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Answers on page 30

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Presents...

Imagination 4 Making Fire and Cracking Coconuts

Activities:

6 Noah's Wild Morning

Puzzles: 2, 10, 11

8 Imagine If I Were a Butterfly

Cartoon: 16

12 What's on Your Coat of Arms?

Science: 21

14 Use Your Imagination

Workshop: 22

20 Imagine If I Were a Spider

Drawing Lesson: 29

25 Max & Gracie

Puzzle Solutions: 30

26 Imagination Celebration 28 Imagine If I Were a Bear

by Diane Winebar Imagine your home is on an island in Polynesia, an area of more than 1000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. What would your life be like? There would be palm trees, sandy beaches, and small villages. And because your imagination has taken you back to long ago, your family would use coconut oil lamps at night. At the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii, you can do more than imagine island life â€“ you can experience it! You'll see recreated villages that represent several South Pacific island nations. Natives welcome you into their homes, where you can see how their ancestors lived and what they ate. You can hear their music, see their art, and participate in their customs. It's time to go to exciting Polynesia! The Aotearoa (ow-tee-a-ROW-a) village is a great place to begin our imaginary journey. The Maori people are famous for their fantastic woodcarvings and tattoos. Once you get your own temporary tattoo, you'll feel like a real Maori. When you watch the inspiring haka war dance, you'll learn why fierce Maori warriors stick out their tongues and bulge out their eyes. Well, what would you do to intimidate your enemies? It's on to Fiji. You mustn't insult the chief, so take off your hat when you enter the village. And your shoes come off when you go into someone's home. These are important customs. The drum made from a hallowed out log is called a lali. What important message would you pound out to other islands across the water?

In the Hawaiian village, you'll learn the hula. This dance is more than grass skirts and gentle swaying. The dancer's hands, feet, and even facial expressions are all used to tell stories about Hawaii's people, places, and events. You can learn ancient Hawaiian games that are a lot like bowling and checkers. Now put on your lei (a wreath made of leaves and flowers), take one last bite of poi (food made from taro root), and get ready to go to the next island. Welcome to Samoa! You can help build a fire here, but forget about using matches. The natives will teach you the traditional way to get a spark by rubbing two sticks together. Now learn how to crack open a coconut with a pebble. Impossible, you say? You just have to know where to strike the coconut. When the coconut is ready, add bananas and breadfruit, and cook it in an outdoor oven called an umu. Dinner is ready! Tahiti is next. Here's your chance to hook a big one as you fish off the pier. For something more energetic, imagine you're a Tahitian athlete. Natives still compete in surf riding, canoe races, and heavy stone lifting. Maybe spear throwing is your sport. See that coconut on top of a pole? Do you think you can hit it with your spear? In the Tonga village, the natives share their love of music and dance with a loud, lively concert featuring the rhythms of very large drums. If all that dancing wears you out, you can learn a sitting dance. Afterwards you can play a kind of shuffleboard game called lafo. Once, this game could only be played by members of the royal family. Your Polynesian adventure doesn't end here. You can paddle a canoe and imagine you are a villager traveling from one island to another. Or you can pretend it's a day of celebration in your island village when you enjoy a luau, a traditional Hawaiian feast with lots of entertainment. When you see the fire knife dance, you'll get the same excited feeling that Samoans did long ago as they watched their warriors prepare for war. Now that you've had a glimpse of these fascinating island cultures, which island nation can you imagine yourself living in?

by Anita Nahta Amin • illustrated by Dwane Cude Noah put down his storybook and sighed. He wanted an adventure, like the kind in his book. But nothing ever happened in his neighborhood. He hopped out of bed and peered out his window. His pulse quickened. The morning fog had rolled in. Mysterious, shadowy figures were sneaking around. Noah focused on a shadow. He rubbed his eyes. Was he imagining things? He leaned closer for a better look. Then he raced downstairs. He bumped into Mom, who was carrying a mop. “Mom, there’s an elephant in our driveway!” “Mmhmm,” Mom said, mopping the foyer. “And what is this elephant doing, exactly?” “It’s taking a bath in a puddle,” Noah answered. “That’s nice,” Mom mumbled. “Maybe it’ll wash the cars too.” She carried her mop away. Noah opened the front door so he could watch the elephant. Then he saw another shadow and blinked with surprise. Noah turned and ran toward the sound of clanging pans. Dad was in the kitchen. “Dad, there’s a monkey climbing our tree!”

“Mmhmm,” Dad said, ladling pancake batter into a sizzling pan. “And which tree is this monkey climbing, exactly?” “Our orange tree,” Noah answered. “That’s nice,” Dad mumbled, flipping the pancakes over. “Maybe it’ll pick some oranges for us. Then I can make fresh orange juice for breakfast.” “Don’t you want to see it?” Noah asked. “Sure. Later, OK?” Dad asked.

“OK . . .” Frowning, Noah headed back to the front door. He took one look, then ran to Grandpa’s room. “Grandpa, there’s a giraffe in our yard! Really!” “Mmhmm,” Grandpa smiled, pruning his plants. “And what is this giraffe doing, exactly?” “It’s eating our bushes and trees,” Noah answered. “That’s nice,” Grandpa mumbled, plucking some leaves off a plant. “Maybe it’ll trim the grass too.” Noah shook his head. We’ll never see this again, he thought. And nobody believes me! He hurried to his room to get his digital camera. From his window, he snapped several photos. As he reviewed them, an idea came to him. Smiling, he headed to the breakfast table. He overheard Grandpa saying, “Noah has some imagination . . .” “Look!” Noah showed them the photos. Mom, Dad, and Grandpa stared at the photos. Their eyes grew wide. They raced to the front door. “There’s an elephant in our driveway!” Mom cried. “There’s a monkey in our tree!” Dad cried. “There’s a giraffe in our yard!” Grandpa cried. “See?” Noah said. “Call the sheriff!” Dad cried. “Call the zoo!” Mom cried. “Call the news!” Grandpa cried. So they called all three. “We’re on our way!” all three said. When the sheriff arrived, he said, “We’ve been looking for these animals all night! They escaped from the zoo.” He gave Noah an honorary badge. “Good job, son.” The zookeeper thanked Noah. “From now on, your trips to our zoo are free. You’ll be our guest of honor.” He led the animals away. “Well, Noah,” the news reporter said, “you’re a hero. Any comments?” “Yes.” Noah grinned. “There’s a kangaroo behind you.” And sure enough, there was.

by Shirley Anne Ramaley If I were a butterfly, just think of all the places I could go! I’d fly away and land on beautiful flowers. Children would see me and smile with delight. People might take pictures and call friends to come and see me. My beautiful wings would shine in the sun. But wait. There are three stages I have to go through before becoming a butterfly that can fly. First is the egg, carefully laid on just the right leaf by the mother butterfly. Why does the right plant matter? Because the next stage, the caterpillar (or larva), will eat only certain kinds of leaves. A caterpillar is very small and can’t move to a new location. It needs to hatch on exactly the right plant. Each caterpillar species likes different kinds of plants. What happens during this second stage? The caterpillar eats and eats and eats, and that’s all it does. The job of a caterpillar is to eat as much as it can. Caterpillars grow quickly and expand in size. Their exoskeleton (skin) doesn’t grow, so caterpillars shed the outgrown skin for a new one, and they do this more than once. The third stage in the life of a butterfly is the pupa (or chrysalis), sometimes referred to as the “resting stage.” But while it may look like it's resting, it’s really very busy. Once a caterpillar is done growing, it forms itself into a pupa. First it finds a safe place, away from where it has been eating. A nice, quiet, safe spot is what

is needed. Then the caterpillar will spin a silk pad and hang in the shape of a “C” or “J,” depending on the species. This pupa is a protective shell that keeps the new caterpillar safe while it goes through a huge transformation. Each species is different. Some hang upside down, some right-side up, and others make what looks like a hammock out of silk to lie in. All the time, the shell protects the changing caterpillar. Everything changes during this period. How long does all this take? Usually about two to three weeks, depending on the species. Finally, the day comes when the butterfly emerges from the pupa. This is what people are waiting for. But it doesn’t just fly away. The wings are soft and lie against the body, so the butterfly can’t fly. And the butterfly needs to rest. It’s a lot of work getting out of that pupa! After resting, the butterfly pumps blood into its wings. As the wings begin to work and flap about, the butterfly is ready to fly. It might take a few hours, but the butterfly soon figures out how to fly and takes off.

What does the butterfly like to eat? They all mostly feed on nectar from flowers, but can eat anything that will dissolve in water. They are attracted to sodium found in salt and sweat. If you visit a butterfly pavilion, a butterfly might land on you, hoping to find something good to eat! Just let it sit there – don’t brush it away. If you need help, ask an attendant to carefully brush the butterfly away. But why not just let it rest on your arm or leg? You might even feel the soft touch of its gentle feet. Some butterflies can eat pollen, such as the Zebra Longwing. Because of this ability, the Longwing lives longer than most, up to six months. Others might live only a few weeks. What is the adult butterfly now supposed to do? It has one purpose, to help make more butterflies by finding a mate. After a female butterfly has mated and is ready to lay eggs, she must find the right plant. And so the cycle begins again. Imagining that I am a butterfly, my life may be short, but it is filled with wonder. If you visit a butterfly place, just look at the smiles on everyone’s face. When a butterfly lands on your arm, or even your face, the smiles get bigger. Everyone seems to love butterflies. Unless you live in Antarctica or a very dry desert, you’ll see butterflies. You won’t see every species, but there will be some. I bet you’ll be smiling too.