© 2015 Universal Uclick
Flag Day Is June 14
from The Mini Page © 2015 Universal Uclick
Flags of Our States
We celebrate
Flag Day on June
14. It was on that
date in 1777 that
the Continental
Congress adopted
the Stars and
Stripes as our country’s flag.
Our first flag had 13 stripes and only
13 stars, one for each of the original
Colonies.
Today, our flag has 13 stripes for the
original 13 Colonies and 50 stars, one
for each state.
The Mini Page celebrates Flag Day
with our state flags and the date each
state joined the Union.
1. Delaware
Dec. 7, 1787
6. Massachusetts
To do: Find your state on the flag chart and on the map. Circle them. Take this
chart with you on any road trip you take this summer and color in each state you
visit. Also, put a check when you see a license plate from that state.
2. Pennsylvania
Dec. 12, 1787
7. Maryland
Feb. 6, 1788
April 28, 1788
11. New York
12. North Carolina
July 26, 1788
Nov. 21, 1789
3. New Jersey
Dec. 18, 1787
8. South Carolina
May 23, 1788
13. Rhode Island
May 29, 1790
4. Georgia
Jan. 2, 1788
9. New Hampshire
June 21, 1788
14. Vermont
March 4, 1791
5. Connecticut
Jan. 9, 1788
10. Virginia
June 25, 1788
15. Kentucky
June 1, 1792
from The Mini Page © 2015 Universal Uclick
Who Was Mary Pickersgill?
You may not know the name Mary
Pickersgill. But it was Mary, not
Betsy Ross, who sewed the flag we
now call the Star-Spangled Banner.
During the War
of 1812, Maj. George
Armistead wanted a
flag for Fort McHenry
“so large that the
British will have no
difficulty seeing it
Mary Pickersgill
from a distance.” In
Baltimore, a young seamstress named
Mary Pickersgill was commissioned,
or hired, to make two flags. The larger
one was to be 30 by 42 feet! The
smaller flag, 17 by 25 feet, was to fly
during storms.
A huge job
Mary hired her daughter, two
nieces, other seamstresses and her
mother to help sew the flags. They
completed the order in just six weeks.
The flags were delivered to Fort
McHenry on Aug. 19, 1813.
The Star-Spangled Banner
Flag facts
• Mary Pickersgill’s Star-Spangled
Banner weighed 50 pounds. Nine men
were needed to hoist it into the air.
• The flag used more than 400 yards
of fabric. The stripes and blue field
were made of wool; the stars were
made of cotton.
• The flag has 15 stars and 15
stripes, one for each state of the Union
at that time.
• Mary was paid $405.90 for the
larger flag and $168.54 for the smaller
one. (Do the math: How much did she
make total?)
• Today the Star-Spangled Banner
is on display at the Smithsonian’s
National Museum of American History.
A year later, in September 1814,
Mary Pickersgill’s enormous flag
inspired a young lawyer, Francis Scott
Key, to write a song about the morning
after the Battle of Baltimore. He called
it “The Defence of Fort McHenry.” He
wrote it to a popular British tune. Do
you know the song?
O 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 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;
O say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave,
O’er the land of the free, and the
home of the brave?
Answer: $574.44
from The Mini Page © 2015 Universal Uclick
from The Mini Page © 2015 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:
• 1.usa.gov/1zBcXFj
• amhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/
• 50states.com
At the library:
• “50 States of America, The Flags” by Jmm Shepperd
• “F Is for Flag” by Wendy Cheyette Lewison
• “Flags of the Fifty States: Their Colorful Histories and
Significance” by Randy Howe
Flags of Our States
TM
Basset
Brown’s
Try
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Words that remind us of Flag Day are hidden in the block above. Some
words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used twice.
See if you can find: BALTIMORE, COLONIES, COMMISSIONED, COTTON,
FABRIC, FLAG, FORT, JUNE, KEY, MARY, MCHENRY, PICKERSGILL,
SEAMSTRESS, SONG, STARS, STATE, STRIPES, UNION, WOOL.
Mini Spy
TM
TM
Rookie Cookie’s Recipe
Berry Good Lemonade
Mini Spy and her classmates admire the
Alabama state flag. See if you can find: q word MINI
q 3 cats
q kite
q number 7 q heart
q safety pin q letter E
q bell
q caterpillar
q sock
q book
q pencil
q letter A
q coffee pot q ruler
q number 3 q sailboat
q key
q tooth
q man in the moon
You’ll need:
• 1 (12-ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
• 4 cups water
• 2 cups cranberry-raspberry juice
• 1 lime, sliced
What to do:
1. Pour lemonade into large pitcher. Stir in water until wellblended.
2. Add cranberry-raspberry juice and stir.
3. Thinly slice lime and add to pitcher.
4. Chill well or serve over ice.
You will need an adult’s help with this recipe.
from The Mini Page © 2015 Universal Uclick
TM
Eric Herman is a singer and songwriter. He
also creates animated videos of his songs and
comedy sketches and has made musical albums
for kids. His first spoken-word comedy album
is “The Incredibly Spaced-Out Adventures of
Jupiter Jackson.”
Eric began writing and performing comedy
sketches for his friends in elementary school.
When he was 13, he learned to play the guitar.
He joined several bands and later performed as
a soloist. He now performs with his band Eric
Herman and the Thunder Puppies. He travels throughout the country
performing at schools.
Eric, 45, grew up in the Buffalo, New York, area and now lives with
his family in Washington state. He performs in many community theater
shows such as “The Music Man.” He composes classical-type music for the
orchestra and also has written a musical comedy.
photo by Jim Colton
from The Mini Page © 2015 Universal Uclick
Meet Eric Herman
from The Mini Page © 2015 Universal Uclick
from The Mini Page © 2015 Universal Uclick
Lauren Chamberlain
The long ball is a powerful part of Lauren Chamberlain’s
Goldie
Goodsport’s game. The University of Oklahoma senior softball player
Supersport has been smashing home runs for the Sooners since her
second game in uniform. As a freshman, Lauren belted 30
home runs to set a Big 12 Conference single-season record.
The following season, she matched that number and led the
NCAA in homers.
On April 30, Lauren stepped to the plate in the top of the
fourth inning against North Texas with her team trailing
2-0 and the bases loaded. Facing a count of one ball and one
strike, she then pounded the pitch over the center-field wall
Height: 5-9
for a grand slam that put her team up 4-2.
Age: 22
With that hit, Lauren set the all-time NCAA softball
Hometown:
career
home run record with her 91st round-tripper,
Trabuco
shattering
the previous record that had stood for 13 seasons.
Canyon,
California
She also did it in 52 fewer games and 107 fewer at-bats.
from The Mini Page © 2015 Universal Uclick
TM Mighty
Funny’s
Mini Jokes
All the following jokes have something in common. Can you
guess the common theme or category?
Pete: Where do you hang up an idea?
Paul: Inside a frame of mind!
Pierre: What is the saddest picture?
Patty: A blueprint!
Perry: Where does a sea lion hang pictures?
Piper: On the living room wal-rus!
Wave Your Flag!
16. Tennessee
June 1, 1796
17. Ohio
19. Indiana
18. Louisiana
from The Mini Page © 2015 Universal Uclick
20. Mississippi
March 1, 1803
April 30, 1812
Dec. 11, 1816
Dec. 10, 1817
22. Alabama
March 15, 1820
24. Missouri
Dec. 14, 1819
23. Maine
25. Arkansas
26. Michigan
27. Florida
28. Texas
29. Iowa
30. Wisconsin
31. California
32. Minnesota
May 11, 1858
33. Oregon
Feb. 14, 1859
34. Kansas
35. West Virginia
36. Nevada
37. Nebraska
38. Colorado
Aug. 1, 1876
39. North Dakota
Nov. 2, 1889
40. South Dakota
41. Montana
42. Washington
44. Wyoming
July 10, 1890
45. Utah
Nov. 8, 1889
Nov. 11, 1889
43. Idaho
Jan. 4, 1896
46. Oklahoma
47. New Mexico
48. Arizona
49. Alaska
50. Hawaii
21. Illinois
Dec. 3, 1818
Jan. 26, 1837
Sept. 9, 1850
Oct. 31, 1864
Nov. 16, 1907
March 3, 1845
March 1, 1867
Jan. 6, 1912
Aug. 10, 1821
Dec. 29, 1845
Dec. 28, 1846
Jan. 29, 1861
July 3, 1890
Jan. 3, 1959
Feb. 14, 1912
A few of our states became a part of the
United States on holidays. Can you find three
states that joined the Union on a holiday?
June 15, 1836
May 29, 1848
June 20, 1863
Nov. 2, 1889
Aug. 21, 1959
Look through your newspaper for Flag Day events
coming up in your area.
Next week, The Mini Page looks back at the sod
houses of pioneer times.
The Mini Page Staff
Betty Debnam - Founding Editor and Editor at Large Lisa Tarry - Managing Editor Lucy Lien - Associate Editor Wendy Daley - Artist