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• It’s in the Mail! Explore the Joys of Exchanging Letters

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Putting Spring in Your Step

April is a great month for kids and parents to observe nature "spring" into action. With everyone so busy, it's easy to ignore the melting snow, sprouting buds, and chirping birds.

The inspiration: HighlightsKids.com presents new interactive Hidden Pictures each month as well as a wide selection of Hidden Pictures from the past. www.highlightskids.com

What you can do near home: You and your children can use your well-developed Hidden Pictures observation skills to discover what is camouflaged in your local landscape. When you really look closely, what do each of you discover that wasn't immediately apparent? Kids can make their own hidden-pictures drawings.

The inspiration: On page 2 of the April 2007 edition of Highlights, kids see pictures of four different leaves and are asked to identify them. Did you know that the oak is America's national tree? Can you name America's national bird? What do you think is the national flower? Not sure? Look below for answers to our little "national quiz."

What you can do near home: Go for a nature walk and look for different varieties of trees and plants that grow in your neighborhood. Did any of the trees keep their leaves over the winter? Is new foliage appearing on the trees that lost their leaves? Encourage your kids to observe and even take photos, collect samples, or draw pictures to track the progress of leaves as they appear on nearby trees.

The inspiration: On pages 16 to 19 of the April 2007 issue of Highlights High Five, you'll find a story of a boy and his mother who see an empty bird's nest, and then watch as eggs appear in the nest, and finally watch as the baby birds learn to fly.

What you can do near home: Go on a "listening tour" to listen for the sounds outside your home. Stop, close your eyes, and try to identify those background sounds that so often go undetected. Do you hear any birds? Can you and your child identify or imitate any of them? What other sounds do you or your child discern?

National Quiz Answers: America's national bird is the American bald eagle and the national flower is the rose.