The Courier-Times, Roxboro, N.C. Wednesday, June 29, 2011 B7
The Mini
Betty Debnam, Founding Editor and Editor at Large
© 2011 Universal Uclick
Celebrating Our United States
from The Mini Page © 2011 Universal Uclick
American Symbols
As you prepare to celebrate
Independence Day on July 4, you
may be noticing a lot of symbols of
America and freedom. You’ll see them
in advertising, in decorations and in
artwork.
Many
of these
symbols
stand for
the ideals,
or beliefs
and goals, we have about our country.
They make us feel patriotic about the
United States.
This week, The Mini Page highlights
some of our American symbols and
explains how they came to he so
important to our country.
Types of symbols
A symbol is something that
represents or stands for something
else. But it doesn’t always have to he
something we see.
For example, a song, such as
“The Star-Spangled Banner,” or
spoken words, such as the Pledge
of Allegiance, are symbols of our
patriotism and loyalty to the
United States.
The Statue of
Liberty stands
on an island
in New York
Harbor. It is
one of the
world’s largest
statues.
The seven rays
of her crown
stand for the
seven seas
and seven
continents.
Her torch is
a symbol of
welcome to
new arrivals. A
broken chain
at her feet is
a symbol of
freedom.
photo by Daniel Schwen
The Statue of Liberty
On July 4,1884, France gave the
Statue of Liberty to the United States
as a gift of friendship. It is a symbol of
freedom throughout the world. Two
years later, in 1886, the statue
was opened to visitors.
She holds a tablet with the date of
the Declaration of Independence.
Uncle Sam
During the War of 1812, a man
named Sam Wilson was a supplier
of food to the US. Army. One of his
workers referred to him as Uncle
Sam, and soon Uncle Sam came to
symbolize the US. government.
Later, during World War I and
World War II, a poster showing Uncle
Sam was used to recruit, or attract,
soldiers for the Army.
Illustrator
James
Montgomery
Flagg designed
the recruiting
poster with the
famous image
of Uncle Sam.
IW^YOU
FOR U.S.ARNY
NEAREST RECRUITINC STATION
Mini Spy ...
Mini Spy and her friends are having fun with sparklers
on the Fourth of July! See if you can find: • 2 word MINIs
envelope
• lizard
• number 7
• 2 letter E’s
• fish
nng
horse’s head
mushroom
letter D
number 2
lipstick
cow
letter M
fan
bow
number 3
pie
two hearts
casserole dish
question mark
from llie Mini Page © 2011 Universal Uclick
The Pledge of Allegiance
Do you say this in your classroom at
the start of each day?
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
United States of America, and to
the republic for which it stands, one
nation under God, indivisible, with
liberty and justice for all.
^ Rookie Cookie’s Recipe
Spinach and Rice Side Dish
You’ll need:
• 1 “boil in the bag” brown rice (2 cups cooked)
• 2 cups packed fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 teaspoon butter
• salt md pepper to taste
What to do:
1. Cook rice according to package directions.
2. Place chopped spinach in the bottom of a medium-sized bowl.
3. Pour hot cooked rice on top.
4. Add butter and mix thoroughly. Hot rice will wilt spinach
slightly.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
You will need an adult’s help with this recipe.
from The Mini Page©2011 Universal Uclick
Meet Billy Kelly
Billy Kelly is a singer and songwriter. He and
his band, The Blahblahblahs, have produced
three CDs. The latest is “The Family Garden.”
He made his first CD from music he
composed for his two daughters. He also does
the animation for kids’ videos.
Billy says, “I’ve been pla3dng music my whole
life. I grew up with a piano. I thought he was
my brother until I was about 12.” He also plays guitar, banjo,
mandolin and harmonica.
While he was growing up, he wanted to be a cartoonist. He says
he still does.
Billy lives with his family in Lewisburg, Pa. He enjoys working
in his garden, writing poems and drawing pictures.
from The Mini Page © 2011 Universal Uclick
from The Mini Page ©2011 Universal Uclick
Gus Goodsport’s Baport
Supersport: Chad Ochocinco
at
Height: 6-1 Birthdate: 1-9-78
Weight: 192 Hometown: Miami, Fla.
Chad Ochocinco excites football fans with his pass-catching
flair on the field. He also amuses them with his flamboyance
off the field.
The Cincinnati Bengals all-pro receiver is adventuresome.
Ochocinco — who was Chad Johnson before changing his name in 2008 to
the Spanish version of his jersey number, 85 — has ridden a bull in a Pro
Bull Riding event and tried out for a professional soccer team this year.
In 2010 he reached the Final Four on “Dancing With the Stars.” To raise
money for a charity, he once raced a horse.
Still, catching passes is what Ochocinco does best. In 10 NFL seasons he
has made All-Pro three times, played in six Pro Bowls, amassed 1,000 or
more receiving yards in seven seasons, and holds seven team records.
His next venture besides catching more passes? Stay tuned.
from The Mini Page © 2011 Universal Uclick
Our Star-Spangled Banner
First flags
After the Continental
Congress approved a design
for our national flag, different
people made flags. Betsy
Ross was one of them, but her
flag, with the stars arranged
in a circle, was probably not
made until the 1790s.
Fifteen stripes?
When Kentucky and
Vermont joined the Union,
the flag was changed to
include 15 stars and stripes.
Francis Scott Key saw this
flag waving on the morning
after a battle at Fort McHenry
in Baltimore during the War of 1812.
Key was so inspired by the sight that
he wrote a poem, “Defence of Fort
McHenry,” which later became our
national anthem.
Today that flag is on display at the
Smithsonian National Museum of
‘The Star-Spangled
Banner’
0! say can you see by
the dawn’s early light.
What so proudly we
hailed at the twilight’s last
gleaming.
Whose broad stripes
and bright stars through
the perilous
On June 14,1777, the Continental Congress approved the
first design for our flag. It had 13 red and white stripes and 13
stars on a blue field. The flag changed as new states joined the
country. Today’s flag, shown above, has 50 stars, one for each
state. The 13 stripes stand for the first 13 colonies.
American History in Washington, D.C.
A final design
In 1818, President James Monroe
signed a bill declaring that the flag
would have 13 stripes to symbolize
the original 13 colonies, and a star
would be added for each state.
Since then, it has been changed
24 times.
fight.
O’er the
ramparts
we watched,
were so
gallantly
streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the
bombs bursting in air.
Gave proof through the night that
our flag was still there;
0! say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave.
O’er the land of the free and the
home of the brave?
n The Mini Page @ 2011 Universal Uclick
America in Symbols
In 1967, the bald eagle was put on the
endangered species list, but thanks to
federal laws protecting the bird, it was
removed from the list in 2007.
The bald eagle
The bald eagle is a living symbol
of the United States. It is found
only in North America. Its white
head feathers make it appear as if
it is bald. But the name “bald eagle”
comes from an old word, piebald,
which means marked with white.
The bald eagle became our national
symbol in 1782. Our founding fathers
wanted a bird that symbolized
strength, courage and freedom.
The rose
The rose became our
national flower just 25
years ago. President
Ronald Reagan signed
the resolution in the Rose
Garden at the White House
Look in your newspaper for aAs or arficles
that use U.S. symbols as illustrations.
Can you think of symbols other than
those listed here?
The White House
The White House is a symbol
of our president and our elected
government. It is among the most
famous buildings in the world.
Every president has lived in
the White House except George
Washington. Construction began in
October 1792, and the building was
ready in November 1800, when John
Adams was president.
In 1814, the British burned the
White House, but it was rebuilt.
The president’s office is called the
Oval Office. The president’s family
lives on the upper two floors of the
White House.
The helicopter Marine One prepares to
land on the South Lawn of the White
House in Washington, D.C. Do you know
the address of this famous building? It’s
at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
The Liberty Bell
The Liberty Bell was originally
made in England for the Pennsylvania
State House.
It was rung
when the
Continental
Congress
signed the
Declaration of
Independence
in 1776.
The first
bell from
England cracked; a second bell also
cracked. This third one, made by
John Pass and John Stowe, also
began to crack in the mid-1800s.
Today, the bell is still rung
gently on Independence Day in
Philadelphia.
The Great Seal of the
United States
Our founding fathers believed the
new country needed a seal to show
our independence and hopes for the
future. In 1782, a seal was approved.
It includes:
a scroll that
says “E pluribus
unum,” or “Out
of many, one”
How many parts
of the seal include
13 items? See
answer below.
an olive
branch to
symbolize
peace
bald eagle
arrows to
symbolize
war
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Betty Debnam - Founding Editor and Editor at Large
The Mini Page Staff
Lisa Tarry - Managing Editor
Lucy Lien - Associate Editor Wendy Daley - Artist
MIGHTY
FUNNY’S
nunn
from The Mini Page © 2011 Universal Uclick
(U
All the following jokes have something in common.
Can you guess the common theme or category?
Dave: What did the dog say when it sat on the
sandpaper?
Denise: “Rough, rough!”
Derrick: What trick do zombies teach their
dogs?
Dennis: To play dead!
Dara: Where are abandoned dogs sent?
Dylan: To an arfanage!
from The Mini Page © 2011 Universal Uclick
o U I try 'N
Symbols rnd
Words that remind us of American symbols are hidden in the biock below. Some
words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used twice.
See you can find: ALLEGIANCE, AMERICA, BELL, DAY, EAGLE, FLAG,
IDEALS, INDEPENDENCE, LIBERTY, PLEDGE, ROSE, SEAL, SONG, STARS,
STATES, STATUE, STRIPES, SYMBOL UNCLE SAM, UNITED, WHITE HOUSE.
from The Mini Page © 2011 Universal Uclick
Ready Resources
The Mini Page provides ideas for websites,
books or other resources that will help you learn
more about this week’s topics.
On the Web:
• http://americanhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner
• www.thenationalanthemproject.org/songsamples.html
• www.whitehouse.gov/about/white-house-101
• http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols
At the library:
• “0, Say Can You See: America’s S5rmbols, Landmarks
and Inspiring Words” by Sheila Keenan
W
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