Jamie stood at the threshold of his new classroom, his heart pounding with excitement. The room buzzed with the chatter of children, all eager to start their first day. Tian and Fiona, his best friends since kindergarten, were already inside, scanning the room with wide eyes.
"Look, Jamie! There's Charlie the frog's picture on the wall!" said Tian, pointing to a poster of a cheerful green frog.
Frau Podlech, their teacher, clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "Good morning, class 1C! Today, we have a special mission. Charlie the frog is hiding somewhere in the school, and it's our job to find him!"
"How do we find him?" asked Fiona, her eyes shining with curiosity.
"We'll solve math puzzles," explained Frau Podlech. "Each correct answer will give us a clue to Charlie's hiding spot."
Jamie, Tian, and Fiona gathered around their desks, papers spread out before them. "Let's start with the first puzzle," said Fiona, picking up a pencil.
"It's a simple addition," noted Jamie, scribbling down the answer. The numbers added up perfectly, revealing their first clue: "Look under the big green bench."
"I know where the big green bench is!" exclaimed Tian, leading the way. They hurried down the hall, their laughter trailing behind them like a comet's tail.
Fiona was the first to reach the bench, dropping to her knees to peek underneath. "There's another puzzle here!" she called out, pulling out a folded sheet of paper.
Jamie wrote furiously on the chalkboard, his friends offering suggestions as they worked through the last equation. Frau Podlech watched with a proud smile.
"Got it!" Jamie shouted, his eyes lighting up. The answer spelled out a location: "The library."
The trio raced into the library, their eyes darting around the room. There, nestled between two large books on the bottom shelf, was a small plush frog with a wide grin—Charlie the frog.
"We found him!" Fiona cheered, holding up Charlie triumphantly.
Frau Podlech joined them, clapping her hands. "Well done, class! You solved the puzzles and found Charlie. What a fantastic start to the school year!"
As the children gathered around Charlie, Jamie felt a warm sense of belonging. Today was the beginning of an exciting journey, filled with adventures and new discoveries.
