Kid’s Imagination Train January/February 2019 Volume 7 Issue 1
Jan/Feb 2019 Volume 7 Issue 1 ISSN 2333-987X
Editor-in-Chief: Randi Lynn Mrvos Book Reviewer: Anjali Amit Photographer: Jesse Orrico Voiceover Artist: Sharon Olivia Blumberg Promotion Manager: Regina Montana Editorial Offices: All across the United States
Publishing Office: 4637 Spring Creek Drive Lexington, KY 40515
Mission Statement: Welcome to the Kid's Imagination Train, where children can take the journey of reading in a brand-new way. KIT offers book reviews, fiction, poetry, and nonfiction for kids ages 5 - 12. It’s unique in that it engages children by providing them the opportunity to illustrate their favorite features and to have their pictures published online. We invite you to read, to learn, and to draw!
Kid's Imagination Train http://kidsimaginationtrain.com
CONTENTS Volume 7
Issue 1
4 - 6… Fiction The Perfect Hiding Place by: Lynn Rogalsky
7 - 8…Nonfiction Digging Up Facts About Burrowing Mammals by: Guy Belleranti
9 …Book Review This is not a Valentine by: Anjali Amit
10…Lesson Plan and Activity: Volcanoes by: Randi Lynn Mrvos
11…Connect the Dots by: Hannah and Maria Miller
12 - 13…Word Search by: Seasoned Times
14…Sponsors
Acknowledgements
The staff of Kid’s Imagination Train wishes to thank Alyna, Daniel, and Reyna for their beautiful burrowing mammal drawings.
THE PERFECT HIDING PLACE
Freddy the “Hide-and-Seek King” needed to protect his title. His two friends wanted to dethrone him. “We’ll find you, Freddy,” taunted Madison. Freddy was running out of hiding places in the neighborhood. Louis and Madison covered their eyes and began counting to 100. “One…two…three…” Freddy ran zigzagging down the sidewalk. He hid behind a tree. But it was too narrow, and his friends would see him. “Thirty-eight …thirty-nine…FORTY,” Louis and Madison counted. Freddy worried as his friends counted closer to 100. He ran into Mr. Hill’s yard. 4
He crouched behind the tall wooden fence. Within seconds, Mr. Hill’s large dog charged, barking from the backyard directly behind him. Freddy bolted from the yard. On his way out, he saw the “Beware of Dog” sign. “Shhh—my friends will hear you,” he whispered to the dog. “SIXTY…sixty-one…sixty-two …” Freddy panicked. His friends would soon be looking for him. What if they found him? He’d be dethroned! Then, he blasted around the corner. He remembered a great place to hide. Freddy opened the doors and hurried into the building. People crowded the inside. Rows of books on shelves surrounded him. He could only hear whispers, despite the many people indoors. “This is the perfect hiding place,” Freddy told himself. “My friends won’t find me here.” He would remain the undefeated “Hide-and-Seek King.” Freddy was the best at hiding. Once he hid inside an empty trash can. But his hair and clothes became dirty and smelly. Another time, he curled up in some bushes. Though scratched up, he felt invisible. Maybe he’d become a magician someday. Freddy pulled three books off the shelves. Tired from all the running, he slid to the floor and leaned his back against a shelf. He read in the carpeted and quiet aisle.
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Freddy studied books on nature and weather. He was fascinated by photographs of lightning. He read books on pirates and dragons. He could hear the clash of pirate swords. He felt a dragon’s fiery breath against his back. He hopped up and acted out scenes from the book. He swished a large pirate sword in the air to fight off lightning bolts as he rode the dragon’s back. Then the fluorescent lights flickered off. The library was closing. A woman stood over Freddy. “Do you have a library card? You can check those books out and take them home.” The librarian clicked on her keyboard and asked him some questions. “Here’s your library card.” “Thank you. It’s my first one,” he said. Outside, Freddy found his friends still looking for him. “Your time is way up,” Freddy called to them. “We looked for you everywhere twice,” said Louis. “Where were you?” asked Madison. “In the library. Getting smarter.” Freddy held up his books. “Let’s all come here tomorrow,” said Louis. “Yeah, we need books on hide-and-seek skills,” said Madison. Freddy the “Hide-and-Seek-King” and his friends laughed.
Written by: Lynn Rogalsky
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Digging Up Facts About Burrowing Mammals Some mammals spend part of their lives in underground burrows. What are burrows? Burrows are holes or tunnels dug by animals. Burrows provide shelter from hot and cold temperatures and places to sleep. They also provide protection from predators. Perhaps the most extreme example of a burrowing mammal is the mole. These small animals spend almost all of their lives underground. Art by: Alyna
Moles have tiny eyes and very poor vision. They find most of their food by sense of touch. Moles use their clawed feet to dig tunnels. They live in these tunnels, travel through them, and find food like earthworms and insects. The meerkat is also a burrowing mammal. These small animals live in the deserts and grasslands of southern Africa. They live in groups called mobs. At night, meerkats sleep safely in burrows. These burrows have many tunnels, exits, and entrances. When morning arrives, some mob members stay underground with newborns and young. Others leave the burrow to search for insects, small animals, fruit, and other food. A few of them stand on guard on hind legs, watching the sky and surroundings. If a predator or rival mob is spotted, the guard calls out an alarm. Then the meerkats run for their burrows. Occasionally, they stand together, show their teeth and claws, and hiss until the intruder leaves. Art by: Alyna
Art by: Daniel
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Art by: Reyna
Another African burrowing mammal is the aardvark. The aardvark is an odd-looking creature. It has a long anteaterlike head and tongue and a pig-like snout. Its ears resemble a jackrabbit’s and its tail looks like a kangaroo’s. However, it isn’t related to any of these.
A solitary animal, the aardvark leaves its burrow as night arrives. Rotating its long ears, it listens for predators like leopards, lions, and hyenas. When it finds an anthill or termite mound, the aardvark digs into it with powerful, clawed feet. Then, it extends a sticky, wormlike tongue into the hole and catches dinner. The aardvark’s thick skin provides protection from insect bites. It can also close its nostrils to keep out dirt and biting insects. In the Americas live many species of burrowing armadillos. Like meerkats and aardvarks, armadillos use underground dens for shelter and safety from predators. All armadillos have an armor of bony plates on their heads, necks, and back. However, their undersides are much softer. Three-banded armadillos can roll into tight balls for protection. Other species are safest when they escape to their burrows.
Art by: Daniel
One species, the screaming hairy armadillo, lives in the deserts of Argentina and Bolivia. In summer, this small armadillo remains in its burrow during the heat of day. When night falls, it comes out looking for insects, seeds, and plant matter. In winter, this desert dweller does the reverse. It comes out in the daytime and goes underground during the cold desert night. There is much more you can learn about burrowing mammals. Visit a library and dig into some books.
Written by: Guy Belleranti
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Book Review: This Is Not A Valentine Author: Carter Higgins Illustrator: Lucy Ruth Cummins Publisher: Chronicle Books Hardback: 46 pages ISBN: 978-1-4521-3734-2
"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways," wrote Elizabeth Barrett Browning. This treasure of a book is a bashful young boy's counting of the ways, each gift an expression of his love. Love knows. Love cares. Love knows because it cares: "This is not a Valentine, since sparkle and pink glitter are not your favorite colors." Love is forever: "This is not a Valentine, since I don’t only like you today. I like you tomorrow, and next Tuesday and last week, too." Read that sentence again, dear reader. "I like you tomorrow, and next Tuesday and last week, too." Love makes time timeless. Flawless word choice, evocative illustrations. The cover says it all. Pay attention to the picture of the school bus at the start, and at the end. See the difference? No, this is not a Valentine. It is an outpouring from the heart, a love story as all love stories should be. Reviewed by: Anjali Amit. Visit her website: http://bookreviewsgalore.com/
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Lesson Plan and Activity: Volcanoes A volcano is a vent in the surface of the earth through which gases and red-hot lava erupt. Some volcanoes are cracks in the earth. Others are mountain-like structures with a crater in the summit. Most volcanoes are found under the sea. The earth is composed of three layers. The outermost layer is called the crust. The middle layer is known as the mantle. The innermost layer is called the core. The deeper layers of the earth are composed of heavy materials, which are hotter, denser, and under greater pressure than the outer layers. In fact, only 25 miles from the crust of the earth, temperatures reach nearly 1600° Fahrenheit (that’s more than 3 times the hottest oven setting) due to the pressure of the rock above it. The combination of scorching temperatures and high pressure deep in the earth causes the formation of liquid rock that is known as magma. Steam, carbon dioxide, and other poisonous gases are trapped within the magma. The heat from the magma and the pressure from the gases can cause an explosion. When a volcano erupts, magma rises because it is hotter and lighter than the surrounding rocks. After the explosion, gases are released and the pressure decreases. Magma bursts out of the earth in fiery streams of lava. Erupting Volcano Materials for volcano: Large paper plate, 3 oz. paper cup, aluminum foil, scotch tape, scissors Materials for eruption: Water, baking soda, vinegar, tablespoon, small bowl, cup, baking sheet, red and yellow food coloring Directions for making the volcano: 1. Sit a paper cup right-side up on a plate. 2. Tape the cup to the middle of the plate. 3. Tear off a piece of aluminum foil large enough to cover the cup and the paper plate. 4. Place the foil over the cup and plate and fold the foil under the plate edge. 5. Tape the foil in place. 6. Poke a hole through the foil into the middle of the cup. 7. Use scissors to make slits in the foil from the hole to the edge of the cup. 8. Fold the foil down to the inside of the cup and tape it. Directions for making an eruption: 1. Place the volcano on a tray or baking sheet. 2. Mix 2 tablespoons of water in a bowl with a few drops of red and yellow food coloring. 3. Fill the volcano with the orange-colored water. 4. Add a heaping tablespoon of baking soda to the water and stir until it dissolves. 5. Measure 2 tablespoons of vinegar in a separate cup. 6. Pour the vinegar all at once into the water/baking soda mixture. 7. Watch the volcano erupt! The bubbles that are created are filled with carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a gas that forms when baking soda reacts with vinegar. Written by: Randi Lynn Mrvos Erupting Volcano: www.kaboose.com All Rights Reserved
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Connect the Dots
Created by: Hannah and Maria Miller
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Courtesy: Seasoned Times
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