© 2017 by Vicki Whiting, Editor Jeff Schinkel, Graphics Vol. 33, No. 28
Meet Mercury
To find out the answer to the
riddle, find the letters asked
for in each step and write
them in order.
Woodword is cruising by Mercury this week.
Mercury is the closest planet to the sun
in our solar system. Replace the missing
words in his interstellar text message.
Mercury’s
surface is
covered
with
deep
craters.
Dear Kid Scoop Readers -
Mercury is very much like our
_________. It is dry, airless
and ___________ of craters.
Because there is nearly no
_________, or atmosphere,
around Mercury, flying space
rocks called meteorites and
asteroids have ______________
into the planet’s ___________
leaving behind deep craters.
Earth’s atmosphere slows down
meteorites and asteroids that
hurtle towards us, and nearly
all __________ up before they
hit the ground.
Circle the first 3/5
of this word:
Photo
courtesy
NASA / JHU
Applied Physics
Lab / Carnegie
Institute Washington
Circle the last 2/5
of this word:
Circle every
third letter for
the answer.
Mercury has an enormous crater called
the Caloris basin. It was formed by a really
big flying space rock. The impact was so
strong that it formed _____________ on the
other side of the planet!
Circle the first 2/6
of this word:
Your spacey friend,
Woodword
Circle the middle 2/4
of this word:
Use the comparison chart at right
to answer these questions.
1. About how many Earth days does a day
on Mercury last?
24
59
99
2. About how many times in one Earth
year will Mercury orbit the sun?
4
6
10
Circle the last 2/5
of this word:
Mercury has no atmosphere to
protect it from the sun’s heat,
or to capture and hold in the
heat on the dark side.
This page was
fun! I wonder what
books the library
might have about
Mercury?
Mercury’s sunny side can heat
up to 750°F (399°C). The dark
side is much, much colder with
a temperature that can go down
to -328°F (-200°C).
… wondering about and
exploring our world and beyond.
Mercury
Adjectives
Look through
the newspaper
to find five
adjectives
that describe
Mercury.
Find the differences
between the hot side
and the cold side in
this silly picture.
Complete the grid by using all the letters
in the word YEAR in each vertical and
horizontal row. Each letter should only
be used once in each row. Some spaces
have been filled in for you.
Standards Link:
Language Arts: Follow
simple written
directions.
Mercury zips around
the sun every 88 days –
faster than any other
planet. It gets its name
from the quickest of
the ancient
gods –
Mercury, the
messenger
of the
gods.
Mercury was depicted
as wearing sandals
with wings on them,
the secret to his
great speed.
All but one
of these
running
shoes has
an exact
match.
Can you
find it?
Standards Link: Earth Science: Students know about the sun, planets and stars.
Numbers Game
Find and circle as many numbers as you
can find on one newspaper page. What is
the largest number you can find? Add up
your numbers. Find the average of your
numbers.
Standards Link: Research: Use the newspaper to locate information.
ATMOSPHERE
MESSENGER
ASTEROIDS
FRICTION
MERCURY
CRATERS
HURTLE
ORBIT
SPACE
ROCKS
EARTH
DARK
BURN
GODS
AIR
R E G N E S S E M C
A S T E R O I D S R
E R E H P S O M T A
This week’s word:
C M S G O E E D E T
ATMOSPHERE
A R O K L R A C U E
The noun atmosphere
means the gas surrounding
a celestial body.
P D R T C R B R I R
S A R U K O I I T S
B U R N L A R P T H
H Y N O I T C I R F
After the fire, the
atmosphere was filled
with smoke.
Try to use the word
atmosphere in a sentence
today when talking with
your friends and family.
When I Grow Up
What do you want to be
when you grow up? Write a
paragraph about the job you
would like to have one day and
why you would be good at it.