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© 2009 Universal Uclick release dates: December 5-11 49-1 (09) from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Uclick Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page ® . To order, send $15.99 ($19.99 Canada) plus $5 postage and handling for each copy. Make check or money order (U.S. funds only) payable to Universal Uclick. Send to The Mini Page Book of States, Universal Uclick, P.O. Box 6814, Leawood, KS 66206. Or call toll- free 800-591-2097 or go to www.smartwarehousing.com. Please send ______ copies of The Mini Page Book of States (Item #0-7407-8549-4) at $20.99 each, total cost. (Bulk discount information available upon request.) Name: ________________________________________________________________________ Address: _______________________________________________________________________ City: _________________________________________ State: _________ Zip: ________________ The Mini Page’s popular series of issues about each state is collected here in a 156-page softcover book. Conveniently spiral-bound for ease of use, this invaluable resource contains A-to-Z facts about each state, along with the District of Columbia. Illustrated with colorful photographs and art, and complete with updated information, The Mini Page Book of States will be a favorite in classrooms and homes for years to come. The Mini Page ® Book of States NEW! The winter holidays will soon be here. Do you celebrate one of these upcoming holidays? An evergreen tree Fir or pine trees are a favorite symbol of Christmas. This Christian holiday celebrates the birth of Jesus. But evergreen trees have been important to many different cultures for thousands of years. This week, The Mini Page explores some of the traditions that surround Christmas trees. We also find out how they’re planted, grown and harvested before they reach us. Trees that stay green For ancient people, winter was a difficult time. Farmers had harvested their crops and put away extra food for the cold season. But they still had to live through winter’s short days and gray skies. To lift their spirits, they might bring “evergreen” plants or leaves indoors. These reminded them that spring and new growth would come again. For instance, Egyptians brought leaves of date palm trees inside. Romans had a holiday called Saturnalia. This festival honored the god of agriculture, or crop-growing. They decorated their homes with greens. Christmas trees One legend says that during the early 1500s, a priest named Martin Luther was walking through the winter woods when he saw snow- covered evergreen trees. He thought they were so beautiful that he brought a small fir tree inside and decorated it with candles to honor Jesus’ birth. Our tree tradition The tradition of displaying a Christmas tree probably came to the United States with German immigrants, or settlers. It wasn’t until the early 1900s that many families displayed Christmas trees. Oh Christmas Tree! O Tannenbaum*! Hanukkah, begins at sundown on Friday, Dec. 11 Christmas, Friday, Dec. 25 Kwanzaa, begins on Saturday, Dec. 26 A tree farm worker helps this mother and son choose a tree. photo courtesy National Christmas Tree Association Date palm trees Ornaments on this White House Christmas tree were contributed by American art students. photo courtesy The White House *Tannenbaum is the German word for fir tree. It usually refers to a Christmas tree. Words that remind us of Christmas trees are hidden in the block below. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used twice. See if you can find: HOLIDAY, HANUKKAH, CHRISTMAS, KWANZAA, EVERGREEN, TANNENBAUM, SYMBOL, PALM, GERMANY, IMMIGRANT, ROOT BALL, WOODS, FARM, SHIP, SEEDLING, SHEAR, HARVEST, MULCH, GROW, TRUCK, CUT, SOIL, TALL. Christmas Trees TRY ’N FIND GO GREEN WITH A REAL TREE! Q S N H O L I D A Y M L A P H S Y H E J S A M T S I R H C A E M S I E Y N A M R E G A L N E B G D P R X C L I R W L F U D O L I O S G Y P O G A D J K L L A B T O O R W D T R U C K I A A Z N A W K E S H E A R A N M U L C H T S E V R A H N H G Z T U C M U A B N E N N A T from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Uclick Basset Brown The News Hound’s TM Ready Resources from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Uclick The Mini Page provides ideas for Web sites, books or other resources that will help you learn more about this week’s topics. On the Web: • www.realtrees4kids.org/ • www.christmastree.org/kids.cfm At the library: • “Christmas Tree Farm” by Sandra Jordan • “A Wish to Be a Christmas Tree” by Colleen Monroe • “Night Tree” by Eve Bunting from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Uclick Live tree Some families choose a live Christmas tree. Instead of being cut down, this type still has a root ball attached. These trees are usually sold at nurseries. People might choose a live tree if they want to plant it outside later. They can display it indoors for the holidays, then plant it outside. However, they have to plan ahead. If the ground may be frozen by Christmas, people will need to dig a hole before the freeze. They need to keep the tree cool while it’s indoors. If it gets too warm, the tree will think it’s spring and begin to bud. Then when it’s moved outside, the buds will fall off. Root balls are very heavy. A 5-foot- tall tree might have a root ball that weighs 200 pounds! Today, Christmas trees are grown in all 50 states. One area may have a particular soil or climate that helps a certain variety, or type, of tree grow well. Growers ship their trees all over the United States so that buyers can get the type they like best. A tree that’s been shipped from far away will probably cost more than one that was grown nearby. More About Trees When Christmas trees became popular about 100 years ago, people probably went into the woods to search for the right tree. They cut it down and hauled it home. Later, in the 1940s and ’50s, farmers began to grow trees, making it easier for customers to choose one and move it home. Farmers could use land that was not good for growing other crops. They started choosing their plants based on size and shape. In the early 1900s, you might have cut down your own tree in the woods and carried it home on your back or using a horse-drawn wagon. photo courtesy Library of Congress Where do we find Christmas trees? The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Nevada sells permits for Christmas tree cutting each year. photo courtesy Bureau of Land Management In some states, people can get a permit to cut trees on public lands, such as in state or national forests or parks. Rookie Cookie’s Recipe Crunchy Edamame (ed-uh-MAH-may) You’ll need: • 1 (16-ounce) bag frozen shelled edamame (soybeans) • 1 tablespoon olive oil • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice • 1 /3 cup grated parmesan cheese • salt and pepper to taste What to do: 1. Thaw frozen edamame by rinsing with cold water in a large colander. 2. Dry edamame with paper towels, then place in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. 3. Blend olive oil with lemon juice; pour over edamame. 4. Sprinkle cheese evenly over the soybeans and salt and pepper to taste. 5. Bake in a 400-degree oven for 15 minutes until cheese melts. You will need an adult’s help with this recipe. from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Uclick TM from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Uclick Terrence: What does a maple tree like to watch on TV? Trudy: Sap operas! Tom: How far is it from one tree to the next in a dense forest? Tina: Just a hop, skip and a stump! TM All the following jokes have something in common. Can you guess the common theme or category? Telly: What is a tree’s favorite beverage? Tanya: Root beer! Mini Spy . . . Mini Spy and Rookie Cookie have picked out their tree from the Christmas tree farm! See if you can find: • shark • cat • letter E • horned toad • leaf • safety pin • bell • fox • dove • star • letter D • sea horse • word MINI • heart • fish from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Uclick TM from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Uclick Meet Jim Carrey Jim Carrey stars as Ebenezer Scrooge in the Disney movie “A Christmas Carol.” He has starred in many movies, including “The Truman Show,” “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” He was the voice of Horton in “Horton Hears a Who!” Jim, 47, was born in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. When he was in junior high, his teachers let him do a short comedy routine for his classmates at the end of each school day. His family hit hard times, and when he was a teenager he had to work eight hours a day after school as a janitor at a factory. For a while, his family lived in a camper van. Jim later began working at comedy clubs. When he was about 17, he moved to Los Angeles to try to help his career. After working in clubs for several years, he started to get movie parts. He later became an American citizen, although he kept his Canadian citizenship as well. photo © ImageMovers Digital LLC. All Rights Reserved from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Uclick From Farm Field to Family The Mini Page Staff Betty Debnam - Founding Editor and Editor at Large Lisa Tarry - Managing Editor Lucy Lien - Associate Editor Wendy Daley - Artist At the farm Christmas tree farms buy seedlings, or very small plants, from nurseries. They choose the variety based on the weather and soil, along with how popular they think a certain type of tree will be. Harvest Once trees are about 7 feet tall, they are cut down. The harvest may be only three or four days before the trees reach the sales lot. A tree is fresh if: • the bottom of the trunk is sticky with sap. • the needles bend, but don’t break. • the tree doesn’t lose many needles when you shake it. Growing up Christmas trees grow about 1 foot per year. Most people want trees that are about 6 to 8 feet tall. While the trees are growing, farmers shape them by shearing, or cutting off, branches. They use a machete, a long-bladed knife, or power tools for this job. Shaping also makes the trees more dense, or full of branches. Farmers start the shearing when trees are 2 years old. Sometimes trees have to be lifted out of the row with a helicopter if a truck can’t reach them. photos courtesy National Christmas Tree Association Ready to sell After trees are cut, they’re taken to a staging area. Here the trees are bundled and stacked for shipment. The distributor can decide which trees are going on which trucks. This saves a lot of time and provides fresher trees to sellers. The Mini Page thanks Rick Dungey with the National Christmas Tree Association and David Robson, extension educator with the University of Illinois Extension, for help with this issue. To find the nearest tree recycling program, call 800-CLEANUP, or go to http://earth911.com. Sold! Tree farmers harvest 30 million to 35 million trees every year. After the holiday, many of these are recycled as mulch or are sunk in ponds to make homes and feeding areas for fish. from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Uclick Supersport: Terrence Cody Height: 6-5 Weight: 365 Hometown: Fort Myers, Fla. Terrence Cody is the kind of defensive lineman who can spoil a Saturday afternoon for the University of Alabama’s opponent. For example, on Oct. 24 the gigantic nose guard blocked two field goal attempts — one on the last play of the game — to assure a 12-10 Crimson Tide victory over Tennessee. Trying to block the senior, nicknamed “Mount Cody,” is a little like trying to move a mountain. “I haven’t seen anybody who can match this guy one-on-one; nobody who plays on Saturday, or Sundays (in the NFL), probably,” Georgia coach Mark Richt was quoted. Cody, who played just two years of high school football, was a consensus All-America as a junior last season, his first at Alabama. Before joining the powerhouse Crimson Tide program he starred at Gulf Coast Community College. In the future, he should be disrupting offenses in the NFL. TM
