Jan 26, 20212 min read

Happy Birthday, Kansas!

Kansas Day is this Friday! Do you celebrate Kansas Day in your program?

I was born and raised in Kansas and can remember celebrating Kansas Day every year in school growing up. Each year children across our state celebrate the birthday of Kansas. There are also many libraries, museums and historic sites that offer programs and events on this holiday.

When you think of Kansas, what comes to mind? I think of sunflowers, wheat fields, and the rolling flint hills. Fun fact: every time I travel from Kansas City to Wichita, I stop at the scenic overlook and just take a few moments to soak up the beautiful landscape. I truly love living in Kansas! Over the years I have collected picture postcards from across the state and Kansas calendars, then I post the pictures around my classroom to spark my children's curiosity. I also have a small collection of books that I add to the library.

Here are a few of my favorites that can be found on Amazon.

During the week I will have different learning stations set up. There are a variety of math, literacy, science and fine motor activities. Some examples are a sunflower seed sensory tub, words related to Kansas in the writing center, sunflower counting, graphing our favorite Kansas symbol, and of course we will have fresh sunflowers to investigate. I also like to add the Kansas flag to our dramatic play area along with some fun baking materials and fake sunflowers. I love to watch their imagination come to life!

We finish up our week by making a fresh loaf of bread in a bag and homemade butter in a jar. This is always a fun day!

Here are a few other fun ideas to celebrate Kansas Day!