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I’m a California girl who was born and raised in the same house all through my childhood and then attended college just a few hours up the coast from my hometown. But after marrying my husband, we moved to Missouri where we lived for three years, followed by three years in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In 2010, we moved to Kansas and we’re still here in the year 2020! While it’s very different than my coastal home state, it offers its own unique beauty and interesting characteristics.
Shortly after moving here, we started homeschooling our only son and I quickly connected with a co-op. Since we knew very few people in town, the co-op was a Godsend to us in a variety of ways, not the least of which was showing me that I was sorely lacking in Kansas history. Apparently, it’s typical for Kansas kids to celebrate Kansas Day every year. “What is Kansas Day,” you might be wondering? I wondered the same thing until my new co-op crew filled me in. It’s the day set aside to celebrate Kansas’ statehood. Kansas became the 34th state on January 29, 1861, therefore, every year on January 29th, kids all across the Sunflower State celebrate its “birthday.”
Kansas Day celebrations take place in classrooms and homeschools alike with sunflowery crafts, yummy treats and loads of lessons on the state mammal, bird, reptile, motto and more. And this happens every year for Kansas kids; it’s not just a Fourth Grade standard like it is in California. It’s something they look forward to annually. Our local libraries offer special programs, bakeries make themed cakes and teachers shift their lessons for the day to include all things bison, sunflower and tiger salamander.
If you’re wondering, like I did at first, WHY so much effort goes into Kansas Day, let me give you the two-cent opinion of a Californian transplanted to Kansas after short stints in Missouri and Michigan.
It teaches STATE HISTORY to our kids.
It imparts a STATE IDENTITY in our kids.
It instills STATE PRIDE in our kids.
And, it’s fun!
Knowing that the American Bison is the Kansas State Mammal or that the Barred Tiger Salamander is the Kansas State Amphibian seems like nothing more than silly trivia at first. But, when the kids learn how each animal was chosen, they learn state history because there are actual legit, logical reasons behind those decisions. When they can begin to recognize that “Sunflower Bank” and “Bison Electric” are not just randomly chosen business names, they’ll begin to identify with their state as a whole. And when they learn what the state motto means, they’ll surely come away with some pride for the state’s founding fathers and their journey to statehood.
As mentioned earlier, I was born and raised in California. From PreK through a Masters Degree, I was educated in the state and I LOVED growing up there. And, yet, I could not tell you when California’s statehood actually took place. If given a few minutes, I could garner an educated guess on the year based on a few history facts that I’d need to pull up from the recesses of my brain, but I could never tell you the month and day. I could tell you the state nickname for sure, probably the state mammal and possibly the flower. But if you were to ask me about the state bird, state amphibian or state motto, all I could provide would be purely wild guesses.
{For my UNGoogled guesses on California Facts, go to the very end.}
I’ll admit that when I was first introduced to the concept of Kansas Day, I was a bit skeptical. I assumed it was a fluff holiday and an excuse to take the day off from regular schooling. But, as our KS years have rolled on and our KS Day celebrations have ramped up, I now see the value in celebrating your state’s birthday.
It teaches STATE HISTORY to our kids.
It imparts a STATE IDENTITY in our kids.
It instills STATE PRIDE in our kids.
And, as a bonus, it is loads of fun!
So, do you know when your state’s birthday is?
Do your kids?
Check the list below and start planning a party!
If you happen to be a current Kansan, like me, check out my Kansas State Fact Pack. It’s chock-full of Kansas State facts and fun activities!
And, for ALL state birthdays, an excellent place to start is with your state’s edition of the Discover America, State by State series. Below is just a small selection, but there is one for every single state {and even DC.}
, , , ,My UNGoogled guesses on California Facts:
{Year of Statehood: 1851} WRONG! It was actually 1850, so I was close!
{State Nickname: Golden State} CORRECT! Yay me!
{State Mammal: bear} MOSTLY CORRECT. It’s the Grizzly Bear.
{State Flower: poppy} CORRECT! Not sure why I knew that.
{State Bird: golden eagle} Eeks! So WRONG! It’s the California Quail.
{State Amphibian: Sonoran Desert Toad} Totally WRONG! It’s the red-legged frog, but my guess sounded so legit, didn’t it?
{State Motto: Go home! We have no more gold.} Obviously WRONG, but ya gotta admit, it was a funny guess. It’s actually “Eureka!”
That’s a score of only 43%! EEKS! That’s not good! I bet if I had celebrated California’s birthday every September 9th, I would’ve done a whole lot better!
