June Ponte - Fun and Simple Mid-Atlantic State Crafts: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.

DO YOU KNOW YOUR STATES?

Learn interesting and exciting facts about Mid-Atlantic states while creating fun crafts! Find out about your state's capital, motto, flower, animal, and more! Make a Hanging Hot Air Balloon, a Dinosaur Egg, or one of the other crafts in this book.

"The author has included important and little known facts about each state in a fascinating, readable fashion. The combination of factual, historical material with crafts that illustrate the life of the state in question is genuinely interesting."

About the Author

Author June Ponte, illustrator and fine artist, is also a freelance writer. She has written for various magazines and newspapers. This is her first series as an author with Enslow Publishers, Inc.

Welcome to the Middle Atlantic, or Mid-Atlantic, region! New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland are the five states that make up this region of the United States. Washington, D.C. is also in this region. It is the only city that is not a part of any state. It is a federal district and the capital of the United States. The Mid-Atlantic region is one of the most ethnically diverse in the nation.

This region is called the Middle Atlantic because of its location near the Atlantic Ocean, and in the middle of the Atlantic coastline area. The land area of the Mid-Atlantic region reaches west to the Appalachian Mountains, and north as far as the Great Lakes. Some of the busy coastal cities, such as New York City, are located at harbors. Because boats can load and unload in these harbors, the Mid-Atlantic region is a center for trade with other countries. Coal mining areas are located in the western part of the Mid-Atlantic region.

The geography of the Mid-Atlantic region ranges from sandy coastlines to many rivers and lakes to mountains covered with forests. Industries in the Mid-Atlantic region include shipping, chemicals, financial centers, coal mining, banking service industries, and the center of the United States government.

Origin of name	Named after the English Duke of York
Flag	The New York state flag is dark blue. In the center of the flag is the state coat of arms. Two goddesses, the goddess of Liberty and the goddess of Justice, stand on either side of the state shield. Justice is shown holding the scales of justice, and Liberty holds a pole with a hat that represents liberty. It is called the Liberty Cap. There is a crown at Libertys feet. It represents freedom from England when the Revolutionary War was over. The shield shows the sun rising over the Hudson River. A white ribbon with the word Excelsior is below the shield. Excelsior is a Latin word that expresses the idea of working toward higher goals. Image Credit: 2001 Robesus, Inc.
Capital	Albany
Nickname	The Empire State
Motto	Excelsior (Latin for Ever Upward)
Size (in area)	27th largest
Animal	beaver Image Credit: 2007 Jupiterimages
Bird	bluebird
Fish	brook trout
Flower	rose Image Credit: 2007 Jupiterimages
Tree	sugar maple
Industry	finance, foreign trade, dairy farming, and fruit and vegetable farming

In the Strawberry Fields section of New York Citys Central Park, there is a memorial to John Lennon (19401980). It is a mosaic with the word Imagine in the center. The mosaic was donated by the city of Naples, Italy, and is made of tiny bits of glass. John Lennon was a talented musician and former member of the band, The Beatles. Through his music, he tried to make people think about peace and love.

1. Make a 13 1/2-inch x 5 1/2-inch rectangle out of ivory-colored self-hardening clay.

2. Using the dark color glass gems, spell out the word IMAGINE. When the word is how you like it, press the gems into the clay. Fill in the area around the word with the lighter color glass gems. Press them into the clay and let dry overnight.

3. When the clay is completely dry, clean the top of the mosaic with a damp paper towel. Display the mosaic, or use as a paperweight.

Morris and Rose Michtom owned a small candy and toy shop in the early 1900s in Brooklyn, New York. Morris saw a political cartoon about President Theodore Roosevelt, whose nickname was Teddy.

The cartoon showed how President Roosevelt would not shoot a bear cub when he was out hunting. Morris asked his wife Rose to make a toy bear. Rose used plush velvet and buttons to make it. The Michtoms put the toy bear in their shop window with a label that said Teddys Bear. The teddy bear became a big success, and still is today!

1. Draw a teddy bear shape on poster board. (See for the pattern.) Cut it out. Place the poster board pattern on tan felt.

Trace around the pattern. Make another bear shape. Cut out the two bear shapes.

2. With fabric glue, glue the edges of the bear shapes together, leaving the middle of the legs open. Let dry.