History Time

A Newsletter for Kansas Educators

March 2024

Make and Take: Pompom Honeybee

Earth Day is a great time to talk about the Kansas state insect, the honeybee. Did you know that honeybees pollinate 80% of all flowering plants including more than 130 types of fruits and vegetables? Or that bee populations have dropped alarmingly across North America? In 1976 students recognized the importance of the honeybee as they collected signatures from across the state to make it the state insect. Students today can create their own honeybee as they learn how important this insect is to our lives today and in the future.

Bleeding Kansas Series: Episode 4

The fourth installment in our Bleeding Kansas video series focuses on the violent conflicts that gave "Bleeding Kansas" its name and the impact they had on the future of Kansas Territory. Students learn how Kansas became the focus of the entire nation as the United States quickly approached civil war.

Our next and final episode will discuss the politics of Kansas Territory, the four state constitutions that were drafted, and how Kansas eventually entered the Union as a free state.

Poll: Help us Plan

For several years the Kansas Museum of History and the Shawnee County Conservation District has teamed up to host an event called History & Environmental Fair. It’s held in April and geared to fourth through sixth graders. We combine both science and history teaching standards to create an event where students visit booths to learn topics relating to our environment. It has evolved into a celebration of our state's natural resources and an exploration into exciting new opportunities for using them.

We want your input as our education team looks to the future. If you have previously brought students to this event, or even if you haven’t, let us know if it fits within your curriculum. Would this free event be something worth a field trip? Please help us plan!

Standards Based Activity:

Kansas Prairie Homes

HGSS Standard #5:  Relationships among people, places, ideas, and environments are dynamic. 

Celebrate Earth Day next month with this primary Read Kansas! lesson.

This first-grade lesson illustrates the connection between Kansas settlers and the natural environment. Students will learn how settlers adapted to living in Kansas by learning about the houses they built. In reading the text as a class, students will practice choral reading. Spanish translations for these lessons are available.

Field Trip!

It’s March, which always screams FIELD TRIP! to our education staff at the Kansas Museum of History. Although in-person tours are not possible due to major renovations, we have some great video tours that bring the museum back to life in your own classroom. 

Can your students answer the essential question “Why was the Santa Fe Trail so important?” Our short seven-minute video Santa Fe Trail Tour at the Kansas Museum of History answers this while also reinforcing the content with interesting items traded by travelers. Students view a yoke and shoes worn by animals pulling trail wagons, manufactured items from the U.S., and raw materials from Santa Fe.

If you want a deeper dive into this trail topic, we have a list of additional resources. It’s all free and available on your own schedule at kshs.org. Check it out!

Don't Forget!

Rural School Days programs are still offered at the Kansas Museum of History.

Read Kansas! are available free of charge for primary, intermediate, middle, and high school students while supplies last.

A variety of virtual tours, videos, and Nearpod lessons are available to use in your classroom. 

Traveling resource trunks are available to borrow. Reserve one now for the school year.

The Kansas Museum of History is closed for renovations. Although the museum is not available for field trips, our staff is here for you.

Zephyr, our newest publication, provides information on events, programs, updates on the museum renovation, and highlights a variety of state historic sites.

State Historic Sites now have free admission! Look for one in your area. Call ahead as some are only open seasonally.