I really enjoyed learning about Maine… the seaside, lighthouses, many interesting animals, delicious food, and great books!
Facts about Maine:
- Capital: Augusta
- Nickname: Pine Tree State
- Statehood: March 15, 1820 (23rd)
- Motto: I Direct.
- Bird: Chickadee
- Highest Point: Mt. Katahdin
Children’s Books about Maine that we read:
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Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. E. B. White wrote Charlotte’s Web from his salt water farm in Maine. This is one of my FAVORITE books! We read the book and watched the movie. Charlotte, the spider, was a very good friend to Wilbur, the pig, and they went to the State Fair and my family recently went to the State Fair, so it reminded me of the fun we had.
- One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey. My favorite part of this story was when Sal was looking for clams and lost her tooth in the sand.
- Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey. My favorite part of this story was when Little Bear and Sal traded places and tricked their mothers.
- Burt Dow, Deep-water Man by Robert McCloskey. This is a funny story about a man who winds up in the tummy of a whale and finally gets out after creatively painting the whale’s tummy and having his gull friend tickle her with a feather. When he thinks he is trapped by more whales, he discovers they will be his friend if he will just give them a band-aid on their tales. This is a very silly story with great pictures.
- Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie by Peter and Connie Roop. This story was about a girl who had to keep the lighthouse lights burning while her father was at sea. Back then they didn’t have electricity, so they used oil lamps. Abbie had a big responsibility so the ships wouldn’t crash into dangerous rocks. She took care of the lighthouse and her family.
- Island Boy, by Barbara Cooney. This is the story of a boy growing up until he was an old man on an island in Maine.
- Counting our Way to Maine by Maggie Smith. This book is a fun counting book about a family’s vacation where they see lobster pots, dig for clams, and pick blueberries.
- Visiting Aunt Sylvia’s: A Maine Adventure by Heather Austin. This story tells of a family visiting Aunt Sylvia every season in Maine. You learn about the changing seasons and how pretty it is in Maine all year long.
Animals from Maine that I learned about:
We read about the Puffin with three books we borrowed from the library, The Puffins are Back!, A Puffin’s Year, and Project Puffin. I remembered seeing Puffins when we visited the St. Louis Zoo last year. Puffins look a lot like penguins, but they are different. I learned that puffins are called, “Clowns of the Ocean,” because they are funny birds that are good at diving and they have colorful big beaks. I also learned how they build their nest to prepare for baby puffins they call pufflings. People ate puffins in colonial times, but now scientists are working to protect them so more puffins will live in Maine again.
Common animals in Maine include: Moose, Lobster, Clam, Seal, Seagull, and Bears. We saw a Moose at Cabela’s.
Fun Things I Learned about Maine:
- Maine is the 1st state to see the sunrise in the United States.
- Popular foods include: lobster, clam chowder, blueberries, apples and broccoli. I really enjoyed making a Maine Dinner.
- Maine is an ocean state and it is famous for its lighthouses.
- Milton Bradley lived in Maine and he created many games I love! We played Candy Land in honor of this man from Maine. That was one of my FAVORITE things to do this week.