National Puzzle Day is today! This day celebrates all kinds of puzzles: jigsaw, crossword, mechanical, sudoku, word search, maze, logic, hidden object, and more. Children could enjoy their favorite types of puzzles. Idea: Could children incorporate two or more puzzles into one activity? For example, they could print a photo, cut it into jigsaw pieces, and then incorporate some of the photo elements into a word search.
Kansas State Flag
Sunflowers
Kansas became the thirty-fourth state of the United States in 1861. Kansas is known chiefly for its agricultural products, including wheat and cattle. The state capital is Topeka. Kansas ranks fifteenth in area and 34th in population. The geographic center of the United States is located near Lebanon, Kansas. The state animal is the buffalo. Children could visit Kansas. Idea: The sunflower is the state’s official wild flower. Children could toast and eat sunflower seeds.
Amendment Eighteen to the Constitution was adopted in 1919. It brought on Prohibition. Experts feel that alcohol-related deaths declined during Prohibition. However, the black market and organized crime became more powerful. Amendment Twenty-One repealed this amendment on December 5, 1933. Amendment Eighteen is our only amendment to be repealed.
Seeing Eye Guide Dog Organization was founded in 1929 by Dorothy Harrison Eustis of Morristown, New Jersey. Idea: Children could interview one of the dog trainers. Children could also learn more at: http://www.seeingeye.org/about-us/history.html.
Disney’s Sleeping Beauty was released in 1959. Work began in 1951, and it incorporated music from Tchaikovsky’s ballet Sleeping Beauty. Originally it was not a successful movie, but it is now a classic.
American League of Baseball was formed in 1900.
Christy Matthewson
National Baseball Hall of Fame elected its first baseball players in 1936. The people were Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth and Honus Wagner. Children could study the biographies of these men. What accomplishments brought them to the Hall of Fame? Children could learn about all the inductees at: http://baseballhall.org/explorer.
Sylvia Cassedy (born Brooklyn, New York, 1930; died Manhasset, New York, April 6, 1989) wrote books for children. Her books include Behind the Attic Wall, Lucie Babbage’s House, and M. E. and Morton.
My Brother Sam Is Dead
Christopher Collier (born New York, New York, 1930; died March 6, 2020) was a historian and writer of children’s books. He and his brother James wrote My Brother Sam Is Dead. The book was a 1975 Newbery Honor Award winner.
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (born Taganrog, Russia, 1860; died Badenweiler, Germany, July 15, 1904) was a playwright and a writer of short stories. Two of his plays are The Sea Gull and The Cherry Orchard. Children can read his works at: Project Gutenberg.
Christina Koch (born Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1979) is an astronaut and an engineer. She participated in the first all-woman space walk on October 18, 2019, when she and Jessica Meir repaired a broken power controller, a seven-hour mission, on the International Space Station. The two followed with two more space walks, one on January 15, 2020, and another on January 20, 2020. She also holds the record for most days in space (328 days) for a woman, surpassing the record of Peggy Whitson. Children can learn more at: Christina Koch.
William McKinley
William McKinley (born Niles, Ohio, 1843; died Buffalo, New York, September 14, 1901) was the twenty-fifth president (1897-1901) of the United States. He enlisted as a private in the Civil War. When the war ended, he was 22 years old and a major. One of the planks of his presidential platform was that every person should have a “full dinner pail.” He was shot by anarchist Leon Czolgosz; McKinley died two weeks later. Children could visit a website at: William McKinley.
Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine (born Thetford, England, 1737; died New York, New York, June 8, 1809) was a patriot and an author. His Common Sense influenced people’s opinions regarding their right to freedom. Many experts believe it was a major catalyst for the American Revolution. Children can read his works at: Project Gutenberg. Older children could read The Elementary Common Sense of Thomas Paine by Mark Wilensky.
Bill Peet (born Grandview, Indiana, 1915; died Studio City, California, May 11, 2002) was an author and illustrator for Disney Studios. He was one of the directors for Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, released January 28, 1959. He was also the author of over 30 children’s books, including Farewell to Shady Glade. He received a 1990 Caldecott Honor Award for Bill Peet: An Autobiography. Children could visit a website, particularly the unfinished stories portion, at: http://www.billpeet.net/. Students could learn more at: Bill Peet.
Rosemary Wells (born New York, New York, 1943) is a children’s author. One of her books is Noisy Nora. She has also written the Max and Ruby series and the McDuff series. Children can visit her site filled with activities at: Rosemary Wells.