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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! 

STATES LISTED BY DATE OF ADMISSION
DelawareDecember 7, 1787
PennsylvaniaDecember 12, 1787
New JerseyDecember 18, 1787
GeorgiaJanuary 2, 1788
ConnecticutJanuary 9, 1788
MassachusettsFebruary 6, 1788
MarylandApril 28, 1788
South CarolinaMay 23, 1788
New HampshireJune 21, 1788
VirginiaJune 25, 1788
New YorkJuly 26, 1788
North CarolinaNovember 21, 1789
Rhode IslandMay 29, 1790
VermontMarch 4, 1791
KentuckyJune 1, 1792
TennesseeJune 1, 1796
OhioMarch 1, 1803
LouisianaApril 30, 1812
IndianaDecember 11, 1816
MississippiDecember 10, 1817
IllinoisDecember 3, 1818
AlabamaDecember 14, 1819
MaineMarch 15, 1820
MissouriAugust 10, 1821
ArkansasJune 15, 1836
MichiganJanuary 26, 1837
FloridaMarch 3, 1845
TexasDecember 29, 1845
IowaDecember 28,1846
WisconsinMay 29, 1848
CaliforniaSeptember 9, 1850
MinnesotaMay 11, 1858
OregonFebruary 14, 1859
KansasJanuary 29, 1861
West VirginiaJune 20, 1863
NevadaOctober 31, 1864
NebraskaMarch 1, 1867
ColoradoAugust 1, 1876
North DakotaNovember 2, 1889
South DakotaNovember 2, 1889
MontanaNovember 8, 1889
WashingtonNovember 11, 1889
IdahoJuly 3, 1890
WyomingJuly 10, 1890
UtahJanuary 4, 1896
OklahomaNovember 16, 1907
New MexicoJanuary 6, 1912
ArizonaFebruary 14, 1912
AlaskaJanuary 3, 1959
HawaiiAugust 21, 1959

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! I also have State Fact Packs for several other states. Check them out!

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! 

  • 41 comments

    1. I had no idea when my state’s birthday was. There was no state history taught when I was in school. My town had it’s centennial birthday last year and we had some events tied to that throughout the year that were a lot of fun.

    2. We celebrate every Valentine’s day..we call it ” We love you Arizona day” I truly agree with you about history and awareness of your home state!

    3. This is an interesting idea. I never thought about celebrating my state’s birthday before. I can see the value in it though.

    4. My experience (in California) and that of my children (in Hawaii) was to study state history in 4th grade. I hope my grandson will do the same in Colorado. I think studying the history of the state is a springboard to studying the remaining states, then other countries.

    5. This is so fun! And since my boys are really into learning about history, I may implement this…another reason to celebrate!

    6. Hello, neighbor! I live in Joplin, Missouri. I can relate a little. I went to elementary school in Oklahoma, so my state history is different from my Missouri-educated children. And my husband went to school in Kansas. We’ve had some interesting conversations from time to time. Me: Of course the state bird of Oklahoma is the scissor-tailed flycatcher! Who doesn’t know that?

    7. That’s so funny and cute. Never knew PA’s birthday was December 12th… but then again… I’ve never heard anybody ever mention it. I think you’re onto something here 😉

    8. We’ve moved so many times that I’ve never really taken the time to think about the current state’s birthday. I’m going to have to look into where we live now. Thanks for the inspiration!

    9. Yes! Fellow Kansas girl here (but born and raised). I LOVED celebrating Kansas Day when I was younger and have done so with my children even when we lived in other states (military). My first grade teacher seemed obsessed with KS Day, but other teachers allowed sunflower decorated cookies and college served “Kansas Dirt Cake” in the dining center. Last year, our family picture was in a field of sunflowers and I missed the deadline for sending out Christmas cards, so I ended up sending out Kansas Day cards! It was your typical yearly review letter on one side and Kansas trivia games on the back 😊 I made sure to send one to my first grade teacher too (and received a reply from her!)

      1. How fun! Where were you born and raised and where are you now? AND….I’m dying to know….have you seen other states be as crazy about their birthdays as Kansas?

    10. I have lived in the same county in Kentucky my whole life. I love Kentucky and think it would be great to celebrate her every year. Kentucky’s statehood date falls on June 1, so it will make an excellent summer kickoff part.

    11. Oh fun! My daughter will be excited to learn that she shares a birthday with CO! Now I can sneak in some education in the summer, and on her birthday at that! Haha!

    12. The entire state of West Virginia celebrates our birthday every year on June 20. Mountaineers are proud of their stat history. Very 4 th grade I. The state teaches WV history. They even have a contest called The Golden Horseshoe. . A statewide contest for 4th graders on state history. It’s a huge honor to be crowned a knight of the Golden Horseshoe.
      Proud to from West Virginia!

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