plan
CLEANUP
STUFF

MIX-UP
EARTFUN !
HD
SPECIALAY
SPECIAL
EARTH DAY

Think?
FUN
STUFF! Check out how Nat Geo Kids readers

Whatcha
responded to this poll, then go online
to vote in the next one!
natgeokids.com/whatchathink

12%
BIKE OR AL
TO NEARBYW K
PLACES

9% EAT LESS
MEAT

DONATION
MAKHE A SAVE AN AL
LP IM
TO EGERED AN
N
ENDA
How do

40% you want to


help save
the Earth?

16%
CLEA
NEIGHN UP YOUR
BORHO
OD

23%
N
BA CK O E
CUT GLE-USUFF
SIN TIC ST
PLAS

32 NAT GEO KIDS • APRIL 2021


HUNG_CHUNG_CHIH / GETTY IMAGES (RED PANDA); INTI ST CLAIR / GETTY IMAGES (BIKE); ALAN HOPPS / GETTY IMAGES
(COW); EASTERNLIGHTCRAFT / GETTY IMAGES (PLASTIC BOTTLES); ERMOLAEV ALEXANDER / SHUTTERSTOCK (CLEANUP)
Green Scene
SP
EARTEH
CIAL
DAY
FUN
STUFF!
BY JILL FANSLAU

COMPOST

How to Compost THESE

BROWN
Grow a healthy garden and reduce waste by using leftovers to make your own MATERIALS
compost, which is organic material that adds nutrients to the soil. • Dead leaves
• Eggshells
• Twigs
Recycle the Natural Way • Shredded
By composting, you reduce the need for chemical fertilizers in your yard and newspaper
send less waste to landfills. Yard trimmings and food scraps make up about 30 • Nutshells
percent of the trash from cities and towns in the United States. So put that
banana peel to good use. Turn it—and a lot of other things in your trash can—
into environmentally helpful compost. By making natural fertilizer, you’ll help GREEN
MATERIALS
the environment and have a great excuse to play with your food!
• Grass clippings
• Coffee grounds
• Vegetable and
fruit scraps
• Tea bags

COMPOST
NO-NOS

DON’T ADD
THESE TO
YOUR
COMPOST!
• Meat and
fish scraps
• Dairy products
• Fats, grease,
or oils
• Kitty litter
• Nonorganic
HOW TO MAKE materials
COMPOST

1 Choose a dry, shady spot to create your compost pile. 5 Finish with another three-inch layer of brown materials.
2 Use a bin with a tight-fitting lid and plenty of airholes 6 Add water until the contents are moist, like a wrung-out
to hold your compost ingredients. In the bin, start with sponge. If you accidentally add too much water, just add
a six-inch layer of dry “brown” material. (See examples more brown materials to the bin. Mix your compost pile
in the list above.) Break down large pieces before you every week or two.
place them in the bin. After one to four months, the compost will be almost
7
3 Add a three-inch layer of “green” materials. (See list.) ready. When it’s dark brown and moist and you can’t
Add a little soil to this layer. identify the original ingredients, wait two more weeks.
Then add your finished compost to your garden.
4 Mix the brown and green layers.

© ARCO IMAGES GMBH / ALAMY APRIL 2021 • NAT GEO KIDS 33


SPECIALAY
EART HD
FUN ! 1
STUFF

34 NAT GEO KIDS • APRIL 2021


4

5 6

APRIL 2021 • NAT GEO KIDS 35


ADVERTISEMENT

Cute, Cuter, CUTEST!


Bet you’ve never seen so many adorable animals all in one place! It’s page
after page of precious pictures and fun facts about big-eyed vervet monkeys,
prickly little hedgehogs, fuzzy blue penguins, and more. Learn all about them!

A gray wolf’s
sense of smell
is over 100 times

GRAY more sensitive

WOLF
than a human’s
.

layful puppy or powerful


P predator? Both, actually!
Gray wolves grow up to be
excellent hunters, but they’re
not born that way. As pups,
wolves like to play with their
littermates. Young wolves
have been seen tossing “toys,”
such as bones and animal skin,
back and forth. As adults, they
play a more helpful role and
alert the pack to prey or
danger in the area. Despite
what you may have heard,
wolves don’t howl at the sight
of a full moon, but they do
howl to communicate with
s can
one another, to claim their Gray wolve
territory, or, sometimes, , black,
have white even
simply to mimic the howls of , or
other members of their pack! gray, cream
ats.
reddish co

13
12

7/27/20 1:50 PM

Learn how
to do cool
birdcalls!
Birds are cute, too! Head outside with
one of these handy guides to discover
more about our fine feathered friends.
Filled with fascinating facts, photos,
maps, activities, and more.

Learn how
to take great
bird pics!

AVAILABLE WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD


Discover more at natgeokids.com © 2021 National Geographic Partners, LLC

You might also like