Going on a treasure hunt through a newspaper

What do you think of when you see a newspaper? Is it a place to read about the government and football? The place to check for the weather? Something your social studies teacher wants you to read?

There's a lot more in a newspaper than just news. To find out what, try this treasure hunt. See if you can find these in the Monitor:

* A picture of a person wearing a foreign costume.

* A map.

* A number greater than 10.

* A question mark.

* An advertisement for a toy.

* A picture of a pet.

* The name of a town other than where you live.

* The name of the state where you live.

* A picture of an athlete.

* A word that starts with a consonant cluster (st, ch, gr, etc.).

* A picture of something smaller than you.

* An action word.

* The name of a television star.

* A picture of something to eat.

* A word longer than eight letters.

* A picture that has both men and women in it.

* The name of a store.

* The name of this newspaper.

* The name of this newspaper's founder.

Here are some more games you might enjoy playing with a newspaper:

Alphabet - Find a really long article, and cut it out. Then circle the letters of the alphabet in order as they appear in the story (good luck on ''q'').

Word Hide-and-Seek - You'll need a friend, a family member, or both for this. Whoever is ''it'' selects a word on a particular page of the newspaper, and the player(s) then ask up to 20 questions that can be answered yes or no to help them locate the word (''Is it in a headline? Does it begin with 'p'?''). Whoever guesses the word wins, and gets to be ''it'' next.

Stop the Presses! - Pretend you've just discovered the Smurfs living in the principal's office in your school. Call a press conference (your parents may enjoy being the reporters on this) and give your story, telling who/what/when/where/why and how. Or write the article yourself. Show your teacher.

Help Wanted - If you look at the classified ads, you'll see listings for all kinds of jobs. Try writing a ''help wanted'' ad yourself for a new teacher. Or a new parent. How much experience should they have? Should they be strict or easy? What kind of salary will they receive?

Time Capsule - Newspapers are said to be instant history. Looking on the front page today, which article (or articles) do you think will be important 100 years from today? Now look through the ads - what products will still be sold 100 years from now?

Food for the Family - On Wednesday, the Monitor publishes a food section. Can you find any recipes the people in your family would like to try? Cut them out, and give them to the cook in your family. Does the recipe make the right amount? If not, you can use your math skills to make it bigger or smaller.

For Teen-agers Only - Pretend the editor has assigned you to write a weekly column for teen-agers. What would you put in it? How should it be written? Try writing one, and show it to your English teacher. Or send it to the Living Page Editor at The Christian Science Monitor, One Norway Street, Boston, Mass. 02115.