Grandma buys a brand-new bike that has no pedals and no chain. Instead of returning it, she gives it as a birthday present, and it's a huge hit. How is that possible?
Hint: Think about who the gift is for.
AnswerIt's a balance bike for a toddlerBalance bikes have no pedals or chain on purpose, so little kids can scoot along with their feet and learn to balance.
Maria Lopez has been in fifth grade for 20 years in a row. She's never failed a class, she has perfect attendance, and every June she watches everyone else move on to sixth grade without her. How is that possible?
Hint: She's at the front of the room.
AnswerShe's the fifth-grade teacherMaria is the teacher, so she stays in fifth grade while her students move on each year.
It's 110 degrees in Phoenix in July, yet every morning Marco puts on a heavy winter coat, a hat and gloves before he starts his work day. He isn't sick, and nobody is playing a joke. Why?
Hint: It's not about the weather outside.
AnswerHe works somewhere freezing, like a giant freezerMarco's job is inside a walk-in freezer, like an ice cream warehouse or cold-storage plant, where it's below zero no matter how hot it is outside.
Every night, Mr. Brooks is a little bit shorter than he was when he woke up, and every morning he's back to his full height. He doesn't slouch, and his shoes have nothing to do with it. How is that possible?
Hint: It happens to almost everyone.
AnswerHis spine squishes a little during the dayStanding and sitting all day gently squeezes the cushions between the bones in your back, and they spring back while you lie down at night.
Ryan glanced at the clock and said it was 7:45. His mom checked and said it was really 4:15. The clock has no numbers, just marks, it works perfectly and Ryan read the hands correctly. How is that possible?
Hint: He wasn't looking straight at the clock.
AnswerHe was looking at the clock in a mirrorA mirror flips the clock left to right, so hands pointing to 4:15 look like they're pointing to 7:45.
It's exactly midnight on a night in late June, and Hank is mowing his lawn in the sunshine. His watch and every clock in his house are correct. How is that possible?
Hint: Think far, far north.
AnswerHe lives in northern AlaskaNear the Arctic Circle in summer, the sun stays up around the clock or barely dips below the horizon, so it's still light at midnight.
Two 10-year-olds spent the afternoon driving into other cars on purpose while a crowd of adults watched and laughed. Nobody had a license, nobody got a ticket, and every car involved got its power through a pole sticking up from its back. Why?
Hint: Those cars were built to be hit.
AnswerThey're driving bumper carsBumper cars draw electricity through a pole touching the ceiling grid, and crashing into each other is the whole point.
Zoe spent ten minutes writing a long note with a cotton swab, but when she handed it to her friend, the paper looked completely blank. Her friend read every word anyway. How?
Hint: Think about the kitchen and a little heat.
AnswerZoe wrote in lemon juice, and her friend warmed the paperLemon juice dries invisible, but gentle heat, like a warm lightbulb, turns it brown so the hidden message shows up.
Every night, Pam falls asleep in a different state, yet she sleeps in the exact same bed. She doesn't own a house, and she isn't on vacation. How is that possible?
Hint: Her bed goes wherever her job takes her.
AnswerShe's a long-haul trucker who sleeps in her truckMany big rigs have a bed in a sleeper cab behind the seats, so Pam drives across state lines all day and sleeps in the same bed every night.