Crowning the King

Over the weekend of May 6-8, an important and historic event will take place in London, England. Charles, who became king when his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, passed away in September, will be crowned King Charles III in a ceremony that goes back more than 1,000 years.

This week, The Mini Page learns more about King Charles and the big events coming up in the United Kingdom. Isn’t

he already king?

Charles became king the moment his mother passed away. The ceremonies and celebrations taking place in May follow a time of mourning, or sorrow, after the queen’s death.

The coronation ceremony

The main event will take place on Saturday, May 6, at Westminster Abbey in London. The archbishop of Canterbury leads the service.

During the ceremony, the new sovereign (SAH-ver-un) (in this instance, the king) takes an oath. The wording can change; for instance, Queen Elizabeth swore to rule according to law and exercise justice with mercy.

The archbishop blesses the sovereign, and he is seated in King Edward’s chair, which

Try ’n’ Find

Mini Fact: King Charles III is 74 years old. His mother was 25 years old when she became queen.

has been used since 1626 for the ceremony. At that point, the king will receive St. Edward’s Crown on his head.

After the coronation ceremony, another, shorter, ceremony will be held to crown the queen consort, King Charles’ wife, Camilla.

The king and queen consort will return to Buckingham Palace in London in a parade with other members of the royal family.

Sunday, May 7, will include The Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle, one of the royal homes west of London. In addition, people all across the United Kingdom are encouraged to take part in the Coronation Big Lunch, getting together to support local charities and enjoy their communities.

On Monday, the Big Help Out will ask people to volunteer in their own communities. Organizers hope the charitable activities will carry on past the coronation weekend.

Words that remind us of the king’s coronation are hidden in this puzzle. Some words are hidden backward, and some letters are used twice. See if you can find:

The emblem

The emblem shows the flora, or plants, of the four nations of the United Kingdom: the rose for England, the thistle for Scotland, the daffodil for Wales and the shamrock for Northern Ireland.

The natural forms combine within St. Edward’s Crown, which is used for the coronation of British monarchs.

Who’s next?

Who will be the king or queen when King Charles III dies or can no longer serve?

The heir apparent, or next in line to the throne, is William, Prince of Wales. He is King Charles’ oldest son.

Prince George, 9, is third in line to the British throne. George is the son of Prince William and his wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales.

Resources

On the Web:

• royal.uk/about-coronation

At the library:

• “50 Facts About King Charles III” from Sovereign Island Publishing

• “Judy Moody and the Right Royal Tea Party” by Megan McDonald

Mini Jokes

Chuck: When is a king like a piece of wood?

Chauncey: When he’s a ruler!

Eco Note

and exercise justice with mercy. The archbishop blesses the sovereign, and he is seated in King Edward’s chair, which

Try ’n’ Find

communities. Organizers hope the charitable activities will carry on past the coronation weekend.

Words that remind us of the king’s coronation are hidden in this puzzle. Some words are hidden backward, and some letters are used twice. See if you can find:

CAMILLA, CEREMONY, CHAIR, CHARLES, CONSORT, CORONATION, CROWN, ENGLAND, FLORA, GEORGE, HEIR, KING, LONDON, LUNCH, MOURNING, PARADE, QUEEN, SERVICE, SOVEREIGN, WILLIAM, WINDSOR.

Cook’s Corner

Tuna a la King

You’ll need:

• 1 (6.4-ounce) pouch tuna, drained

• 1 (10.5-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed

• 1/4 cup mushrooms, chopped

• salt and pepper to taste

What to do:

1. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well.

2. Cover and microwave on HIGH 4 minutes or until heated. Stir halfway through cooking.

3. Serve over rice, pasta or toast. Serves 4.

7 Little Words for Kids

Use the letters in the boxes to make a word with the same meaning as the clue. The numbers in parentheses represent the number of letters in the solution. Each letter combination can be used only once, but all letter combinations will be necessary to complete the puzzle.

1. where planes land (7)

2. you clean your mouth with it (10)

3. scratchy like sandpaper (5)

4. there are 12 in a foot (6)

5. sobbed (5)

6. room for cooking (7)

7. table and chairs (9)

Mini Jokes

Chuck: When is a king like a piece of wood?

Chauncey: When he’s a ruler!

Eco Note

A new Australian study finds that expanding seaweed farming around the world could help feed our growing human population and livestock, while also being a sustainable source of fuel. “Seaweed has great ... potential as a nutritious food and a building block for commercial products” like animal feed, plastics, fibers, diesel and ethanol, said researcher Scott Spillias from the University of Queensland. Millions of acres of ocean territory have already been identified around the world where at least 22 commercially viable species of seaweed could be harvested.

For later:

Look in your newspaper for articles about the coronation of King Charles III.

Teachers: Follow and interact with The Mini Page on Facebook!

Answers: airport, toothbrush, rough, inches, cried, kitchen, furniture.

Peace of mind for families

What we do:

Stephen A. Unsworth, Esq.

Wendy

S Hillmuth, Esq.

Members of

Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys & National Association of Elder Law Attorneys.

Tips and tours for traveling with grandchildren

Dear Savvy Senior, My husband and I are interested in taking our two grandkids on a big trip this summer and are looking for some good ideas. Can you recommend some travel companies that offer special travel packages for grandparents and grandkids?

Doting Grandmother

Dear Doting, Grandparents traveling with just their grandchildren has become a growing segment of the multigenerational travel industry. Not only is this type of travel fun, it’s also a terrific way to strengthen generational bonds and create some lasting memories.

To help you with your traveling aspirations, there are a number of travel companies today that offer specialized grandparent/grandchildren and multigenerational trip packages. This is a nice way to go because they plan everything for you with most activities together, but some just for adults so you can get an occasional breather.

Available in various trip lengths and price ranges, these tours are designed for children,

By Jim Miller

typically between the ages of 6 and 18, and are usually scheduled in the summer, or sometimes during winter breaks when the kids are out of school. Here are some top tour companies to check into that will take you and your grandkids on a fun, well-planned vacation.

TRIP PACKAGES

Road Scholar (www.RoadScholar.org): This well-established not-for-profit organization has offered educational travel to older adults since 1975. It current- ly offers 83 different programs geared to grandparents and grandchildren. About 75 percent of the grandparent trips are domestic; 25 percent are international.

Some of the many popular trip destinations include the U.S. National Parks, Washington D.C., Canada, France, Italy, Iceland, Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands. The average cost per person per night is around $265 for domestic trips, $365 for international.

Intrepid (www.IntrepidTravel.com): This is an adventure travel tour operator that offers “grandparent holiday” tours that bring together the young and the young at heart. They offer 35 one- and two-week tours in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East, as well as in Alaska and Wyoming. To find these trips, go to www.Intrepidtravel.com/us/theme/family/ grandparents.

Tauck (www.Tauck.com):

This is a large tour operator that offers 19 foreign and domestic multigenerational trips called Tauck Bridges Family Tours. Some of the most popular trips are to Costa Rica, European riverboat cruises and to “Cowboy Country,” which tours you through Wyoming and South Dakota.

Smithsonian Journeys (www. SmithsonianJourneys.org): This offers 10 different family journey trips to Iceland, New Zealand, Italy, Greece, Japan, Ireland, Costa Rica, South Africa, Yellowstone and a Rhine River cruise.

Journeys International (www. JourneysInternational.com): fers customized multigenerational trips primarily to Africa, Asia,

Latin America and the Pacific. GRANDKIDS TRAVEL DOCUMENTS

Depending on where you go and your mode of transportation, you’ll need to gather some documents for your grandchildren to make sure everything goes smoothly. In general, most travel experts recommend you bring a notarized travel consent form (letter of permission from the parents), and a medical consent form in case any emergencies or problems arise. Also bring copies of insurance cards.

If you’re traveling domestically, you should know that airlines and trains don’t require any form of ID for children under 18. But if you’re traveling to Mexico, Canada, Bermuda, or other areas of the Caribbean by land or sea, grandchildren 15 and under will need certified copies of their birth certificates. And if your grandkids are 16 or older, or you’re traveling to these locations via air, passports will be required.

If you’re traveling overseas, all children, even infants, must have a passport. Some countries also require a visa for entry, and vaccinations may be required in some cases. Before booking a trip, check the U.S. Department of State’s website at www.Travel. State.gov for country-specific information.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit

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