Thinking Skills Activities

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Grades 3–6

Thinking Skills
Activities
35 Pages of Logic Puzzles, Math Bafflers,
and More
Grades 3–6

Thinking Skills
Activities
35 Pages of Logic Puzzles, Math Bafflers,
and More

Pr u fr oc k Press I nc .
Waco, Te xa s
Copyright ©2020, Prufrock Press Inc.

Prufrock Press grants the individual accessing this eBook permission to print or photocopy original
activity pages for individual use.

This eBook is a compilation of activities from Prufrock Press resources, including:


• Logic Safari, Book 1, Grades 2–3 (pp. 3–10)
$12.99
https://www.prufrock.com/Logic-Safari-Book-1-Grades-2-3-P182.aspx

• Word Bogglers: Visual Words and Idioms (pp. 11–18)


$16.95
https://www.prufrock.com/Word-Bogglers-Visual-Words-and-Idioms-Grades-3-6-P214.aspx

• Math Bafflers: Grades 3–5 (pp. 19–26)


$19.95
https://www.prufrock.com/Math-Bafflers-Logic-Puzzles-That-Use-Real-World-Math-Grades-3-5-
P904.aspx

• The World's Greatest Brain Bogglers (pp. 27–33)


$19.95
https://www.prufrock.com/The-Worlds-Greatest-Brain-Bogglers-Grades-3-9-P82.aspx

• Brain Food: 100+ Games That Make Kids Think (pp. 34–37)
$29.95
https://www.prufrock.com/Brain-Food-100-Games-That-Make-Kids-Think-P336.aspx

For more resources like these, visit our website at https://www.prufrock.com.

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2
Birthday Bashes

Lyle, Ryan, and Troy have their birthdays in the same month. They have chosen to
have their parties at the roller rink, the miniature golf course, and the pizza parlor.
Tear open these clues to find out how each person will be celebrating his special day.

Clues �
1. Lyle, and the boy who
::::,
+J ....
J!:!� ·- .....
(\J
C-
(\J 0
has chosen the roller
rink, and the boy
-c
........
0 .-
·-
E °'0 i::t .::::
·-
a.a.
ro

whose party will be at


the pizza parlor are all
very excited.
2. Troy's party will not be
at the pizza parlor.

3 © Prufrock Press Inc • Logic Safari, Book 1


Swimming Lessons

Steve, Andy and Ted all go to the pool for swim lessons. They have different
instructors. Today one boy is in a group learning to tread water, one is in a group
diving for pennies on the bottom of the pool, and one is in a group jumping off the
diving board. Dive into these clues to find out who is doing what.

Clues
1 . Andy, his brother who is Cl
0

:a
V\
C
treading water, and his ·cC
QJ
Cl
C

:a
·5
n:,
friend who is diving fo_r ....
QJ
a.
QJ

pennies all live within
walking distance of the
pool.
2. Steve and Andy are not Steve ____________
brothers.
Andy _________

Ted _________.___

© Prufrock Press Inc• Logic Safari, Book 1 4


After School

Daralynn, Kevin, and Tara are three friends who stay for the after-school play
program. Today one is playing with a yo-yo, one with a jump rope, and one with
puzzles. Unlock the clues to find out who is doing what.

Clues
1 . Daralynn, the boy with the a.
0
'- V'I

yo-yo, and the girl with the


t
QJ
0 a. N
jump rope are all picked E N
.......
:::, a.
up by their parents around
5:30.
2. Tara and Daralynn are
sisters.

5 © Prufrock Press Inc • Logic Safari, Book 1


Spring Musical

The second grade is working very hard on its spring musical. Megan, Adam, and
Jeff have special roles in the production as a baseball player, a rose bud, and a
young fisherman. Use these clues to find out who had what role.

I-
Clues

ro
a. C 1. Megan, and the baseball player,
-c ro
(0 ::s E and the fisherman have to bring
..0
their own costumes and props.
..0 I-
Q) Q)
1/1
Q)
1/1 .c
ro
2. Jeff has to remember to bring
1/1
..0 ti=

his bat and mitt to rehearsals as


well as to team practice.

© Prufrock Press Inc • Logic Safari, Book 1 6


Aluminum Can Drive

Carla, Patrick, and Justin all wanted their class to be the leader in the aluminum
can drive. They brought in 2, 3, and 5 bags of crushed cans. Smash your way
through this clue to find out who brought how many bags.

Clue
VI VI "'C'I
1. Carla brought more bags than C'I C'I
IO
� � ..c
Justin but fewer than Patrick. N rn LI)

7 © Prufrock Press Inc • Logic Safari, Book 1


Helping in Grandpa's Garden

Tyler, Jack, and Brenda are helping their grandfather in the garden. One is
transplanting seedlings from the hot bed, one is working compost into the soil, and
one is tying tomato plants to stakes. Cultivate these clues to find out who is doing
what.

Clues
1 . Jack and the boy transplanting seedlings are happy when they get a chance to
help their grandfather.
en
2. Jack and the girl staking tomatoes are cousins. C
·.p
C Vl
ru �
en o
(l)

c.. eno
Vl CC.. c +-­
·- IO
C i5 E ..::.t.E

+-'
""O 0
ru u .!9o
Vl +-'

Tyler t----+----+-----1

Jack -------------
Brenda

© Prufrock Press Inc • Logic Safari, Book 1 8


Earth Day

Children helping with the Earth Day celebration were encouraged to wear a
T-shirt depicting something about the earth or nature. Janis, Charlie, Nicole, and
Ashley wore shirts with hummingbirds, rabbits, the world, and the Rocky Mountains
on them. Explore these clues to find out who wore each shirt.

Clues VI

VI ro
1 . Charlie, the girl who wore �
:::,
the hummingbirds, the girl C\ 0

.E
C �
with the rabbits, and the
girl whose shirt portrayed E :.c "U
0

ro 0
the Rocky Mountains laid I,... � a:
out their T-shirts the night
before so they wouldn't
forget.
Janis t-----t,------+-----+----t
2. Janis, Ashley, and the girl

-------------
with the Rocky Mountains
shirt had their moms help Charlie
them choose the best shirt

-------------
for Earth Day.
3. The hummingbird shirt Nicole
was not worn by Janis.

Ashley ____________

9 © Prufrock Press Inc • Logic Safari, Book 1


Scrambled Words

Mrs. Harman gave Greg, Vannessa, Brad, and Lauren four letters (l,L,O and S) to
arrange into a word. Each came up with a different combination. Their words were
Lois, oils, silo, and soil. Unscramble these clues to find out who came up with which
word.

Clues
1. Greg, and the girl forming Lois,
and the boy who found silo, and
Lauren were surprised by their
classmates' combinations.
2. Lauren did not come up with the
word soil.

© Prufrock Press Inc• Logic Safari, Book 1 10


flight
blueoncemoon

L Q Q p
0 Q p Q -e
w p
Q
p Q
p p
Q
...

I.. IJNf�B mibearnd

1. the best; first-rate


2. very rarely
3. facts or secret information
4. manners, as in mind your . . .
s. something for carrying your lunch
6. to remember and think about

© Prufrock Press Inc• Word Bogglers


11
,,/,
,,,., ,1' ,,.,�,,
,.. , 1' I,I I
II' I I\, I I
:. ,' •• }
'-•'••
,
, ... , ,'l' ·,:l (,' ,
,•,

:,
, ..,,.,l '',, ""I
f ' .. ,
I .. , I

'' :

hayneedleStack staJ'4
'I'

1. an important person
2. a machine to join fabric together
3. something that is hard to find
4. your dreams may come true
s. an upper story or floor of a building
6. a sweet, cold treat

© Prufrock Press Inc• Word Bogglers


12
Name ------------
tail
r r
gun salute gun salute gun salute
gun salute gun salute gun salute
gun salute gun salute gun salute
gun salute gun salute gun salute
gun salute gun salute gun salute
gun salute gun salute gun salute
gun salute gun salute gun salute

fiO dimensional
board dimensional

r r

I e d
p.�
.,�w� e gg
..,,..,�"'•�� I e 9
e
, .. d
1. scurry off or leave quickly
2. an official tribute
3. to do too much or be extravagant
4. having length and width but no depth
5. an ice cream concoction
6. sitting with one leg over the other

© Prufrock Press Inc• Word Bogglers


13
m
corn a
r
cob k
e
d

dogyou'rehouse pra■■ura
break

his eyes hiaatomach starm

1. corn in its natural state


2. on sale
3. to be in trouble
4. to fall apart
s. took more than he could eat
6. a winter storm

© Prufrock Press Inc• Word Bogglers


14
gf:Jcung
troualwaysble

..
pancakes
pancakes
>l�ABBACK e_anca.kes
pancakes

cute
cute
1. continually doing the wrong thing
2. nervous and tense
3. adjacent or following immediately
4. something you'd eat for breakfast
s. extremely attractive
6. to snub or ignore

© Prufrock Press Inc• Word Bogglers


15
walk
eggs

E
L I cycle
D
D
eye e
A
s cycle

what's
JJ.®ru!.� /MbiJJ

1. to be very cautious
2. to take turns in a circle
3. get ready to go
4. a child's vehicle
s. a classic tale by Lewis Carroll
6. What are you thinking about?

© Prufrock Press Inc • Word Bogglers


16
fire
cajustse
COURAGE
....

1. a novel by Louisa May Alcott


2. emotional pain
3. in the event that; if
4. bravery during times of great trouble
5. a famous clock in London
6. just barely getting away

© Prufrock Press Inc • Word Bogglers


17
ho ho
,,.

taking
BIG
...

,,.

,,. ,,.
l&1 DAXCB ti

5 &
E

A DAXCB l'i
... ... ....

1. a large, important project


2. " . . . It's off to work we go."
3. the hand most people write with
4. a party game
5. a dance for four couples
6. to make someone feel better

© Prufrock Press Inc • Word Bogg/ers


18
The Dog Days of Summer
Summer Fitzpatrick loves her dog, Sunshine. She especially likes spend-
ing extra time with Sunshine during summer vacation from school. Although
Summer does not watch television every day, summer vacation is a great time
for her to catch up on watching some of her favorite cartoon shows. Guess what
appears in her favorite cartoons—yes, dogs! Read each clue to see if you can
match each celebrity dog with the time of day that it appears in one of Summer’s
favorite cartoons.

Clues:
1. Snoopy appears earlier in the day than Pluto does.
2. Summer almost always eats breakfast sometime between 7:30 a.m. and
9:30 a.m.
3. Scooby-Doo is never on TV during Summer’s breakfast.
4. Snoopy and Odie are never seen on a 10:00 a.m. cartoon show.
5. Odie is on a cartoon show earlier in the day than Snoopy’s show.
6. Summer almost always eats dinner sometime between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00
p.m.
7. Sometimes Summer watches Scooby-Doo or Underdog while eating
dinner.
8. Underdog can be seen later in the day than Scooby-Doo.

Odie Pluto Scooby-Doo Snoopy Underdog


8:00–9:00 a.m. 8:00–9:00 a.m. 8:00–9:00 a.m. 8:00–9:00 a.m. 8:00–9:00 a.m.

8:30–9:30 a.m. 8:30–9:30 a.m. 8:30–9:30 a.m. 8:30–9:30 a.m. 8:30–9:30 a.m.

10:00–10:30 a.m. 10:00–10:30 a.m. 10:00–10:30 a.m. 10:00–10:30 a.m. 10:00–10:30 a.m.

4:30–5:30 p.m. 4:30–5:30 p.m. 4:30–5:30 p.m. 4:30–5:30 p.m. 4:30–5:30 p.m.

5:30–6:00 p.m. 5:30–6:00 p.m. 5:30–6:00 p.m. 5:30–6:00 p.m. 5:30–6:00 p.m.

Math Bafflers: Logic Puzzles That Use Real-World Math • Grades 3–5
19 © Prufrock Press Inc
Halloween Haul
It was Halloween—time for trick or treating and the resulting sugar frenzy.
To provide a safe area for trick or treating, the city of Hagatha held a party for
kids at the community center. After stopping at various spooky displays, play-
ing games at the booths, and gathering treats at each stop, three girls had quite
a selection of sweet treats. No girl had the same amounts of caramels, chocolate
chunks, or gumdrops. (Hint: That means that if someone had 15 caramels, then
she did not have 15 chocolate chunks or 15 gumdrops, so remember to cross out
those options.) Use the clues to deduce how many of each type of candy each
girl took home.

Clues:
1. Jellie had twice as many chocolate chunks as caramels.
2. Lollie had twice as many gumdrops as chocolate chunks.
3. Candi had twice as many caramels as gumdrops.
4. Jellie had more gumdrops than Lollie.

Candi Barr Jellie Beane Lollie Popp


15 caramels 15 caramels 15 caramels
30 caramels 30 caramels 30 caramels
60 caramels 60 caramels 60 caramels

15 chocolate chunks 15 chocolate chunks 15 chocolate chunks


30 chocolate chunks 30 chocolate chunks 30 chocolate chunks
60 chocolate chunks 60 chocolate chunks 60 chocolate chunks

15 gumdrops 15 gumdrops 15 gumdrops


30 gumdrops 30 gumdrops 30 gumdrops
60 gumdrops 60 gumdrops 60 gumdrops

Math Bafflers: Logic Puzzles That Use Real-World Math • Grades 3–5
20 © Prufrock Press Inc
Show Me the Talent!
Mr. Hastings, the school band director, invited students to perform solos
during a special Talent Week. Students were eager to show their capabilities, but
hesitant to be the first to perform. Two girls (Betty and Meg) and three boys (Lee,
Tim, and Scott) played on Thursday. Can you use the clues to figure out the order
in which the students played their solos, and which instrument each one played?

Clues:
1. Tim played before Scott.
2. Neither Scott nor Tim played tuba or piano.
3. Meg did not play trumpet.
4. A boy played the piano.
5. Betty did not use her mouth to play her instrument.
6. Meg played immediately before the pianist and immediately after the
flutist.
7. A girl performed last.
8. The first soloist did not play the flute.

Betty Lee Meg Scott Tim


first first first first first
second second second second second
third third third third third
fourth fourth fourth fourth fourth
fifth fifth fifth fifth fifth
flute flute flute flute flute
percussion percussion percussion percussion percussion
piano piano piano piano piano
trumpet trumpet trumpet trumpet trumpet
tuba tuba tuba tuba tuba

Math Bafflers: Logic Puzzles That Use Real-World Math • Grades 3–5
21 © Prufrock Press Inc
I Can “Ad” Fractions
Mrs. Crouse, the Media Center Specialist, is considering ordering several
new magazines at school. She received five sample magazines, each of which
had 60 pages. She asked three girls (Courtney, Morgan, and Shannon) and two
boys (Ellis and Riley) each to evaluate a magazine and to note how many pages of
advertisements and articles that magazine contained. Mrs. Crouse was seeking
magazines with a higher number of articles, and not so many ads. Use the clues
to determine how many pages of ads and articles each student found.
First, calculate the fractions for how much of the 60-page magazine each
page count makes up. (For example, 30 pages is 1/2.) Do this by dividing the num-
ber of ads and articles by 60, the number of pages. You will get a decimal as an
answer. Convert the decimal to a fraction. Some of these are done for you. Write
the correct fractions in the column beside the number of ads and articles. (Hint:
This fraction will mean how much of the whole magazine is taken up by ads or
articles. That means that if somebody does not have 2/5 of a magazine’s worth of
ads, then that person also does not have a magazine that is 3/5 articles, because
the articles and ads should add up to 5/5, or one whole magazine.) For example, 6
pages of ads from a 60-page magazine is 6/60 or 1/10.

Clues:
1. Ellis is not the one who found that 1/4 of a magazine was ads.
2. One student discovered that her magazine had articles on 5/6 of the pages.
3. Courtney is not the student who counted 1/12 or 1/6 of a magazine as ad
pages.
4. Ellis counted fewer pages of ads than Shannon, who counted fewer than
Morgan.
5. Riley is not the one who evaluated the magazine with 1/4 ads.
6. Morgan counted more pages of articles than Riley.
7. Courtney did not count 1/5 pages of ads.

Math Bafflers: Logic Puzzles That Use Real-World Math • Grades 3–5
22 © Prufrock Press Inc
I Can “Ad” Fractions, continued

Courtney Ellis Morgan Riley Shannon Fraction


5 5 5 5 5 1/12

10 10 10 10 10 1/6
Number
of Ad 12 12 12 12 12 _________
Pages
15 15 15 15 15 _________

20 20 20 20 20 _________
40 40 40 40 40 _________
Number 45 45 45 45 45 _________
of
Article 48 48 48 48 48 _________
Pages 50 50 50 50 50 5/6

55 55 55 55 55 11/12

Math Bafflers: Logic Puzzles That Use Real-World Math • Grades 3–5
23 © Prufrock Press Inc
New Kids on the Block
Five neighbors have moved to Amarillo within the past 6 years. Each one is
a different age, and each has lived in Amarillo a different length of time. Use the
clues to determine each child’s age and how long he or she has lived in Amarillo.

Clues:
1. Joshua is twice as old as Camryn.
2. Joshua has lived in Amarillo half as long as Petra.
3. Lydia is half as old as Ozzie, and Ozzie is half as old as Petra.
4. Ozzie has lived in Amarillo half as long as Lydia.
5. Petra has lived in Amarillo 3 years longer than Joshua, who has lived in
Amarillo 1 year longer than Lydia.

Camryn Joshua Lydia Ozzie Petra


4 4 4 4 4
Age in Years

6 6 6 6 6
8 8 8 8 8
12 12 12 12 12
16 16 16 16 16
1 1 1 1 1
Amarillo

2 2 2 2 2
Years in

3 3 3 3 3
4 4 4 4 4
6 6 6 6 6

Math Bafflers: Logic Puzzles That Use Real-World Math • Grades 3–5
24 © Prufrock Press Inc
Breakfast Buddies
Four neighbor girls meet at one another’s houses for breakfast on Thursday
mornings before school. Last Thursday, they had cereal squares and fruit. Use
the clues to determine how many cereal squares and how many pieces of fruit
each person consumed for breakfast.

Clues:
1. Cass had 1/3 as many fruit pieces as she had cereal squares.
2. Dominique had three fewer fruit pieces than Suzette.
3. Suzette had 1/2 as many fruit pieces as she had cereal squares.
4. Elianna had three fewer fruit pieces than Cass.
5. Dominique had 1/3 as many fruit pieces as she had cereal squares.

Cass Dominique Elianna Suzette

18 squares 18 squares 18 squares 18 squares


Cereal

24 squares 24 squares 24 squares 24 squares


27 squares 27 squares 27 squares 27 squares
30 squares 30 squares 30 squares 30 squares

3 banana slices 3 banana slices 3 banana slices 3 banana slices


6 strawberries 6 strawberries 6 strawberries 6 strawberries
Fruit

9 raisins 9 raisins 9 raisins 9 raisins


12 blueberries 12 blueberries 12 blueberries 12 blueberries

Math Bafflers: Logic Puzzles That Use Real-World Math • Grades 3–5
25 © Prufrock Press Inc
Let’s Party
Four friends all have birthdays in July (on the 1st, the 19th, the 23rd, and the
28th). This year they compared everything about their birthdays, including what
gifts they received, what their families did on their special day, what they ate,
cards they received, and who was there to celebrate with them. Use the clues to
discover how many birthday cards each friend received and how many people
attended his or her birthday celebration.

Clues:
1. Glenda received two fewer birthday cards than Adrian.
2. The one who had five people over for his or her birthday got 18 cards.
3. Brianna had two more guests at her party than Leonard.
4. The one who received 12 cards had seven guests over for the party.
5. Leonard received two fewer cards than Brianna.
6. The one with three guests at the party did not have 14 cards.
7. Glenda had two more guests at her party than Brianna had at hers.

Adrian Brianna Glenda Leonard


12 12 12 12
Birthday
Cards

14 14 14 14
16 16 16 16
18 18 18 18
Celebration

three three three three


Guests at

five five five five


seven seven seven seven
nine nine nine nine

Math Bafflers: Logic Puzzles That Use Real-World Math • Grades 3–5
26 © Prufrock Press Inc
World’s Greatest Brain Bogglers
© Prufrock Press Inc

Number Puzzle
Fill in the blanks with the numbers 3 and
5. Each row and column must equal to 21.

3 5

5 5
Donny Miller
Oak Brook, IL

Brain Boggler
My first letter is in dog but not in frog.
My sixth letter is in fin but not in fun.
My second letter is in log but not in fling.
My seventh letter is in dinner but not in digger.
My third letter is in long but not in wrong.
My fifth letter is in thing but not in string.
My fourth letter is in pond but not in fond.
What am I?
Brandon Wilson
Midland, TX

27
World’s Greatest Brain Bogglers
© Prufrock Press Inc

Galaxy Game
Using the ten dots, connect four in a row
five times without lifting your pencil.


● ● ● ●
● ●

● ●

David Charpentier
West Allis, WI

Chain Link
Write a word in the space next to the clue.
The last two letters of each word are the
first two letters of the following word.

1. Something that erupts


2. ______, South, East, West
3. The chair of a king
4. Not old
5. A female sheep
6. Snow, hail, rain, sunshine
7. To wipe out
8. Oceans
9. To question
10. A short board with wheels

Travis Vignali
Menasha, WI

28
World’s Greatest Brain Bogglers
© Prufrock Press Inc

Making Connections
What is the word that comes before or after
each of the three words in each group to make a
compound word or a common two-word phrase?
1. room tub mat ____________________
2. fall park lily ____________________
3. ice soda lolli ____________________
4. skate hockey berg ____________________
5. bath bed living ____________________
6. bow coat forest ____________________
7. base basket foot ____________________
8. hair blow air ____________________
9. stop knob hinge ____________________
10. milk mail post ____________________

Jacque Jackson
Midland, TX

Hidden Places
In every sentence, there is a name of a country or state
hidden in the words. Find the name and underline it.
Example: “The unit,” Ed states, “is science.”

1. When we went hiking, we took a mug and a backpack.


2. A large or giant animal was the least of our worries.
3. We saw a cub and a turtle on our trip.
4. Leopards are scarce, but that kind of animal, I have seen before.
5. Is that guy an animal?
6. Tom’s pain in his back prevented him from going to the woods.
7. We went to the beach in a boat.
8. We were washing tons of clothes when we returned from the beach.
9. In Diana’s car, I found the keys that we thought were lost.

Caitlin Peterson
Castleton, NY

29
World’s Greatest Brain Bogglers
© Prufrock Press Inc

Pictures Worth A
Thousand Words
1 2 3

FLOORSETST Show T FA R D

Kayla Cochran, Thomas Teets, and Nathan Cogar, Arthurdale, WV

4 5 6

PIECES
i R e a d

Maggie Acuna and Sarah Gitelis, Oak Brook, IL

7 8 9

Spring
poppd 2 Future
llaF

Stephanie Harrell, Hendersonville, TN

30
World’s Greatest Brain Bogglers
© Prufrock Press Inc

Ad Lib
Find a friend and ask him or her to give you:
1. girl’s name 5. place 9. store
2. noun 6. adjective 10. number
3. holiday 7. verb 11. boy’s name
4. adjective ending in est 8. adjective

Write the words your friend gives you on the assigned spaces. Read back the story to your
friends and get ready to laugh!

Dear Aunt ,
girl’s name

Thank you for the that you got me for . It must be the
noun holiday adjective ending in est

present in ! It is so ! I’ve never had a toy that could . All


place adjective verb

the kids in school have this toy. I bet that you bought it at . I’ve seen number
adjective store

commercials on it. Thank you again.

Your nephew,

boy’s name

Jacquelyn S. Hatch
Utica, OH

Brain Boggler
On January 1, a girl said to a boy, “Two days ago,
I was 7, but next year I’ll be 10.” She was telling the
truth. Try to figure out how this could be possible.

Pamela Massey
San Antonio, TX

31
World’s Greatest Brain Bogglers
© Prufrock Press Inc

Scrambled States
Use the clues to discover the state names.

R + +

1+ + Ya
3

+ +

Nithya Vaduganathan, Houston, TX

32
World’s Greatest Brain Bogglers
© Prufrock Press Inc

On the Job
Jessica Dunn
Sugar Land, TX
Five girls were planning to get together on Friday night for a party. Each said that she
would come if no other plans came up. By some coincidence, however, all five of them
received calls for babysitting jobs that night. None of them had much money, therefore, all
five girls chose to babysit. Each girl went to a different residence and played a different
game. Each of them also watched a different movie and ate a different snack. Using the
clues, determine the residence each girl went to, the movie each watched, the game each
played, and the snack each ate?
1. Brenda didn’t watch a movie with her first 6. Rachel watched a Disney animated movie.
initial in its name. She babysat for the The girl who ate chips doesn’t like anything
Saphins once, but they never called again. related to Disney.
2. Either Laura or Rachel went to the Dunhi 7. Brenda doesn’t like to wait for food to be
residence; the other played Aggravation. prepared in the microwave. Laura is allergic
Emily either played checkers or went to the to chocolate.
Davis residence. 8. Either Rachel or Laura played Aggravation;
3. The girl who played Aggravation went to the the other played Sorry! Laura didn’t watch
Alrich residence. The girl who went to the Aladdin. The girl who played Sorry! watched
Nebori residence either played Life or check- Beauty and the Beast.
ers. The girl who played checkers didn’t 9. Emily hates animated movies because the
babysit for a family starting with the letter D. events and characters seem fake to her.
4. Emily played either checkers or Sorry! The 10.The girl who watched The Secret Garden ate
girl who ate chips was either Brenda or a candy bar and was either Jennifer or Laura.
Emily. Brenda didn’t watch a movie set in Seattle,
5. The girl at the Davis house watched either or an animated movie.
The Secret Garden or Sleepless in Seattle. 11.Rachel’s mother doesn’t like her to eat any
Laura ate either popcorn or chips. Emily ate thing sweet unless it’s also healthy for her.
either peanuts or chips.
Home Alone
Aggravation

Candy Bar
Checkers

Popcorn
Aladdin

Cookies
Peanuts
Garden
Nebori
Saphin

Beauty
Alrich

Dunhi

Seattle
Sorry!

Chips
Davis

Clue
Life

Brenda
Jennifer
Laura
Rachel
Emily

33
Brain Food © Prufrock Press Inc

34
Brain Food © Prufrock Press Inc

35
Brain Food © Prufrock Press Inc

36
Brain Food © Prufrock Press Inc

37
Answer Key
1. Birthday Bash. pg. 3 Page12
Lyle -miniature golf 1. big shot
Ryan -pizza parlor 2. sewing machine
Troy -roller rink 3. needle in the haystack
4. wish on a star
2. Swimming Lessons. pg. 4
5. upstairs
Steve -pennies
6. ice cream
Ted -treading water
Andy -diving board Page13
1. high tail
3. After School. pg. 5
2. 21-gun salute
Daralynn-puzzles
3. go 011erboard
Kevin-yo-yo
4. two dimensional
Tara-jump rope
5. banana split
4. Spring Musical. pg. 6 6. cross legged
Megan -rose bud
Page14
Adam - fisherman
1. corn on the cob
Jeff-baseball player
2. marked down
5. Aluminum Can Drive, pg. 7 3. you're in the doghouse
Carla-3 bags 4. break under pressure
Patrick - 5 bags 5. his eyes are bigger than his stomach
Justin-2 bags 6. snow storm

6.Helping In Grandfather's Page15


Garden, pg. 8 1. always in trouble
Tyler - transplanting 2. high strung
Jack-adding compost 3. back to back
Brenda - staking tomatoes 4. stack of pancakes
5. too cute
7. Earth Day, pg. 9 6. cold shoulder
Janis -rabbits
Nicole -Rocky Mountains Page 16
Charlie -world 1. walk on eggs
Ashley -hummingbirds 2. round robin
3. saddle up
8. Saambled Words, pg. 10 4. tricyde
Greg-soil 5. Alice in Wonderland
Vannessa -Lois 6. what's on your mind
Brad-silo
Lauren -oils Page 17
1. Little Women
2. heartbreak
Page11 3. just in case
1. top flight 4. courage under fire
2. once in a blue moon
5. Big Ben
3. low down
6. narrow escape
4. p's and q's
5. lunch box Page 18
6. bear in mind 1. big undertaking
2. hi ho hi ho
3. right hand
4. musical chairs
5. square dance
6. cheer up

38
Solutions for Pages 19–26

Use these solutions to check your work.


Solutions are described step by step in the same order their clues appear.
Please note that these solutions demonstrate the author’s reasoning. You can
use a different path of thinking and still get correct solutions.
The introductions, charts, and clues included with each puzzle contain suf-
ficient information to solve it. However, the logic required to solve some puzzles
can be challenging. You may need more information to use a clue, so read the
clues several times. If you are baffled, use the descriptions for help. Do not guess.
Find information to verify your thinking.
Brackets indicate that relevant information was taken from an earlier clue.
For example, [3] means that information from Clue 3 is being used. The use of
parentheses or the notation “(only one)” indicates that this option is the only one
remaining in a column or row, and you should circle it.

The Dog Days of Summer


Clue 1: Snoopy is not on from 5:30–6:00. Pluto is not on from 8:00–9:00.
Clue 2: Use information later.
Clue 3: Scooby-Doo is not on at breakfast [2], so he is not on from 8:00–9:00 or
8:30–9:30.
Clue 4: Snoopy is not on from 10:00–10:30. Odie is not on from 10:00–10:30.
Clue 5: Odie is not on from 5:30–6:00. Snoopy is not on from 8:00–9:00.
Clue 6: Use information later.
Clue 7: Underdog and Scooby-Doo are on during dinner [6], so they are on from
either 4:30–5:30 or 5:30–6:00. Eliminate Odie, Pluto, and Snoopy from those
two times. Snoopy is on from 8:30–9:30 (only one). Then Odie is on from
8:00–9:00, and Pluto is on from 10:00–10:30 (only ones).
Clue 9: Underdog is on from 5:30–6:00, and Scooby–Doo is on from 4:30–5:30.
Answers: Odie, 8:00–9:00; Pluto, 10:00–10:30; Scooby-Doo, 4:30–5:30; Snoopy,
8:30–9:30. Underdog, 5:30–6:00.

Halloween Haul
Clue 1: Jellie did not have 15 chocolate chunks or 60 caramels.
Clue 2: Lollie did not have 15 gumdrops or 60 chocolate chunks.
Clue 3: Candi did not have 15 caramels or 60 gumdrops.

39
Clue 4: Jellie did not have the fewest gumdrops (she had more than Lollie), so
she did not have 15. Lollie did not have the most gumdrops. Then Lollie had
30 gumdrops (only one), Candi had 15 (only one), and Jellie had 60 (only one).
Further Reasoning: No girl had the same amount of each candy [Intro], so
Candi did not have 15 chocolate chunks, Jellie did not have 60 chocolate
chunks, and Lollie did not have 30 caramels or 30 chocolate chunks. You can
see that Candi had 60 chocolate chunks, Jellie had 30 chocolate chunks, and
Lollie had 15 chocolate chunks (only ones). Candi could not have 60 cara-
mels [Intro], so she had 30. Jellie had 15 caramels, and Lollie had 60 caramels
(only ones).
Answers: Candi, 30 caramels, 60 chocolate chunks, 15 gumdrops; Jellie, 15 cara-
mels, 30 chocolate chunks, 60 gumdrops; Lollie, 60 caramels, 15 chocolate
chunks, 30 gumdrops.

Show Me the Talent!


Clue 1: Tim did not play fifth. Scott did not play first.
Clue 2: Scott did not play piano or tuba. Tim did not play piano or tuba.
Clue 3: Meg did not play trumpet.
Clue 4: Piano was not Betty’s or Meg’s instrument [Intro, girls]. It was not Tim’s
or Scott’s [2], so Lee played piano (only one).
Clue 5: Betty did not play flute, trumpet, or tuba, because they require a mouth-
piece. She did not play piano [4], so she played percussion (only one). Meg
played tuba (only one).
Clue 6: Meg was not first or fifth. Piano was not the first or second instrument
played, and flute was not fourth or fifth. Lee played piano, so he was not first
or second.
Clue 7: There are only two girls. Meg was not fifth [6], so Betty was fifth. Tim
played first (only one).
Clue 8: Tim was first [7], so he did not play flute. He played trumpet, and Scott
played flute (only ones).
Further Reasoning: The order [6] was flute [7, Scott], then Meg, then piano [4,
Lee], so Scott played second, Meg played third, and Lee played fourth.
Answers: Betty, fifth, percussion; Lee, fourth, piano; Meg, third, tuba; Scott, sec-
ond, flute; Tim, first, trumpet.

I Can “Ad” Fractions


Calculations: For ad pages, 5 pages = 1/12; 10 pages = 1/6; 12 pages = 1/5; 15 pages =
¼; and 20 pages = 1/3. For article pages, 40 pages = 2/3; 45 pages = ¾; 48 pages
= 4/5; 50 pages = 5/6; and 55 pages = 11/12.

40
Clue 1: Ellis did not count 15 pages (¼) of ads, so he did not count 45 pages (¾)
of articles.
Clue 2: The clue says “her” magazine was 5/6 (50 pages) articles, so it is not Ellis
or Riley [Intro, boys], and Riley and Ellis did not count 1/6 (10 pages) ads.
Clue 3: Courtney’s magazine was not 1/12 (5 pages) or 1/6 (10 pages) ads, so it also
was not 11/12 (55 pages) or 5/6 (50 pages) articles.
Clue 4: Ellis did not count 15 pages (1/4) or 20 pages (1/3) of ads [1], so he did not
count 45 pages [1] or 40 pages (2/3) of articles. Shannon did not count 5 pages
(1/12) or 20 pages (1/3) of ads, so she also did not count 55 pages (11/12) or 5
pages (1/12) of articles. Morgan did not count 5 pages (1/12) or 10 pages (1/6) of
ads, so also did not count 50 pages (5/6) or 55 pages (11/12) of articles.
Clue 5: Riley did not count ¼ (15 pages) ads, so he also did not count ¾ (45
pages) articles.
Clue 6: Morgan did not count 40 pages (2/3) of articles (has more than Riley), and
she did not count 50 pages (5/6) or 55 pages (11/12) [4], so she counted 48 pages
(4/5) or 45 pages (3/4) of articles. Riley did not count 55 pages (11/12) of articles
(has less than Morgan), did not count 50 pages (5/6) [2], did not count 45
pages (3/4) [5], and could not have counted 48 pages (4/5) of articles (Morgan’s
highest), so he must have counted 40 pages (2/3; only one) of articles and 20
pages (1/3) of ads.
Further Reasoning: Then Ellis counted 5 pages of ads and 55 pages of articles
(only one). Shannon counted 10 pages of ads and 50 pages of articles (only
one).
Clue 7: Courtney did not count 1/5 (12 pages), so Morgan counted 1/5 (12 pages)
ads, meaning 4/5 articles. Then Courtney counted ¼ (15 pages) ads (only one),
so she also counted ¾ (45 pages) articles.
Answers: Courtney, 15 pages (¼) ads, 45 pages (¾) articles; Ellis, 5 pages (1/12)
ads, 55 pages (11/12) articles; Morgan, 12 pages (1/5) ads, 48 pages (4/5) articles;
Riley, 20 pages (1/3) ads, 40 pages (2/3) articles; Shannon, 10 pages (1/6) ads, 50
pages (5/6) articles.

New Kids on the Block


Clue 1: Joshua is not 4 or 6 years old, and Camryn is not 12 or 16 years old.
Clue 2: Joshua has not been in town 4 or 6 years, and Petra has not been there
1 or 3 years.
Clue 3: Lydia is not 12 or 16 years old, and Ozzie is not 4 or 6 years old. Ozzie is
not 12 or 16 years old, so he is 8 years old. Then Lydia is 4 years old, and Petra
is 16 years old. Camryn is 6 years old, and Joshua is 12 years old (only ones).

41
Clue 4: Lydia has not been in town 1 or 3 years, and Ozzie has not been there 4
or 6 years.
Clue 5: If Lydia has been in town 1 year, then Joshua has been there 2 years and
Petra has been there 5 years (not a choice). This means Lydia has been there
2 years, Joshua has been there 3 years (half of Petra) [2], and Petra has been
there 6 years. Then Ozzie has been in town 1 year (half of Lydia) [5], and
Camryn has been in town 4 years (only one).
Answers: Camryn, age 6, 4 years in town; Joshua, age 12, 3 years in town; Lydia,
age 4, 2 years in town; Ozzie, age 8, 1 year in town; Petra, age 16, 6 years in
town.

Breakfast Buddies
Clue 1: Cass had either 18 cereal squares and 6 pieces of fruit or 27 cereal
squares and 9 pieces of fruit. She did not have 24 or 30 cereal squares or 3 or
12 pieces of fruit.
Clue 2: Suzette did not have 3 pieces of fruit. Dominique did not have 12 pieces
of fruit.
Clue 3: Suzette had either 24 cereal squares and 12 pieces of fruit or 18 cereal
squares and 9 pieces of fruit. She did not have 27 or 30 cereal squares or 6
pieces of fruit.
Clue 4: Cass did not have 3 or 12 pieces of fruit [1], so Elianna did not have 12 or
9 pieces of fruit. Then Suzette had 12 blueberries (only one).
Clue 5: Dominique had either 18 cereal squares and 6 pieces of fruit or 27 cereal
squares and 9 pieces of fruit. She did not have 24 or 30 cereal squares or 3
bananas. Then Elianna had 3 banana slices (only one).
Further Reasoning: Reviewing Clue 2, Suzette had 12 pieces of fruit [4], so
Dominique had 9 raisins, and Cass had 6 strawberries (only ones). Reviewing
Clue 3, Suzette had 12 pieces of fruit, so she had 24 cereal squares. Reviewing
Clue 5, Dominique had 9 pieces of fruit, so she had 27 cereal squares. Then
Elianna had 30 cereal squares and Cass had 18 cereal squares (only ones).
Answers: Cass, 18 cereal squares, 6 strawberries; Dominique; 27 cereal squares,
9 raisins; Elianna, 30 cereal squares, 3 banana slices; Suzette; 24 cereal
squares, 12 blueberries.

Let’s Party
Clue 1: Adrian did not get 12 cards. Glenda did not get 18 cards.
Clue 2: Glenda did not get 18 cards, so she did not have five people at the
celebration.
Clue 3: Brianna did not have three guests. Leonard did not have nine guests.

42
Clue 4: Adrian did not get 12 cards [1], so he did not have seven guests.
Clue 5: Brianna did not get 12 cards. Leonard did not get 18 cards. Then Brianna
did not have seven guests [4], and Leonard did not have five guests [2].
Clue 6: Use information later.
Clue 7: Glenda did not have three guests. Brianna did not have nine guests.
Brianna had five guests (only one). Then Leonard had three guests [3], Glenda
had seven guests, and Adrian had nine guests (only one).
Further Reasoning: Reviewing Clue 2, Briana had five guests, so she got 18
cards. Reviewing Clue 4, Glenda had seven guests, so she got 12 cards. Then
Adrian got 14 cards [1]. Leonard got 16 cards [5] (only one).
Answers: Adrian, 14 cards, nine guests; Brianna, 18 cards, five guests; Glenda,

43
Solutions for Pages 27–33

Number Puzzle

3 3 5 5 5
5 5 5 3 3
5 3 3 5 5
3 5 5 5 3

5 5 3 3 5

This is one solution. Answers may vary.

Brain Boggler
dolphin

Galaxy Game


● ● ● ●
● ●

● ●

44
Chain Link
1. volcano; 2. North; 3. throne; 4. new; 5. ewe; 6.
weather; 7. erase; 8. seas; 9. ask; 10. skateboard

Making Connections
1. bath; 2. water; 3. pop; 4. ice; 5. room; 6. rain; 7. ball;
8. dryer; 9. door; 10. man

Hidden Places
1. When we went hiking, we took a mug and a backpack.
2. A large or giant animal was the least of our worries.
3. We saw a cub and a turtle on our trip.
4. Leopards are scarce, but that kind of animal, I have seen before.
5. Is that guy an animal?
6. Tom’s pain in his back prevented him from going to the woods.
7. We went to the beach in a boat.
8. We were washing tons of clothes when we returned from the
beach.
9. In Diana’s car, I found the keys that we thought were lost.
or
9. In Diana’s car, I found the keys that we thought were lost.

Pictures Worth A Thousand Words


1. lost in the forest; 2. showcase; 3. backdraft; 4. broken
pieces; 5. eye shadow; 6. read between the lines; 7. two peas
in a pod; 8. back to the future; 9. spring forward, fall back

Brain Boggler
The girl’s birthday is December 31.

45
Scrambled States
1. Arkansas; 2. Pennsylvania; 3. Rhode Island

On the Job
Brenda: Nebori, Life, Home Alone, cookies; Jennifer: Davis,
Clue, Secret Garden, candy bar; Laura: Dunhi, Sorry!,
Beauty and the Beast, popcorn; Rachel: Alrich, Aggravation,
Aladdin, peanuts; Emily: Saphin, checkers, Sleepless in
Seattle, chips

46

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