“STEP RIGHT UP and get ’em while they’re sprouting!” a man in a straw hat shouted. He stood in a booth full of plants beneath a sign that read Seedpod Sam’s. In smaller letters were the words Seedlings to perk up your garden and spark your wild mind.

Answers to Market Mayhem Mind-Buggler Why do gardeners love slimy, wiggly worms? • Worms burrow through hard dirt leaving tunnels for water and air to reach roots. • Every day, a worm eats about its body weight in leaves, grass, fungi, and other orga

ONE DAY, COYOTE was walking in the forest when he found an open field. He thought, This would make a good place to plant a garden and grow food for my family. But Coyote knew it would be a lot of work, and he would need help. If only he had a big, st

I have a bird growing Here in this pot.I see it gets sunshine And water it a lot. We did this last summer With tomatoes and beans;We planted the seeds And watched for the greens. At first the stalks Were just green and bare,But by late August, The ve

MATCH THE SEED to the plant it will become. Then in the blank spaces at the bottom, write the plant’s letter above its seed’s number. Pairs of seeds have wings so they spin like helicopters. Its underwater seedpods are shaped like bats or horns. Its

Aspen B., age 11 Arvada, Colorado Finding FingerprintsYou see there’s a girl in my class, and no need to laugh, she just really loves to make a mess. She opens the ends of the markers. In class, she spilled the ink out on her hands, red and blue, pin

THREE SISTERS? WHO are they, you ask? You may know them as corn, beans, and squash. These plants produce vegetables eaten during the summer and fall, as well as seeds dried and kept for cooking and eating during the winter. Some Indigenous people cal

3 pennies (for player 1)3 nickels (for player 2) 1. Players take turns placing one coin at a time on any empty point on the board. 2. When all six coins have been placed, the players take turns moving one coin at a time along any line to the next emp

I took my broccoli for a walk,So we could have a little talk.He told me all about his bike,His dog, his friends, the games he likes. I learned he is a lot like me,And so, I know, you surely see, I could not EAT my broccoli. ■

“CUT THE ROWDY stuff and get moving, you miserable little sea slugs!” Mrs. Noodleknocker shouted. “Next stop Octopus Gardens. Come on, Pinkley. Step it up!” Doodlebug Pinkley cringed. He and the other members of the Science Explorers after-school clu

Salads are delicious, but this one certainly has some strange ingredients! Answers on page 35 April 2024 Volume 31 Number 4 cricketmedia.com $6.95 ■

POTATO STUFFING IS a favorite side dish throughout the Caribbean islands. Treat your family to a taste of St. Croix, part of the U.S. Virgin Islands. 1½ pounds white potatoes1 medium-sized onion (minced)1½ bell peppers (minced)3 tablespoons cooking o

WHEN SUE WAS two days old, her parents found out that she wasn’t an ordinary baby. Their flatboat was moving a bit too slow, so Sue jumped out of her cradle, grabbed a rope, and tugged that boat down the Ohio River with lightning speed. “Whoa!” calle

Rays have slipped into this list of whales. Cross off the four rays. Then write the remaining blue letters in order (top to bottom for each column) in the blank spaces to reveal the wild whale fact. mantarightbowheadspotted eaglenarwhal electricgrayh

I LIKE THINGS to balance, partly because of my name, “Ava.” It’s the same backwards and forwards, balanced on a V in the middle. When something bothers me, I try to balance the bad with the good. That’s why I don’t mind being the tallest kid in third

I run all day but never walk.I often murmur but never talk.I have a bed but never sleep.I have a mouth but never eat. Answer on page 35 ■

You asked if I have learned to swim.And I replied, “Not yet.But I’ve had water to my chin and don’t mind getting wet.”I’ve watched my mom as she swims laps.I know her strokes by heart.I’ve studied water current maps and made a detailed chart.I’ve lea

SHE GLIDES LIKE a bird in the sky, but her ride is on a warm ocean current. Her fins are her wings. The water is her air. Nari, a spotted eagle ray, has spent the summer swimming in the blue-green waters off the Gulf Coast of Florida. A lingering chi

The sail was tall above our heads. It billowed in the breeze.It launched us out beyond the pier to sail the seven seas. The breeze itself could not be seen, a phantom made of air.And yet it moved our boat so fast we knew that it was there. It ferried