Over a thousand area students and teachers are celebrating Kansas statehood in Salina all this week.
Hundreds of grade school children are participating in special activities at the Smoky Hill Museum. The children, all third-graders, have been learning what life was like for pioneers back in 1861, when Kansas became the 34th state. Activities include shelling and grinding corn, packing a covered wagon, churning butter, and playing some of the same games pioneer children played.
Students and teachers from twenty-five area schools are participating. Museum Curator of Education Nona Miller tells KSAL News hundreds of students will be at the museum everyday this week, Monday through Friday. The outreach effort is to teach what Kansas was like in 1861. Along with the Smoky Hill Museum Street Fair, it is one of the largest events of the year at the museum.
The whole family can enjoy learning how to make butter and shell corn. Additionally, there will be make-and-take crafts and delicious birthday cupcakes. Also, be sure to stop by the Museum Store for a wide variety of regional and Kansas products, local artwork and gifts for all ages.
Kansas entered the union as the 34th state on January 29th, 1861. Kansas Day has been celebrated around the state since 1877. Kansas Day is not a public holiday, but it is a state-wide observation.