Release Date:October 16-22
4:&-1
Especially
and
for
their
(~~)
families
e
I
Disbibuted by Universal Press Syndicate
C 1999 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
By BETTY DEBNAM
~eafaring
sailors settle down
The Vikings Head Westward
Erik the Red
l'Anse aux Meadows
"Vinland" '
Who were the Vikings?
The Vikings were fierce sailors from what
is now Norway, Sweden, Finland and
Denmark. They raided and looted towns
along the coast of England, France and
Ireland, and even in Russia. The Viking
age lasted for about 300 years, from the
-700s to the 1000s.
Settling down
In the 800s, a group of Vikings from
Norway decided it was time to settle
down. All of the good land in
their native country had
been taken. They wanted
more space. They sailed
west.
Viking sailors
first came
upon the
Faeroe
Islands. Then
they moved
to Iceland, a
larger island,
then on to
Greenland,
and later, on
to North
America.
Around 960, a Viking called
Erik the Red came to Iceland
from Norway. He was an outlaw
known for his quick temper.
He also got into trouble in
Iceland when he fought with
his neighbors. He was banished
from, or forced to leave, Iceland.
He sailed farther west and
Erik got this name discovered Greenland, a land he
from his red hair.
claimed had beautiful green
pastures and plentiful fish. He returned to Iceland
three years later.
__----------7
Vikings are big!
You will be hearing a lot
about Vikings.
The Vikings first landed on
North American shores around
the year 1000. As we celebrate
the year 2000,
we will look back
to the days of the
Vikings to find
out what life was
like at the time
of the first
millennium.
Settling Greenland
Erik convinced people to move to the
new land. In 985, about 25 boats left
Iceland. But only 14 reached the shores
of Greenland.
About 400 brave settlers became the
first Europeans to
occupy this
uninhabited
land.
Vikings were famous ship
builders. Their "long boats" had
one big sail and as many as 30
oars on each side. Shields were
hung from the top railing along
the sides.
--------------~
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42-2 (99)
Release Date: October 16-22
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam C 1999 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Two Cool Islands in the North Atlantic
Here are fact-a-roonies about
Greenland and Iceland, two islands
the hearty Vikings first settled
more than 1,000 years ago.
Iceland
Sizes: At 840,000 square miles,
Greenland is the largest island in the
world. It is about three times the size
of the state of Texas. Iceland is 39,800
square miles, about the size of
Virginia.
Denmark and
Norway: Throughout
history, both islands
have had close ties with
Denmark and Norway. Greenland is a
possession of Denmark. Iceland used
to belong to it, but now is independent.
People: While Greenland is much
bigger, it has fewer people. Greenland has
only about 59,000, many with Inuit and
European backgrounds. Iceland has
272,064, mostly with European
backgrounds. Most live near the coasts of
both islands.
Economy: Both
Greenland and
Iceland depend a lot
on fishing and raising
sheep.
Names: Both have
names that do not
describe them well. Greenland lies
within the Arctic Circle. It is mostly
covered with ice.
THERE ARE (JREEN
Early settlers gave
TREES EVERYWHEREI it its name in the
hope that others
might come there.
Iceland is not covered
with ice. In fact, it has a
warmer climate because
the Gulf Stream, a warm
body of water, flows off its shore.
Both are called lands of the midnight
sun because the
sun shines for a
month or longer
in the summer,
~
and it does not shine at
all for long periods in
the winter.
•••
Mini Spy and Gus Goodsport are pretending to be Vikings
discovering a new land. See if you can find:
• number 7
• man in
the moon
• ruler
• pumpkin
• letter C
• tooth
•
gr::::::] Iceland
Dl.JC::j flag
rugged plateau
with many
lakes,
volcanoes, hot
spnngs,
geysers,
glaciers,
waterfalls and
fjords. Fjords
are long,
Fjords
narrow inlets
that lead to the ~3~~
ocean. Only about 1 percent of the land
can be used for farming.
[QJ
A thick sheet of ice
covers 85 percent of
Greenland. However,
Greenland Greenland has been
flag
. ~ getting warmer in
~ _=~ .. .~
recent years.
,.".:
'.."-- ~ "\ ~ ...-- Although the
/O,~
terrain is mostly
Glacier~~n flat, mountains rise
near the coast.
Glaciers form
"
icebergs that
:;..-"
/--=.
\'\
~~~~!-~"'~~
breakout
offto
and
?---~
; '~ float
sea.
-Icebergs -----.;.::===:=
Sites to see:
Iceland: www.icetourist.is/
www.iceland.org
Greenland: www.greenland-guide.dkl
~~m~;;:~~~K.~GS~~~~~
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam C 1999 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Mini Spy
The land:
Iceland is a
•
•
•
•
•
•
word MINI
bird
turtle
lizard
snake
number 8
Words that remind us of the Vikings are hidden in the block
below. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally. See if
you can find: VIKING, NORWAY, NORSEMEN, ERIK THE
RED, LEIF ERIKSSON, GREENLAND, SHIPS, SETTLERS,
ICELAND, VINLAND, SAGAS, NATIVES, GRAPES, SAILS,
CANADA, OCEAN, RAIDS.
8 DNA L NEE R G S HIP S
N C I LEI FER I K S SON
DJ S RE LT T E S NNVR
R SAG A S V I KIN G A I V
S S L I A S YAW RON T N 0
ECANADARA I DS I LC
MKSEPARGFQTWVAE
E E R I K THE RED G E N A
N H L U A DNA L E CIS D N
o
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42-3 (99)
Release Date: October 16-22
~
Salsa Chicken
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam 0 1999 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Rookie
The Mini Page Book of Presidents features a black-and-white picture of each
president, along with such information as dates of birth and death, dates served as
president, political party, signature and important achievements. It also features stories
about the president's Cabinet, political terms, and a visit to the White House. To order,
send $4.95 plus $1.50 each for postage and handling. Send only check or money order
payable to Andrews McMeel Publishing, P.O. Box 419242, Kansas City, Mo. 64141.
c.
Rookie Cookie's Recipe
You'll need:
Go dot to dot and color.
•
•
•
•
11/2 cups salsa
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon mustard
4 chicken breasts
What to do:
1. Combine first three ingredients
in a medium bowl. Mix well.
2. Place chicken in an 8-by-8-inch
baking dish .
3. Pour sauce evenly on top .
4. Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven 30 minutes or
until chicken is done.
Serves 4.
•
.
".
.....
0\
.....
...........
\0
~
Meet Kathy Buckley
Kathy Buckley is known as one of the
funniest women in show business. She has
been nominated five times for the
American Comedy Award for Best StandUp Female.
Her first time on stage was in 1988. A
friend dared to her enter a comedy
contest. She came in fourth place and soon
began performing around the country.
She also gives speeches around the
country and works with many charities.
She does all this even though she is hearing-impaired.
Kathy lives in Los Angeles but will spend the rest of this year
in New York, where she is performing in her own show.
She likes swimming and spending time with her goddaughter.
•
.~
~
•
.
~
from The Mini " - by Betty Debnam 0 1999 The Mini " - Publishing Company Inc.
from The Mini " - by Betty Debnam 0 1999 The MIni Page Publishing Company Inc.
MIGHTY
The
Mini Page
FUNNY'S
.£\
LEARN THE 5TATE5 ... and eac;h state's
~ Ctlpit til, Flower tina
• Itlrge (35" x 23")
• multi-colored
Bira
~
(sent in by Suzanne Spicer)
• perfect for the cltl55room
or tI child's room
--------------------------------
I To order, send $3.00 plus 75¢ postage and handling for each copy. Send only checks or money orders
I
payable to: Andrews McMeel Publishing, P.O. Box 419242, Kansas City, MO 64141.
: Please send
copies of The Mini Page Map of the U.SA. (Item #9937-0) at $3.75 each, including :
I postage and handling. (Bulk discount information available upon request.)
I
I Name:
I
I~~
I
I City:
State:
Zip:
I
Q: Why did the genius rush to buy an
umbrella?
A: He just had a brainstorm!
Q: How did the man lose his toupee?
A: He had a hair-raising experience!
(both sent in by Elsie Hale)
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam 0 1999 The Mini " - Publishing Company Inc.
~--------------------------------~
Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.
42-4 (99)
Release Date: October 16-22
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam C 1999 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc,
500 Years Before Columbus
Vikings Land on Our Shores
,
FOR MANY YEARI, A
IPECIAL DAY, OCT. 9,
HAl BEEN lET AIIDE
AI LEIF ERIKlION
DAY TO CELEBRATE
HI$ ARRIVAL IN
NORTH AMERICA.
Who was Leif Eriksson?
Erik the Red
wasan
outstanding
sailor and
explorer. He
• and other
Greenlanders
had heard
stories about
islands even
farther to the
west.
,./'-~
Erik had
--~
several
~
children. One of them was a son
named Leif Eriksson. Leif decided to
follow in his father's seafaring
footsteps and go in search of these
islands.
Erik the Red had planned to go on
the voyage with his son. However, Erik
changed his mind when his horse fell
on the way to
the ship. The
father took this
as a warnrng.
Leifset off
without him.
North America
Around the year 1000, Leif set sail
with about 33 men.
He became the first European to
explore the shores of North America.
This was about 500 years before
Columbus set sail in 1492.
The Mini Page thanks Bill Fitzhugh and
Elisabeth Ward of the Smithsonian National
Museum of Natural History for help with this
issue. An exhibit, ''Vikings: The North
Atlantic Saga," will open in April 2000. The
• exhibit will travel to New York, Ottawa, Los
Angeles, Houston and Chicago.
Leif the Lucky
Exactly how far Leifs voyage took him
is not really known. Some people say that
he might have traveled as
far as Maine or even
Virginia.
Much of
what we
know about
the Viking
travels is
based on sagas,
or stories
about heroes,
written down
more than 200
years after
Leif lived.
b
Evidence of Vikings
~
!
An actor
dressed as
@
a Viking reenacts
8
Viking life
~~
as it was
~
1,000 years
ago at
L'Anse aux
Meadows
National Historic Site on Newfoundland, a
Canadian province.
~
f
1..
t
For many years, experts searched for
Vinland, the site mentioned in the
sagas. Where was it? they wondered.
Where along the coast of North
America do grapes grow and salmon
flourish?
.-c:~7.~~~
The sod, or dirt, homes of the type Vikings
built were discovered and rebuilt at a Viking
site in Canada.
The sagas tell of his
setting up a home base in
a spot the Vikings called
''Vinland,'' or Wineland,
because grapes grew there.
Upon his return to
Greenland, Leif became a rich
man. He also became a Christian
and his country's great leader. He
was known as Leif the Lucky.
Native Americans
Other Vikings followed the route to
Vinland, where they found great salmon
fishing and big, tall trees. They also found
something they did not expect to see:
Native Americans, whom they called
"Skraelings" (SCRAY-lings). At
first they were friendly, but
as time wore on, conflicts
forced the Vikings to
leave Vinland.
The Mini Page also thanks Marguerite
Metzler, teacher, Fairfax County, Virginia,
public schools, and the cultural affairs office
of the Royal Norwegian Embassy and L'Anse
aux Meadows National Historic Site,
Newfoundland, Canada, for help with this
story.
In the 1960s, scientists discovered a
site at L'Anse aux Meadows
(pronounced "Lance 0 Meadows") on
the northern tip of Newfoundland.
While they did not find any grapes, they
did find the remains of houses
r :.
that looked like the Viking
homes in Greenland.
::-:: :;"
They also discovered other
,.-.':',.
artifacts (items that have
A Viking
survived many years) that artifact
used
serve as clues to Viking
for twisting
wool into
travels in many parts of
yarn.
Canada.
Scientists are still trying to put
together the puzzle of the Vikings in
North America. They have a lot to learn
about these brave sailors from the past.
e
Sites to see:
Smithsonian: www.nmnh.si.edu/arctic/
L'Anse aux Meadows:
www.parkscanada.pch.gc.ca/unesco/MEAD/
MEAD.HTM
Norway: www.norway.org
To do: Pretend that some Vikings have
just come to visit. Use the newspaper
to tell them auout the life of today.
Next week, The Mini Page celebrates Halloween with a shocking story about electric animals. ZAP!
Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.
42-5 (99)
Release Date: October 16-22
Set sail with
the Vikings
'il!4.~!~
For use by teachers and parents at home and at school.
For use with this issue: The Vikings Head Westward
In
~-Ail~t
DIIdJuIIId ~ I..InhowaI p,.,. ~
by Betty Debnam
Appearing in your
newspaper on _ __
(Note to Editor: Above is
camera-ready, one columnby-41/4-inch ad promoting
Issue 42.
~ Gus OOOdiPOrt;8:=-'~
Teacher's
Guide
Main idea: This issue is about the VIkings. The following is a list of activities to be used with
this issue. They are listed in order of difficulty, with the easier, pre-reader assignments listed
first. Ask the children to do the following:
1. Create a card for Leif Eriksson Day.
2. Pretend you were a VIking who landed in North America around the year 1000. Draw a
picture of what you may have looked like.
3. Discuss the following: What do you think it would have been like to be a VIking? What
might have been some of the good things? What might have been some of the difficult things?
What do you think the VIkings thought of North America when they landed here? Had you
heard of the Vikings before reading this issue? If so, what had you heard about them? What
do you think it would have been like to sail from Norway to North America?
4. Circle all the names of countries in this issue. Find each on a world map or globe.
5. Pretend you are a Viking who sailed across the ocean and landed in North America.
Write a description of the voyage.
6. Look in the weather section of your newspaper for a forecast for a town in Norway,
Sweden or Denmark.
7. Find the following words in this issue: seafaring, outlaw, shields, sagas, meadows,
native, settlers, voyage, fierce, banished. Define and make up a new sentence for each one.
8. Look through your newspaper for articles about Norway, Sweden or Denmark.
(Note to Editor: Above is the Teacher's Guide for Issue 42.)
ig
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~
I
(;
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1
:e::E
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Supersport: David Hearn
Height: 5-10 Birthdate: 4-17-59
Weight: 165 College: U. of Massachusetts
David Hearn feels at home on the water.
He is one of the best canoeists in the world.
He has been involved in the sport for more
than 25 years. Not only does he race, but he
also designs canoes and kayaks.
This year he came in first in the Team
Trials and in the National Championships.
He has won both those races many times before.
David lives in Bethesda, Md., with his wife, Jennifer, who used
to race canoes. He studied geology (the study of the history of
the Earth) in college. His father was a geologist.
His sister, Cathy, is one of the top women kayakers in the
world.
(Note to Editor: Above is copy block for Page 3, Issue 42, to be used
in place of ad if desired.
Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.