3 - Sparky's 'Monet' World

Hello, Sparky here.

Ø  We are right in the middle of spring now. There is fresh foliage as far as the eyes can see. Flowers of every imaginable colour dot the foliage making it look like a Claude Monet Painting but on a grander scale. It’s a beautiful time of the year, my favourite time.

Ø  With the Migratory birds bidding their goodbyes and leaving for their summer homes, you would think it would be very quiet here, but no, there is a lot of activity. Many birds which reside here through the year are getting busy with nest building. First, they have to find just the right place to build their nests, and that itself could be a problem. If the mummy bird likes a place, the father doesn’t approve and if the father bird thinks a spot is perfect, the mummy bird rolls her eyes, turns her face and simply flies away. Soon enough, they will find a place to both their liking and the hard work of nest-building will begin.

Ø  This is how Mother Nature designed it. Most birds and animals will have their babies when there is lots of food around, so the babies can have a healthy start to their young lives. The little ones are not fussy, they eat whatever the parents bring, unlike the human babies who I have heard have preferences and even reject their food if it’s not to their liking.

Imagine, a tiny Sunbird visiting a 100 different flowers a day to gather enough nectar to feed her babies returns home to have the food rejected because the babies feel like having nectar only from Hibiscus flowers. The babies will be the laughing stock of the Banyan and beyond. We all work to get our food, eat the food of the season without complaints and rest well. We keep things simple and so you will hardly find an animal, bird or insect that’s unhappy, especially over unimportant things. 

Ø  Speaking of ‘Unhappiness’, Madam Asian Koel was caught by Mr. Black Drongo 3 days back while she tried to sneak into the Drongos’ nest to lay her eggs. Well, all of us know that Madam Asian Koel is a ‘Brood Parasite’ meaning she does not build her own nest but lays her eggs in the nests of other birds. But having been caught in the act by Mr. Drongo things got rather unpleasant. Madam ‘Not-So-Common’ Coot, the leader of the Birds’ Welfare Association was called in, to calm things down. It has been agreed between the Drongos and Madam Koel that for now Madam Koel’s egg will be taken care of by the Drongos but when the eggs hatch, Madam Koel will help feed all the babies.     

Ø  Last week, there was an activity where you had to identify all the things that should not be in the river. There were a couple of things from that activity that got me thinking.

§   ‘Anything that is not alive or does not grow, should not be in the river’ was the hint I had given to help you identify the objects that should not be in the river. Now, I see, my hint was not entirely correct. For instance, there are rocks in the river which are not alive but they are a part of the river.

§  So, a better way of finding out what should not be in the river is to find out what is natural and what is not, what harms the environment and what does not.

§  In the answer to the activity at the bottom of this Magazine you will find that I have not marked the banana peel. Though it is not part of the river and it should not have been thrown into the river, it does not harm the river. It came from nature and someone in the river will eat it and thus it will go back to nature. 

Now, some activities to keep your brain in working order.

• Solve the riddles one by one and get a word that solves another riddle.

• 	I am the second of the 26.
  	Find the African continent, find the beautiful country of South Africa, then find a country within it, you will find me.
  	I am the one who hoots and is out and about at night, With my incredible neck that can turn almost to the back, everyone’s in my sight.
  	I am Sparky’s favourite season
  	I am not a Snail, but if you were to imagine a Snail out of his Shell, he would look like me.
  	I have legs like that of a Zebra, to help blend into vegetation,  Face like that of a Giraffe, because we are distant relations. To see me in the wild, you will have to come to Congo for a vacation.
  	Talking of weird and unique, I am home to many such creature, But I became famous when in my name was made a children’s picture.
  	The final riddle – first letter of the answers above will also solve this riddle below:
  	When this happens to trees and bushes around you, It looks like heaven and smells like one too.

• Complete the Crossword puzzle below:

• Make as many words as possible with the below letters without repeating any of the letters:

A

C

I

E

L

N

P

• A Mathematical Puzzle – Use addition, subtraction, multiplication or division between numbers below to get the answer given:

• While the adult Monkeys were busy feeding on the abundant food around, the little baby Monkeys were getting into all sorts of trouble, so Mr. Goldback, the leader of Monkeys requested me to keep them busy for a while and this is the task I set them – Sort the words below from smallest to the biggest. See, if you can fare as well as the baby Monkeys did (I have solved the first one to show you how it’s to be done):

Village	Town	City	Country	Continent
Whale	Snail	Dolphin	Shrimp	Sting Ray
Spotted Deer	Bison	Squirrel	Elephant	Monkey
Ocean	Pond	River	Lake	Sea
Earth	Moon	Milky Way	Jupiter	Sun
Tree	Forest	Leaf Bud	Branch	Leaf
Butterfly	Myna	Eagle	Sparrow	Ladybird

• I thought I had the little Monkeys busy with the above activity and was working on the Magazine. A couple of naughty ones in the meantime, raided my ‘work material’ and set me an activity too. They have cut a favourite photo of a friend from Kruger National Park in South Africa. Please help me put the pieces in order so I can have the photograph restored. I have marked all the pieces with an upward facing arrow, so when you work on it, keep the arrows facing upwards and you won’t get confused when you cut and paste it elsewhere.

• A frog goes through various stages before it looks like, well, a frog.

o  First, an adult frog lays eggs in water.

o The eggs hatch into Tadpoles. At this stage a tadpole has tails and gills. Tail helps it swim in water and gill helps it to breath in water like the fishes do.

o Then the tadpole grows legs and lungs, in preparation for its life above water. Legs to move and lungs to breath air.

o The tadpole then goes through a process called ‘Metamorphosis’ where it becomes a frog. For a short while it still has a tail which it had as a tadpole.

o  Soon, the tail disappears and it becomes an adult frog which will then lay eggs in water and thus the cycle continues.  

Now, that you have read about the almost magical life cycle of a frog, can you arrange these pictures in     the correct order?

See you all next week with more news, activities and answers to this week’s puzzles.

  

  In the meanwhile, if you would like to write to me, email me at Sparkyatbanyan@gmail.com

Answers to last week’s puzzles:

• Solve the riddles one by one and get a word that solves another riddle. All the riddles are inspired by spring.

Fish	Colourful and sparkling, Someday if you come snorkeling Where I live, in ocean and in river, I am sure, you will remember me forever.
Ladybird	I am neither a lady, nor a bird, I am a Beetle. People say I look like a ruby, though a small one, You see, I am little.
Ocean	I am home to many creatures, From the biggest to the smallest, From the prettiest to the strangest, But humans can visit me only as a guest.
Winter	Now that I am gone, you will soon miss me. But when Summer and rains have come and gone, I will be back and you will then be glad to welcome me.
Elephant	I am big, amongst those on land, am the biggest, Just leave me and my family alone and am the gentlest.
Rabbit	I am not the Hare that ran and lost the race, He is bigger and has longer ears, giving him a leaner face, He lives on ground and I live under, Why people confuse us for one another, I wonder.
FLOWER	I am found in plenty in spring, Butterflies and Bees come visiting me on their little wings.

  

• Find sets of 3 numbers which together add to the number 10:

• Words ending with ‘ght’:

It’s when you sleep…	Night
A quarrel…	Fight
It’s uncomfortable, it’s not your size, it’s…	Tight
When it’s dark, it helps you see…	Light
She is a smart one, she’s…	Bright
Oh, you scared me, you gave me a…	Fright
You will succeed, if you try with all your…	Might
Don’t strain your eyes using gadgets, you will ruin your….	Sight
It’s sad. I am sorry to find her in this…	Plight
I am not wrong, I am…	Right

• What comes next?

• Make as many words as possible with the below letters without repeating any of the letters:

• Could you please help them identify all the objects that shouldn’t be in the river.