Fun For Kidz Magazine

Get ready to tap your toes, hum along, and discover the amazing world of music! In this issue, you’ll read the surprising story about “Yankee Doodle,” a song that started as a joke, and the inspiring tale of how “The Star-Spangled Banner” was created and became our national anthem. Travel to Australia to learn about the didgeridoo. Read a story about the beginning of handbells. And discover one amazing bird that can sing 1000 songs an hour! Settle back and enjoy your new issue of Fun For Kidz. After you work out the tricky puzzles and read the cool stories and fun facts, write to us and tell us what you enjoyed most. Send a picture of yourself with the instrument you play, and we will publish it in a…

Did you know that one of America’s most famous songs started out as a joke? “Yankee Doodle” has been around for over 250 years. It is a tune you might hear on the Fourth of July. In 1775, the year before the United States became a country, a war began between the American colonists and Great Britain. British soldiers liked to tease the colonists, so they sang a silly song about them. The words made fun of the way the colonists dressed and acted. “Yankee” was a nickname for the colonists, and “doodle” meant someone who wasn’t very smart. But the colonists had a clever idea. They decided to sing “Yankee Doodle” themselves! They changed the meaning and turned the song into a proud marching tune. Soon American soldiers were…

Your voice is as unique as your fingerprint. Singing is closely linked to physical health and mental well being. The earliest known drums were made of alligator skin. In 2015, A Canadian astronaut released an album of songs he recorded in space. Plants can grow better when exposed to music. The world's fastest piano player hit 19 notes in just one second! Finland is the home of the most metal bands per person. Humpback whales sing songs that can last for 20 minutes – and they repeat them for hours! A song that gets stuck in your head is called an earworm. The most recognizable song sung in English is “Happy Birthday.”…

The sun dips below the horizon, and the last of the colors leave the Australian sky. From deep within the grasses of the thick tropical bush, a mysterious, low droning drifts across the vast, open plains. It is the sound of the didgeridoo (DID-juh-ree-doo), perhaps the oldest musical instrument on Earth. This strange windblown instrument produces a low-frequency hum. It sounds like the buzzing of a swarm of bees combined with the deep sound produced when blowing into a glass bottle. Listen closely. Clicking clapsticks and chanting voices join the hollowed re-echoes of the long wooden tube. It is the corroboree (kuh-ROB-uh-ree), the celebration of song and dance by the Aborigines (ab-uh-RIJ-uh-nees), the first people to live in Australia. During this public performance, elaborately painted men decorated with feathers act…

“Don’t write that note!” warns Aunt. “Why not?” I ask. “Writing notes embarrasses Grandpa,” answers Aunt. “I want him to know about my recital on Sunday,” I say. “I’m playing Minuet by Bach, like he did before he got diphtheria and the fever made him deaf.” “What are you two talking about?” asks Grandpa, coming into the room. “My recital,” I say, bowing a violin in the air. “It sounds good. What’s the paper for?” asks Grandpa. “For you,” I say, sketching a violin body, neck, and scroll. He just tapes the picture next to my old drawings and says, “Every time I see it, I’m hitting a home run on the inside.” I think I’ll have to try another way to get my message across to him. “Time to…

Mystery Picture Puzzle vasecaneduckmothrulercrossworm canoeladdercandlelantern3 flagsballoon2 sodas 2 heartsumbrella2 crownslightbulbflashlightlife preserver Fraction-nition by David Lindo Please read carefully. Find the letters described by the fraction given in each of the following statements. Print the letters you select, in the order provided, into the boxes below. What did you find? Were you surprised? Which parts of you have the most rhythm? The first 1/6 of ELBOWS The middle 1/3 of STARTS The last 1/4 of HEAD The middle 1/3 of ARM The first 1/4 of UMBRELLA The last 1/7 of FINGERS Composer Sudoku by Evelyn B. Christensen Composers are the people who write the music. Fill in the squares so that each row, column, and 8-square section has the letters C-O-M-P-O-S-E-R (2 O’s in each). A BIT OF RHYTHM by Jeanette…