Thank you for joining us for the 5th Annual Kansas Day Edventure! We loved celebrating Kansas with you and your students. Your enthusiasm made this day a huge success!
📌 All session recordings are now available! Simply scroll down on this page to find the recordings and replay your favorite sessions anytime. These will remain accessible for the rest of the school year.
We hope you had an unforgettable experience exploring Kansas history, wildlife, and culture.
We can’t wait to see you again next year!
The Wichita USD 269 EdTech Team
Teachers! We’re thrilled to share that listening guides for your students are ready and waiting! These guides are designed to help your students stay engaged and capture their learning as they watch and explore today’s exciting sessions. Download them now and get ready for an incredible day of discovery!
ON DEMAND SESSIONS - Available all day
Home on the Range with Friends University Education Majors
Kansas Author and Illustrator Grant Snider
Kansas Author and Illustrator Sheila Wagner and Scott Dawson
Kansas Day Symbols with the Kansas State Historical Society
Wichita Symphony Kansas Day Edventure
Home on the Range Sing-a-Long
Oh Where, Oh Where is Kansas? Sing-a-Long
State Fossils of Kansas with Exploration Place
Keeper of the Plains
Discover the Beauty, History, and Science at the Khica Family Carousel at Botanica
LIVE SESSIONS - Scroll down below the On Demand videos to find the live events
9:30-10:00
Kansas State Symbols with the Kansas Historical Society
The Nature of Our Prairie
Bison in Kansas (Better for 2nd grade)
10:30-11:00
I is for Ike
Pioneer Life (Better for Grades 1-2)
11:10-12:10 LUNCH AND LEARN
Prairie Pals: A Wild Journey Through Kansas Native Wildlife
2:00-2:30
Shell-ebrate Kansas: Meet the Ornate Box Turtle
ON DEMAND SESSIONS - Available all day
Home on the Range with Friends University Education Majors
Wichita Symphony Kansas Day Edventure
Home on the Range Sing-a-Long
State Fossils of Kansas with Exploration Place
Keeper of the Plains
Discover the Beauty, History, and Science at the Khica Family Carousel at Botanica
Native People of the Plains
Famous Kansans - A Kansas Day Tribute
Learn to Draw a Bison with Wichita CityArts
William Allen White and the Red Rocks State Historic Site
LIVE SESSIONS - Scroll down below the On Demand videos to find the live events
9:30-10:00
Kansas State Symbols with the Kansas Historical Society Best for Grade 3
Bison in Kansas - This session is now canceled.
Ike: The Barefoot Boy in Abilene
10:30-11:00
Pioneer Life
What was John Brown?
The Kansas Comet's Roomate (Best for 5th Grade)
11:10-12:10 LUNCH AND LEARN
Prairie Pals: A Wild Journey Through Kansas Native Wildlife
1:00-1:30
History Through Documents at the State Archives
2:00-2:30
Made by Kansans!
Dole-ing Out the Facts: Trivia on Kansas' Legendary Senator
ON DEMAND SESSIONS - Available all day
Wichita Symphony Kansas Day Edventure
Home on the Range Sing-a-Long
State Fossils of Kansas with Exploration Place
Keeper of the Plains
Discover the Beauty, History, and Science at the Khica Family Carousel at Botanica
Native People of the Plains
Famous Kansans - A Kansas Day Tribute
Learn to Draw a Bison with Wichita CityArts
William Allen White and the Red Rocks State Historic Site
Charles Curtis, the 1st Native American Vice President from CBS Sunday Morning
Tragic Prelude Mural at the Kansas Capitol Building
Kansas Oil Museum Tour
LIVE SESSIONS - Scroll down below the On Demand videos to find the live events
10:30-11:00
What was John Brown?
The Kansas Comet's Roomate
Slimy but Special: Meet Kansas' Barred Tiger Salamander
LUNCH AND LEARN
11:10-12:10 Prairie Pals: A Wild Journey Through Kansas Native Wildlife
1:00-1:30
History Through Documents at the State Archives
2:00-2:30
Made by Kansans!
Dole-ing Out the Facts: Trivia on Kansas' Legendary Senator
The Prairie Puzzle: Connecting Conservation in Our Communities
These are accessible for the entire day. Simply click the link to view at your convenience.
Teachers be sure to also visit the Kansas State Historical Society to find additional resources such as
Make and Take Items
Kansas Trivia games
NearPod Lessons (both teacher led or self-paced)
Kansas History Videos
Kansas Historical Society provides a variety of education resources and opportunities for all ages. Visit KSHS.org or contact KSHS.Education@ks.gov for more information.
GRADES 2-8
Come check out some of the coolest science experiments that celebrate Kansas geology, wheat, and wind.
Teachers - If the video doesn't play properly, try accessing it through this Google Slideshow
Grades PK-5
Music
Happy Kansas Day! Join Friends University's Music Education majors as they take you on a journey exploring the origins of Kansas's beloved song "Home on the Range".
Make sure to watch the end for a special treat (hint: it includes an original arrangement)!
Instagram: FriendsU_Finearts
Teachers - If the video doesn't play properly, try accessing it through this Google Slideshow
Grades PK-2
ELA, Art
Join Wichita author-illustrator Grant Snider as he shares how he was inspired to write his first picture book What Color Is Night? and look for some familiar Wichita landmarks! He will also share his latest picture book There is a Rainbow that is the hopeful book we all could use right now.
Purchase copies of Grant Snider's Books from Watermark Books and Cafe
TEACHERS - Download the There is a Rainbow Activity Kit for more resources.
Twitter
@watermarkbooks
Teachers - If the video doesn't play properly, try accessing it through this Google Slideshow
Grades PK-2
ELA, Art
Vist Cowskin Creek Clydesdale Farm and meet the inspiration for the book Clay's Mustache written by Sheila Wagner. Find out if Clydesdales really have mustaches? What does a baby Clydesdale look like? Find out about illustrator Scott Dawson and his fabulous artwork!
Purchase copies of Sheila Wagner's and Scott Dawson's Books from Watermark Books and Cafe
Twitter
@watermarkbooks
Teachers - If the video doesn't play properly, try accessing it through this Google Slideshow
Grades PK-K
Social Studies
This kindergarten lesson introduces eight Kansas symbols through short expository texts that are read to the students. The lesson is a virtual adaptation of our Read Kansas! lesson P-3: Kansas Symbols Bingo. This video can be used in conjunction with the complete Read Kansas! lesson or separately. You can use this video to encourage class discussions of the texts.
TEACHERS - Download free PDFs of this Read Kansas! lesson
Twitter @KansasHistory
Instagram @Kansas_History
Teachers - If the video doesn't play properly, try accessing it through this Google Slideshow
Grades PK-8
Music, Careers
Join us for an extraordinary tour with the Wichita Symphony as they share with us a Kansas Day Musical Edventure. We will meet Dr. Timothy Jones, Associate Concertmaster of the Wichita Symphony and Associate Professor of the Violin at Wichita State University and Film Composer Dr. George S. Clinton who was inspired to write a musical piece after visiting Wichita's Old Cowtown Museum. His "Old Cowtown Suite" is fantastic!
Twitter @WichitaSymphony
YouTube @Wichita Symphony Orchestra
Teachers - If the video doesn't play properly, try accessing it through this Google Slideshow
Grades PK-8
Music, Social Studies
Join us in a sing-a-long of our state song, Home on the Range.
Teachers - Be sure to check out this lesson plan from the Kansas Historical Society about the history of this classic song.
And to know more about the original site where the poem was written, visit the Home on the Range Cabin online.
Twitter @KansasHistory
Instagram @Kansas_History
Teachers - If the video doesn't play properly, try accessing it through this Google Slideshow
Grades PK-2
Music, Social Studies
This sing-along video is a great introductory lesson in Kansas geography that will teach kindergarten students how to find Kansas on a map. This video directly correlates to our Read Kansas! lesson P-02: Where is Kansas?
TEACHERS - Download the complete lesson plan along with worksheets.
Teachers - If the video doesn't play properly, try accessing it through this Google Slideshow
Grades PK-8
STEM
What creatures roamed the plains of Kansas millions of years ago? Well they mostly swam and soared as the Sunflower State was part of the Western Interior Seaway. Join Brooke as she dishes the dirt on what fossils are commonly found in Kansas. Plus follow along with a sweet dino digging activity.
Teachers - If the video doesn't play properly, try accessing it through this Google Slideshow
Grades 2-5
Social Studies
The people who started Kansas believed that not just anyone could live here. What defines a person who lives in Kansas and how did those expectations come to be? State symbols and folk characters reveal historic “Kansas Character.”
Teachers - If the video doesn't play properly, try accessing it through this Google Slideshow
Grades 2-8
Art, Social Studies
The Keeper of the Plains is the icon of Wichita. Commissioned to be built as a beautification project in the 1960's, construction was completed in 1974. The Keeper of the Plains faces the rising sun, which is of importance to the Native American culture. There are several subtle features around the Keeper of the Plains; the bridges that connect visitors to the the sculpture were made to look like a bow and arrow; its location is at the confluence of the Little Arkansas River and Arkansas River where legend has it, this was a popular hunting area.
Visit Wichita shares more information on The Keeper of the Plains.
Teachers - If the video doesn't play properly, try accessing it through this Google Slideshow
Grades PK-8
STEM, Social Studies
Join us at Botanica Wichita for a historical ride on the Khicha Family Carousel, a 40-foot, 36-horse, 2-chariot Allan Herschel carousel that is the only one of its kind left in existence. This STEM focused lesson will feature simple machines, number sense, and a good dose of fun. Come join us!
Twitter @BotanicaWichita
Instagram @BotanicaWichita
Teachers - If the video doesn't play properly, try accessing it through this Google Slideshow
Grades 3-8
Social Studies
Grammy® Nominated, Native American singer-songwriter Joanne Shenandoah narrates this video on Native Peoples of the Great Plains. The daily lives and cultures of America’s Native Peoples come to life for students through reenactments recorded at Native American living history museums and villages.
Teachers - If the video doesn't play properly, try accessing it through this Google Slideshow
Grades 3-8
Art, Music, ELA, Social Studies, Science
Happy Kansas Day, everyone! "Famous Kansans" is a video produced for the 150th birthday of Kansas in 2011. It was part of the "Home on the Range" Sesquicentennial celebration staged by the Kansas Chapter of the Western Music Association. Thousands of people enjoyed the performances in Hutchinson and Wichita.
Teachers - If the video doesn't play properly, try accessing it through this Google Slideshow
Grades 3-8
Art
Join Alisha Gridley from Wichita CityArts for a bison drawing lesson. Students will need paper, a pencil, and some crayons, markers, or colored pencils for this session. We cannot wait to see what you create!
Teachers - we invite you to share some of the drawings on social media. Be sure to tag CityArts in your posts and include our #edventure hashtag.
Twitter: @CityArts
Instagram: @WichitaCityArts
Teachers - If the video doesn't play properly, try accessing it through this Google Slideshow
Grades 4-8
ELA, Social Studies
Learn about William Allen White, an influential American newspaper editor, political commentator, and author while we take a tour of his home in Emporia, Kansas.
Twitter @KansasHistory
Instagram @Kansas_History
Teachers - If the video doesn't play properly, try accessing it through this Google Slideshow
Grades 6-8
Social Studies
Elected in 1928, Charles Curtis became the first, and only, Native American Vice President of the United States. After being raised among the Kaw Tribe in Kansas, he stayed in Topeka to live with his White father's family. His professional and political rise (from lawyer, to Congressman and Senator, to Herbert Hoover's running mate) was swift and compelling. Correspondent Mo Rocca looks back at the incredible life of Curtis, and the not-always-positive impact he had on Native American peoples.
Teachers - If the video doesn't play properly, try accessing it through this Google Slideshow
Grades 6-8
Art, Social Studies
Tragic Prelude, featured on the second floor of the Kansas State Capitol in Topeka, is considered one of John Steuart Curry’s best murals. However, the painting’s rich symbolism was so heavily criticized throughout the 1930s and 1940s that Curry left without completing the murals planned for the rotunda. He even refused to sign the two murals he completed.
Take your class on a tour with Capitol Visitor Center Coordinator Joe Brentano, as he explores the history behind the mural and the symbolism depicted in it.
TEACHERS - Be sure to check out additional information about the mural from the Kansas Historical Society.
Twitter @KansasHistory
Instagram @Kansas_History
Teachers - If the video doesn't play properly, try accessing it through this Google Slideshow
Grades 6-8
STEM, Careers, Social Studies
The Kansas Oil Museum is the one of the largest museums in the state with a focus on the history of America's early 20th-century oil industry. We also preserve and interpret the history of Butler County, Kansas, from the earliest days of the Native American tribes and the pioneers, to small-town and ranch life of the 1900s.
Follow along with curator Suzanne Walenta and Kenneth Spurgeon as we see exhibits from the people of early Kansas to the discovery and history of oil in Kansas.
TEACHERS - Be sure to check out more information on the Kansas Oil Museum website.
Twitter @BCHistory_KSOil
Teachers - If the video doesn't play properly, try accessing it through this Google Slideshow
NOTE: Sessions are subject to change based on guest speaker availability, technology issues, and weather conditions
Grades PK-3
Presented by the Kansas State Historical Society
Presenter - Trae Johnson, Asst. Director of Education and Outreach, Kansas Historical Society
Discover the unique symbols that make Kansas special! Just like your school or favorite sports team has its own logo or mascot, states have their own meaningful symbols too. Kansas is home to 25 official state symbols, including the sunflower and the American Bison. Join us on a journey to explore them all and gain a deeper sense of place and identity through these fascinating icons!
Grades PK-2
Presented by the Sedgwick County Zoo
The Kansas Prairie is filled with excitement above and below the ground. We will take an adventure across the Kansas prairie as we discover the plants, animals, and formations that make Kansas an amazing prairie state. The creation of this program was made possible by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Chickadee Checkoff program. Be a force for nature!
Grades 3-5
Presented by IKEducation
What was it like to grow up in Abilene at the turn of the 20th century? Participants will get to analyze artifacts and try to determine how they might have been used by Ike and his family at home, at work, at school, or at play.
NOTE: Sessions are subject to change based on guest speaker availability, technology issues, and weather conditions
Grades PK-2
Presented by IKEducation
G is for General and P is for President! This read aloud reinforces the alphabet and introduces our youngest historians to the life of Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Grades 1-5
Presented by Durham Museum
Visit our log cabin and experience the life of a Great Plains pioneer. Students will take part in a tour of our covered wagon and log cabin where they will learn about the tough choices the pioneers had to make as they prepared to travel west and build a new life!
Grades 4-8
Presented by the Kansas State Historical Society
Presenter - Trae Johnson, Asst. Director of Education and Outreach, Kansas Historical Society
Dive into the extraordinary life and legacy of John Brown, one of America’s most famous abolitionists. This presentation begins with the history of slavery in the United States and the fragile compromises made to hold the nation together. From Brown’s childhood and deep-rooted faith to his radical transformation and bold actions in Kansas Territory, this story culminates in his daring raid on Harpers Ferry and the legacy he left behind.
Grades 5-8
Presented by The Pro Football Hall of Fame
Get ready to dive into an incredible story of friendship, courage, and breaking barriers! We're exploring the remarkable bond between Gale Sayers, a Gold Jacket athlete, and his teammate Brian Piccolo. Imagine being one of the first black and white roommates in the NFL – that's who these two were! We'll look at how they faced big challenges together, both in the game and in life, showing amazing character traits like teamwork and resilience. Plus, we'll watch a segment from the TV movie "Brian's Song" to see their story come to life. This isn't just about football; it's about friendship and standing strong in the face of adversity. Get ready for an inspiring journey! 🏈💪🤝
Grades 6-8
The Great Plains Nature Center
Join the Great Plains Nature Center and one of our animal ambassadors, the Barred Tiger Salamander. Learn more about this elusive and slimy creature and why it's so precious and important to our state and ecosystems.
NOTE: Sessions are subject to change based on guest speaker availability, technology issues, and weather conditions
ALL GRADES
Presented by the Sedgwick County Zoo
Join us for an exhilarating live tour of the Kansas Prairie exhibit at the Sedgwick County Zoo, a session we're calling "Prairie Pals: A Wild Journey Through Kansas' Native Wildlife." Suitable for students of all grade levels, this tour is a rare chance to get up close and personal with some of Kansas's most iconic animals. From the curious prairie dogs and majestic bison to the stealthy cougar, soaring eagles, diverse reptiles, playful ferrets, and adorable otters, each animal has a unique story to tell about life on the Kansas prairie.
We're thrilled to potentially have the prairie staff join us to share fascinating insights about these amazing creatures. Get ready to explore the natural wonders of your own backyard in this interactive and educational experience that brings the beauty and diversity of the Kansas prairie to life. Don't miss out on this opportunity to connect with nature and discover the wildlife wonders of Kansas!
NOTE: Sessions are subject to change based on guest speaker availability, technology issues, and weather conditions
Grades 5-8
Presented by the Kansas State Historical Society
History through Documents at the State Archives – Adam Hodge, Head of Reference
Give students a glimpse into history with an exploration of the incredible documents preserved at the Kansas Historical Society State Archives! This presentation highlights the power of primary sources in uncovering the stories of the past and showcases the diverse range of materials available in the State Archives. From Benjamin “Pap” Singleton to Carry Nation, railroads, and beyond, students will discover fascinating topics that bring history to life.
NOTE: Sessions are subject to change based on guest speaker availability, technology issues, and weather conditions
Grades PK-2
Presented by the Great Plains Nature Center
Join the Great Plains Nature Center and one of our animal ambassadors, the Ornate Box Turtle. See where they call home, what they eat, and more!
Grades 3-5
Presented by the Dole Institute of Politics
Celebrate Kansas Day by learning about famous Kansan, Senator Bob Dole, in an interactive trivia challenge. From his hometown of Russell, to the halls of the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C., students will learn about Dole’s biography and how he represented the Sunflower state for over 35 years in the U.S. Congress, including a run for the presidency.
Grades 3-8
Presented by the Kansas State Historical Society
Made By Kansans – Ashley Pheigaru, Education Coordinator
Kansans far and wide have demonstrated their skills and creativity with new products and inventions. From technological advances to dog food, Kansans have left their mark on the world. Join the Kansas Historical Society and discover what amazing innovations have roots in the sunflower state.
Grades 6-8
Presented by the Sedgwick County Zoo
From wildlife to wild places, Kansas is filled with wonders! We will go beyond ducks, deer, and pheasant to explore the formations, plants, and animals that make Kansas unique. Students will be introduced to the term non-game wildlife as they learn about critical habitat areas and the keystone species, large and small, that keep the Kansas prairie healthy. The creation of this program was made possible by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Chickadee Checkoff program. Be a force for nature!
Thanks for joining us for Kansas Day!
Our next big event will be Friday, May 3rd for the state wide Career Day! Hope you can join us!
~The Wichita Public Schools EdTech Team