History Time

A Newsletter for Kansas Educators

November 2023

Make and Take: Cattle Headband

Cattle drives were a booming industry in 19th century Kansas. Hundreds of thousands of Texas longhorns were driven to shipping points such as Abilene and Dodge City. To add a fun touch to your lesson plans, create this cattle headband with your students. This craft would fit perfectly with a lesson about the history of cattle trails and cowtowns in Kansas. Use the craft as a jumping off point to discuss how industry impacts town development, both in the past and in the present.

The Story of the Kansas State Capitol

The Capitol Visitor Center is where any trip to the statehouse begins. Our brand new orientation video will soon debut in the Visitor Center Auditorium detailing the Capitol’s history, construction, and significance. This video is also available online to provide your students with a supplementary resource when learning about state government or as a pre-tour orientation for those visiting in-person.

Visiting the Capitol

Did you know that our staff offers free tours of the Kansas Capitol? Tours reinforce the structure and function of government, showcase the architecture of the building with tours to the top of the dome, review Kansas history through amazing artwork such as John Steuart Curry’s “Tragic Prelude” mural, and so much more.

To get the most from your visit start at the Capitol Visitor Center. Join your tour guide there or pick up either a paper or virtual copy of Kansas Capitol Bingo. The bingo card encourages those touring without a guide to take a close look at everything around them. New hands-on activities in the classroom provide students an opportunity to explore the 3 branches of state government, the construction of the Capitol, and the symbolism included in the state flag. For those unable to visit the Capitol in person consider a virtual visit using our online resources.

Standards Based Activity:

Three Branches of Kansas

Government Nearpod

HGSS Standard #3: Societies are shaped by the identities, beliefs, and practices of individuals and groups.

Today’s children are our future. Help them become involved citizens by learning more about local, state, and national elections. November brings election day, so it’s a great time to reinforce your students’ knowledge of state government. The museum’s “Three Branches of Kansas Government” lesson on Nearpod provides a clear understanding of this topic. The lesson looks at the executive, legislative, and judicial branches individually, explaining the duties of each, the power they hold, and how those positions are chosen. Included are engaging activities and summaries to reinforce the reason for the checks and balances system. The lesson is free and can be student-paced or teacher led for your convenience.

Museum Renovation:

Oh, the Stories They Tell

Artifacts are objects made and used by people which make them the perfect foundation for an exhibit telling the stories of those people. Some artifacts tell unexpected stories, and some tell multiple stories. This cannon is an example of both. It lived a full life and could be used to tell a myriad of Kansas stories ranging from war to celebration and from westward expansion to coal mining. It began its life in the 1840s Mexican American War and will end its life in the collections of the Kansas Museum of History.

If you were designing an exhibit about Kansas, which story would you choose to have this cannon tell? How it got its nickname, Old Kickapoo? The importance of river towns and the how it announced riverboat arrivals? The struggle between the proslavery and antislavery sides during Bleeding Kansas? How it influenced voters at a polling location? Coal mining in Kansas and its role in extending a mine shaft? How $200 saved it from becoming molten metal in a Chicago furnace?

 The Kansas Museum of History has a collection of over 120,000 artifacts, most with multiple stories. Exhibit planning means spending time learning or reviewing their stories and then taking care to choose the story that best fits both the artifact and the exhibit. We can’t wait for students of all ages to visit the museum next year and listen to the stories told by the artifacts.

Don't Forget!

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

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.

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.