Fisk School
Fisk School opened in 1866. The school’s population was comprised of African Americans because at the time most of them were being denied access to education. General Clinton B. Fisk provided the building in Nashville, Tennessee. The first students ranged in age from 7 to 70. Fisk School became Fisk University in 1867. Children can learn more at: Fisk School.
Tennessee Flag
Tennessee became the sixteenth state of the United States in 1796. Its nickname is the Volunteer State. Tennessee’s name comes from tenase, meaning main village of Cherokees. Nashville is both the state capital and the state’s largest city. The state is the 36th largest state and ranks fifteenth in terms of population. The Grand Ole Opry, located in Nashville, attracts many country music fans. The state butterfly is the zebra swallowtail, and the state wild animal is the raccoon. Children could visit an Internet site at: Tennessee.
Grotto Falls
Great Smoky Mountains National Park was created in 1934. Because the park hovers on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina, it is close to large centers of population. Over eight million people visit the park each year. People lived in the area prior to its becoming a park. Over 6,000 tracts of land had to be purchased before the area could be declared a national park. Children can visit a website at: http://www.nps.gov/grsm.
State of Franklin came into being in 1784. Eight counties of then eastern North Carolina seceded from the state and formed their own government that was to be Franklin, the fourteenth state. However, the federal government over time did not recognize the territory, and in 1788 the land returned to North Carolina. Today the counties are part of eastern Tennessee. Children can learn more at: State of Franklin.
M&M Candies
National M&M Day is today! Also labeled as m&m candies, the candies were first produced in 1941. Today the candies are produced in two locations, Hackettstown, New Jersey, and Cleveland, Tennessee. The candies are now sold in over 100 countries. Idea: Children could make a list of the colors of the candies, and they could also list the variations that are produced today.