Hardworking Dads

Let’s celebrate Father’s Day, June 18, with stories about some fascinating dads from the animal world.

Seahorse dads

A sea horse is a most unusual dad. Why? He’s the one who carries the babies! The male has a pouch in his lower belly, or abdomen. The female lays her eggs in his pouch. The male then carries as many as 2,000 eggs in his pouch until they are ready to be born. This may take two to seven weeks.

Gorilla dads

A gorilla dad can be up to 6 feet tall and weigh 500 pounds. The gorilla dad helps clean and hold young gorillas. He breaks up fights among the young and protects them.

Many primates make good fathers. Primates are mammals that usually have hands and feet they can use to grasp things. Gorillas, humans and monkeys are types of primates.

Wolf dads

Father wolves defend their cubs. They bring food to the cubs and to their mom if she can’t hunt.

Try ’n’ Find

Words

ABDOMEN, ANIMAL, CUBS, DAD, DODD, EGGS, FAMILY, FATHER, GORILLA, JUNE, MARMOSET, MONKEY, OSTRICH, POUCH, PRIMATE, PROTECT, SEA HORSE,

Gross-out alert! Adult wolves chew and swallow the meat. Then they throw up the partly digested food and feed this to their cubs. Wolves are the largest members of the dog family. They usually live in packs of about three to 20 members.

Ostrich dads

Father ostrich is a real babysitter. Mom sits on the eggs during the day, and Dad has the night duty.

When the chicks are in danger, the dad lets out a loud cry to scare away enemies. If this doesn’t work, both the mom and dad might kick or chase away the enemies.

Pygmy marmoset dads

The mother marmoset doesn’t have to worry about day care because dad takes over. Baby pygmy marmosets spend most of the day with him.

They grab onto his back as he moves from branch to branch. He takes them back to mom at mealtime. After they’ve eaten, they go back to dad.

Pygmy marmosets are the smallest true monkeys in the world. They weigh less than half a pound and are only about 6 inches to 8 inches long (15 inches with their tails).

Here’s your chance to tell your dad and others about what he does for you! Write a few lines about dear old Dad and draw a picture, then cut out this section and give it to him on Father’s Day!

My dad

Father’s Day

Father’s Day is always held on the third Sunday in June. The first one was celebrated in 1910 in Spokane, Washington. It was started by Sonora Smart Dodd. Her mother died when Sonora was a child, and she was raised by her father. Mrs. Dodd thought there should be a special day to honor fathers.

Resources

On the Web:

• bit.ly/MPfathers

At the library:

• “The Dad Break” by Poe Avondet

• “Dad Jokes for Kids” by Jimmy Niro

• “How To Train Your Dad” by Gary Paulsen

Mini Jokes

Devin: What did the baby otter say about his dad?

Delta: “He is a dad like no otter!”

Eco Note

of ultrasonic clicks when they are stressed their cubs. They bring food to the cubs and to their mom if she can’t hunt.

Try ’n’ Find

monkeys in the world. They weigh less than half a pound and are only about 6 inches to 8 inches long (15 inches with their tails).

Words that remind us of animal dads are hidden in this puzzle. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used twice. See if you can find:

ABDOMEN, ANIMAL, CUBS, DAD, DODD, EGGS, FAMILY, FATHER, GORILLA, JUNE, MARMOSET, MONKEY, OSTRICH, POUCH, PRIMATE, PROTECT, SEA HORSE, YOUNG.

Cook’s Corner

Honeydew With Honey Dressing

You’ll need:

• 1 honeydew melon, seeded and cut into pieces

• 4 tablespoons honey

• 1/2 cup sour cream

What to do:

1. Place cut-up honeydew in a medium bowl.

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon lime juice

2. Combine the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl to make the dressing. Stir well.

3. Place both bowls in refrigerator for at least an hour.

4. Spoon dressing over honeydew and serve to Dad on Father’s Day morning. Makes 2 servings.

• “The Dad Break” by Poe Avondet

• “Dad Jokes for Kids” by Jimmy Niro

• “How To Train Your Dad” by Gary Paulsen

Mini Jokes

Devin: What did the baby otter say about his dad?

Delta: “He is a dad like no otter!”

Eco Note

Researchers have discovered that some plants emit a barrage of ultrasonic clicks when they are stressed by lack of water or when their stems are cut. This “exciting and thought-provoking” discovery by researchers at Tel Aviv University was made by recording sounds from cactus, wheat, corn and other plants. “We found that each plant and each type of stress is associated with a specific identifiable sound,” they said. “The sounds emitted by plants can probably be heard by various animals, such as bats, mice and insects.”

For later: Look in your newspaper for items about fathers in your community.

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

TODAY’S HISTORY:

• In 1789, James Madison, then a member of the House of Representatives, proposed the Bill of Rights to Congress.

• In 1949, George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four” was published.

• In 1968, James Earl Ray, who was suspected of assassinating Martin Luther King Jr., was arrested in London.

• In 1982, President Ronald Reagan became the first U.S. president to address a joint session of the British Parliament.

TODAY’S FACT:

• George Orwell died just seven months after “Nineteen EightyFour” was published, due to complications from tuberculosis.

SOLUTION

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By Jim Miller

Dear Savvy Senior, Is it possible to collect Social Security benefits from my ex-spouse? We were married for 12 years but have been divorced for almost 20 years now.

Never Remarried

Dear Never, Yes, depending on your specific circumstances, you may very well be eligible for divorced spouses Social Security benefits. Here’s what you should know.

WHO’S ELIGIBLE?

A divorced spouse can collect a Social Security retirement benefit on the earnings record of their ex-husband (or ex-wife) if they are at least age 62, were married for at least 10 years, are unmarried and are not eligible for a higher benefit based on your own earnings record.

In order to collect, your former spouse must also be at least 62 and eligible for Social Security benefits. But he doesn’t have to be receiving them in order for you to collect divorced spouse’s benefits, as long as you’ve been divorced for at least two years.

Even if your ex is remarried, it won’t affect your right to divorcee benefits, nor will it affect your ex’s retirement benefits or his current spouse’s benefits.

BENEFIT AMOUNT

A divorced spouse can receive up to 50 percent of their ex’s full Social Security benefit, or less if they take benefits before their full retirement age, which is 66 for people born in