Spider Magazine Stories, Games, Activites and Puzzles for Children and Kids

“WOW. I CAN’T believe how many people are showing up for this!” Dandelion Pinkley said. She stood in the wide parking lot of the E-Z Life Elephant Sanctuary, watching the flow of approaching cars. Her brother Doodlebug, their cousin Rudyard, and a bunch of other kids were with her. All of them were ready to wash those cars spotless. The elephants who lived at E-Z Life had been rescued from bad conditions. Now they enjoyed a safe, forested home to roam around in. And every clean car meant a few more dollars to support their well-being. So working the car wash was a great way to spend a summer day! “Drive up. Drive up.” Doodlebug’s buddy Bog called to the line of cars. “We’re gonna give every last gas-guzzler a whole new…

ADD SOME PIZZAZZ to your craft corner or desk by turning your tape dispenser into an excellent elephant. What You’ll Need: clear adhesive tape dispenser cupcake liner 2 googly eyes paint and paintbrush marker glue What to Do: 1. Open up the tape dispenser. Take out the tape. Recycle the paper label. 2. Paint the outsides of both pieces of the dispenser. (Tip: Hold the dispenser halves by their inside circular parts while painting.) Don’t paint the jagged tape-cutting edge. 3. Paint the cupcake liner. Let the paint dry. 4. Draw a mouth at the bottom of both dispenser pieces. 5. Glue an eye to each piece in the small space next to the hole. Let the glue dry. 6. Put the tape back in, and snap the dispenser shut. 7. Squish the cupcake liner, and stick it through…

ASIRI WOKE UP early. School was out. Just like on every break, Asiri would go with his uncle to his workshop. His Uncle Thad made costumes for—believe it or not—elephants! For as long as he could remember, Asiri had been asking to help make the costumes. But each time, he’d been told he was too little and that his fingers weren’t steady or quick enough to sew the fine stitches needed for the elaborate costumes. As he sipped his tea, Asiri smoothed the square of fabric beside him—his practice piece. Across it he had sewn, pulled out, and resewn stitches just as Uncle Thad had taught him. He couldn’t wait to show it to his uncle. “Eat,” his mother scolded. Asiri nibbled at his egg hopper. What’s taking Uncle Thad so long? he wondered. When…

For hundreds of years, late July and early August evenings in Kandy, Sri Lanka, burst into color, music, and light. This spectacular celebration is called Esala Perahera (Festival of the Tooth) and includes long parades of drummers and dancers. Kandy is home to Sri Dalada Maligawa (Temple of the Tooth). Inside the temple is the Sacred Tooth Relic, believed to be the Buddha’s left upper canine tooth. The ten-day festival honors the Buddha and the holy tooth. In the grandest parade, a replica of the tooth’s gold case is carried on the back of an elephant called the Maligawa Tusker.…

Sparkle! Shimmer! Shine! Sequins beautifully catch the light, making them popular in costumes and crafts. Simple sequins have more to their history than you’d expect. —Ophelia The word “sequin” comes from the Arabic word sikka,which means coin. —Araña Throughout history, actual coins made of gold and other precious metals were sewn to clothing. That way people looked fancy while keeping their wealth close. But I bet it felt heavy! — Sonya King Tutankhamun of ancient Egypt was decorated in pure gold sequins when he was buried in 1323 BCE. When his tomb was discovered in 1922, everybuggy suddenly wanted to wear sequins. — Spider Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci sketched a sequin-making machine around 1480, but he never got around to building it. —Sam In zee 1930s, sequins were made of hard gelatin—zee same…

I cannot make my bed today. I will tell you why. I could do bigger things if I had the time to try. A lot of time is wasted when I make my bed. It takes two whole minutes; I’ve counted in my head. Those minutes sure add up after days and days and days Into time that I could spend in more productive ways. I could build a robot to keep the whole house clean. Better yet, I might invent a bed-making machine. I could explore a jungle and find a rare bird Or compose a melody that’s never been heard. I might dig up treasures from ancient history Or follow secret clues to solve a mystery. Is making my bed as important as it seems, When I could use that time to follow all…