vent America!, 1505
Powhatan St.,
Alexandria, VA
22314, or call
(703) 684-1836.

to the oven until the dough
becomes warm and pliable.
WE WANT YOUR FOR-
TUNE& If you make these
cookies and come up with
some really funny, clever, bril-
liant or otherwise remarkable
fortunes, please send them
our way. If we like them
enough, we'll print them
on this very page!

Did
Edison
Start This
Way?

If your little boy has come up
with the most wonderful in-
vention for automatically
switching the TV station from
his sister's favorite soap opera
to "Pro-Wrestling, He-Man
Style," or if your daughter has
created a new perfume "guar-
anteed to make all those cool
guys on 'Party of Five' and
`Melrose Place' fall in love
with you," this may be for
them.
Invent America! is sponsor-
ing a contest for young
Thomas Edisons and Henry
Fords. Inventions will be ac-
cepted through June 15.
An information packet costs
$15. Order through the U.S.
Patent Model Foundation, In-

Don't
Forget
About
Lunch!

The AppleTree is still on the
hunt for delicious lunch-box
ideas.
If you have an unbeatable,
children-will-love-it-I-promise
recipe for vegetable lasagna, or

if you have a secret for making
a yummy tofu burger, we
would love to include it in a
story we're working on for a
future issue of the magazine.
Ideas will be accepted
through June 10. Please send
to Lunch Box, c/o The Apple-
Tree, 27676 Franklin Rd.,
Southfield, MI 48034.

a new service in town that can,
at least, make changing diapers
more bearable. And best of all,
it's amazingly affordable (more
inexpensive even than dis-
count stores and shopping
clubs).
And Diapers Direct of Michi-
gan not only offers affordable
Jordache designer disposable
diapers — you can have them -
delivered directly to your
home.
(If you don't have children
yourself, consider this service
for a friend who just had a
baby. Believe me, they'll love
it.)
For information, contact Dia-
pers Direct at (810) 594-4994.

state on each small strip. Give
a complete collection of state
names, plus a blank map and a
ue stick, to each player.
Now the game begins. The
goal is to correctly affix all the
names to their states. (It's a
good idea to try and identify as
many as possible before doing
any gluing.)
To find the winner, don't
rely on anyone playing the
game. ( Yes it is! Georgia is lo-
cated tight under Nebraska
Refer, instead, to a
published map of
the United States.

Let's State
The Facts

Unless you're a
space alien or have
been hiding for the
past five years in your base-
ment, never coming up for air,
you're no doubt familiar with
the craze that has taken over
the country. It's called Beanie
Babies.
All right, so for all you space
aliens out there, Beanie Babies
are those cute, small stuffed
creatures that children every-
where are collecting with a
passion. You can even find
Beanie Baby home attire, like
sleeping bags (in fabric patterns
that would put Martha Stewart
to shame), and of course
Beanie Baby clothing.
Never one to miss a vital col-
lecting craze, The AppleTree. is
planning a story on Beanie Ba-
bies, and we need your help!
We are looking for photos of
adorable children with their
adorable Beanie Baby (or Ba-
bies). We'll accept photos
through July 4. (If you want

Your 12-year-old son has heard
of Montana, of course, but ex-
actly where is it? he asks. .
Hmmm. Well, you sort of
know it's more in the west
than the east, and you have an
idea that it's in the northern
United States, right? Or is it in
the Midwest?
Here's a great game to help
you and your child learn a little
geography.

ry
Bo

You will need:
• paper
• a large blank map, with
states outlined
• pen or pencil
• tape or glue

O00000h, those little baby
tushies are so sweet! So soft, so
poopy.
pudgy, so
Okay, so maybe that last part
isn't perfectly adorable. There's

Begin by writing the names of
the 50 states, in alphabetical
order, on a blank sheet of pa-
per. Photocopy the page for as
many people as will play the
game.
Cut out the list, leaving one

Is There

om
In The
House?

your picture returned, please
include a self-addressed,
stamped envelope).
With your photo, please tell
us all about both babies, hu-
man and beanie, and include
names, city of residence and
any fun family facts!

Good Day,
Mr. Con-
gressman

If you're planning a trip to

Oh,
Baby!

Washington, D.C., consider
making a visit to your congress-
man.
You don't need a special invi-
tation; you don't even need to
call in advance. Despite their
busy schedules, most politicians
actually enjoy impromptu meet-
ings with families from back
home.

Write your
congressman at
The Hon. (name)
U.S. House of
Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

Before you go. though, it's a
good idea to write your con-
gressman and let him know n,
you're coming. This way, you ` o, n
-;
can be sure he'll actually be
there, and you may be able to
arrange fora tour and a visit to
the House and Senate.

13