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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!
Very cool, I would have never thought to do this!
How cool! I want to do this for Michigan’s birthday when the kids are older!
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.
In Hawaii we tend to celebrate Kamehameha Day more prominently. Check out the celebration and the incredible lei draped on the statue here: https://www.hawaii.com/blog/king-kamehameha-day/. Definitely a fun celebration!
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!
How fun, Holly!
Cali girl here – just had the 4th grade state lessons for my twins!
Brings back memories for sure. Where in Cali are you? I grew up in Carlsbad.
What a fun idea! Thank you for the suggestion!
I find the years an interesting fact.
This is neat! I don’t think my kids every celebrated it in school. Though maybe they did, but it is not a yearly thing and it certainly isn’t made a big deal.
What a great idea! Schools should do this too!
I did not know my states birthday! There are no celebrations for it.
Awesome post. I never thought to do this!
This is an interesting idea. I never thought about celebrating my state’s birthday before. I can see the value in it though.
Have to say, I did not know my states B-day! Thanks for sharing!
Great points! We should all make a point to know and celebrate our state’s history.
This is a very cool assignment. With home school you get to do so much more with your child’s education.
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.
What a great idea! I think this is so important for kids.
Fun idea! We celebrate all kinds of fun things at our house, but I have never even considered our state’s birthday. That’s a great idea!!
What a fun idea. Something I had never ever thought of.
As a fellow homeschooler, I think it’s a great idea! Everybody should know the history of the place they live in!
This is so fun! And since my boys are really into learning about history, I may implement this…another reason to celebrate!
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?
I love this! What a fun way to learn the states history. Thanks for sharing!
That sounds so fun! What a cool idea- it’s definitely something that should be integrated in classrooms, I’ve never even thought about it!
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 😉
What a great idea for homeschool and all kids!
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!
If it’s another reason to have cake and have a party, I’m down!
What a great idea! I need to incorporate this.
Thank you once again! I will bookmark !
I appreciate any excuse to celebrate and learn. I’m in Missouri so come August I’ll create a fun way to celebrate my state.
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!)
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?
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.
Oh! That sounds like a fun way to end the school year and start summer!
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!
Oh, how fun!