The Odd Squad’s Odd Games

Join the Odd Squad in challenging adventure games, pbskids.org/oddsquad/games. In Artifact Adventure, you must act quickly to prevent a “snack-pocalypse.” You’re competing with an opponent, so think fast! Next, some agents are experiencing strange symptoms, so help Agent CheckUp examine them, diagnose their ailments and use the antidote to cure them. Want to solve some odd Cases? Your expertise is needed at headquarters! Complete challenges, examine the clues and try to solve every case. In

Code Breaker, your math skills will help you find patterns to solve puzzles.

What are the names of the two teams competing in Artifact Adventure?

Dear Amy: What are Brood X Cicadas, and are they harmful?

Dear Braxton: Brood X Cicadas, the largest brood of the 17-year cicadas, were all over the news this spring. Billions of the insects emerged in the Eastern U.S. at the beginning of May and were mostly gone by the end of June.

You may have seen news stories about these orange and red cicadas earlier this year, such as when a White House press corps charter plane was delayed due to cicadas. No one was harmed, but a new plane had to be arranged for the trip!

While some consider cicadas pests, they are not harmful to humans, and they are a plentiful food source for birds, racoons, opossums, foxes, frogs, turtles and even fish.

Cicadas don’t bite or sting humans, but Brood X can cause some damage to young trees, so planting in fall is recommended this year. By the way, the green cicadas you might see every summer hatch annually, from June until the end of August. For more facts about cicadas, visit the National Park Service’s Brood X Periodical Cicadas FAQ, nps.gov/articles/000/cicadas-brood-x.htm.