The Everything Kids Riddles & Brain Teasers Book (16 page)

A Running Maze
Human-sized mazes are known as labyrinths. In the old tales, people were challenged to pass through a labyrinth, and those who got lost starved to death or were attacked by a monster known as the Minotaur. Today, scientists use miniature labyrinths to experiment with mice and learn about their behavior.

It's
Norma's
twelfth birthday. This year, her family gave her a
boom box
. If every year before
were the same
, how many does she have?

When
Toby's
family entered the Yummyville
eating contest
, Toby was amazed when his little brother won the prize for swallowing over 1,000 items in
2
minutes.
Do you know how he did it?

Hidden Family

Can you find the family member who is hiding in each one of these sentences?

1. We had fun cleaning the garage!

2. The leprechaun told me where to find a pot of gold!

3. The music was so raucous, I needed to cover my ears!

4. Under the sofa there are many dustballs.

5. Did you read the same memo the rest of us read?

6. During a crisis, terrific people often show up to help!

7. The chicken broth erased the last symptoms of Brian's cold.

8. My friend in L.A. was happy to have me visit her!

Why did the watch go visit its parents?

It wanted to have some family “time.”

What do you get when you hook a bunch of yarn together?

A close “knit” family.

What does a wrestler say when he can't say “aunt”?

Uncle.

What do you call baby jellybeans?

Sweet.

What's the difference between a brother and a bother?

An “r.”

What is your father if you take his favorite chair?

A mad dad.

What is the Trampoline family's favorite time of year for vacation?

The spring.

Someone in the
Steinbeck
family plays an instrument. Can you guess which instrument?
Here's a clue:
“I have no locks, but 88 keys.”

If
Lisa's
family has
1
child every
2
years and Lisa, who's the oldest, is now
11
, how many children are in her family now?

Karl
and
Kate
were both in the kitchen at
1:30
for a snack, yet neither one saw the other.
How can this be?

Try This

Optical Illusions
When your brain and eyes work together, sometimes they can play tricks on you. Some of these tricks are known as optical illusions. To try one optical illusion test, take 2 empty paper towel tubes and hold the end of each one up to your eyes. Keeping them straight, look through the tubes. Now, while you are still looking through them, move the ends that are farthest from your eyes together until they touch. What do you see?

I
t may “shock” you to know what I discovered—and some say I had an “electric” personality. To this day, I'm sometimes called one of the Founding Fathers, and my portrait appears on one of those green bills you use to pay for things.
Who am I?

When the
Smith
family decided to move, everyone pitched in, including Sybil and her sister. If the girls can carry 2
large
objects or 6
small
ones each time, how many
trips
will it take to move 10 large objects and 16 small ones?

If it takes
12
minutes for the
Gowen
family to wait for a ride on the roller coaster, and
5
minutes for everyone to get off it, how many minutes are spent screaming?