Delaware: Facts & Fun

Delaware is only 35 miles wide at its widest point. The narrowest part of the state is 8 miles wide – you can walk it one one day! Delaware is one of the smallest states!

Facts about Delaware:

• Capital: Dover
• Nickname: The First State, The Diamond State
• Statehood: December 7, 1787 (1st)
• Motto: Liberty and Independence
• Bird: Blue Hen Chicken
• Highest Point: Ebright

Children’s Books about Delaware that we read:

• Delaware: Past and Present by Philip Wolny.This is a book filled with facts and trivia about Delaware.
• Delaware: The First State by Tika Downey. Another fact book on Delaware.

Fun things I learned about Delaware:

• There are more U.S. Companies founded there than any other state because of their good laws for businesses.
• DuPont is a Delaware based company.
• At their Punkin Chunkin Festival teams build catapults to launch pumpkins up to 4,434 feet. I have used a Pumpkin Catapult at our local Pumpkin Patch – Faulkner’s Pumpkin Patch.

Food from Delaware:

• Most of the New England states I studied were known for crab – so I tried crab cakes and crab legs. I liked the crab cakes best.

Pennsylvania: Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich

I learned that the Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich was created in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This is a sandwich made with very thinly sliced steak and melted cheese served on long skinny bread. In Kansas City, one of our popular restaurants, Chartroose Caboose, serves Philly Cheesesteaks. We went to the restaurant and tried the sandwiches for lunch.

My parents really like the sandwiches, but I wasn’t a big fan. Mom had grilled onions and horseradish sauce on her sandwich. Dad enjoyed mushrooms on his. I had a plain cheesesteak. It was good, but I prefer Peanut Butter and Jelly.

 

Pennsylvania: Crayon Making

I learned that Crayola Crayons are made in Pennsylvania. I also learned that Fred Rogers, better known as Mr. Rogers from Mr. Rogers Neighborhood was from Pennsylvania.

I read several books about how Crayons are made including From Wax to Crayon and How Crayons are Made and books about Fred Rogers, then I watched a video Mr. Rogers Neighborhood: How Crayons are Made. After learning about crayons, we made our own crayons with the Crayola Crayon Maker.

In order to make a crayon, first wax is melted, then it is poured into a mold, then it hardens, it is removed from the mold and wrapped. Crayola then has workers box the wrapped crayons for children.

I think Crayola Crayons are my favorite thing from Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania: Facts and Fun

Pennsylvania is a very interesting state. Many famous people are from Pennsylvania from Benjamin Franklin to Edwin Binney.

Facts about Pennsylvania:

• Capital: Harrisburg
• Nickname: Keystone State
• Statehood: December 12, 1787 (2nd)
• Motto: Virtue, Liberty, and Independence
• Bird: Ruffed Grouse
• Highest Point: Mt. Davis

Children’s Books about Pennsylvania that we read:

• One for All: A Pennsylvania Number Book by Trinka Hakes Noble. This book is full of interesting facts about Pennsylvania. It talks about famous people from Pennsylvania, like Mr. Rogers. It also tells of Pennsylvania’s history.
• The Colony of Pennsylvania: A Primary Source of History by Melody S. Mis. This is the story of Pennsylvania. It tells how William Penn and Quakers settled in Pennsylvania and purchased land from Native Americans. It then explains the American Revolution and Washington’s famous winter at Valley Forge. Pennsylvania became the second state.
• K is for Keystone by Kristen Kane. This is an alphabet book full of interesting trivia about Pennsylvania. I was interested in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water House!
• Pennsylvania: Facts and Symbols by Emily McAuliffe. Pennsylvania was named for William Penn, a Quaker settler in the colonies and founder of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania’s means “Penn’s Woods.” I also learned more about the building and history of the state.
• Welcome to the U.S.A.: Pennsylvania by Ann Heinrichs. This is another Pennsylvania trivia book. I really liked the illustrations and explanations.
• Sparrow Jack by Mordicai Gerstein. This is the story of an Englishman, Jack Bardsley, who moved to Pennsylvania and discovered an incredible problem of inchworms. Jack knew that Sparrows from England would eat the inchworms and solve the dilemma of dying plants in Pennsylvania. So, he voyaged to England and brought 1000 sparrows to America. This story is part history and part legend.
• John, Paul, George & Ben by Lane Smith. This is a humorous illustrated book about John Hancock, Paul Revere, George Washington, and Ben Franklin (lived in Philadelphia most of his life) as children.
• Now and Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin by Gene Beretta. This book tells of the inventions of Ben Franklin and how they improved our world – even today. It was interesting to learn how he discovered the nature of electricity and how to use it. I cannot imagine flying a kite in a storm! He also invented a stick to help you grab things (known as the grabber now). I learned that Franklin invented the rocking chair… but it was more unusual than the one we use now – he made one with a fan on top, and another that could churn butter while rocking! Not only was he a great inventor, he also helped form America’s government.
• Ben and Me by Robert Lawson. This is a fictional story about Benjamin Franklin. In the story, Benjamin Franklin becomes friends with a mouse. The mouse helps Ben with his inventions. For instance, when Ben broke his glasses and the mouse fixed them with two pieces – one for reading, and one for seeing far away – this inspired bifocals. Ben Franklin asked the mouse to be his friend forever. The mouse helped inspire the Declaration of Independence and many of Franklin’s inventions. The story is imaginary, but it is fun to pretend.

Animals from Pennsylvania that I learned about:

Pennsylvania’s state animal is the whitetail deer. We read about the white tailed deer in three books, Stranger in the Woods, First Snow in the Woods, and Lost in the Woods. I learned to draw a white tailed deer.

Common animals in Pennsylvania include: Robin, crow, deer, opposum, trout, fireflies, and raccoon.

Fun Things I Learned about Pennsylvania:

• Popular foods include: Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches, Shoofly Pie, Hershey Chocolate, and soft pretzels. We tried all of these foods this month!
• Milton Hershey founded Hershey Chocolate and it is located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, known as the chocolate capital of the United States.
• Crayola Crayons and the Slinky are both manufactured in Pennsylvania.
• Monopoly was invented by Charles B. Darrow from Philadelphia.
• Every year on February 2nd, Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog, predicts the weather – if he sees his shadow Americans believe that predicts six more weeks of winter.
• The Liberty Bell first rang in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776.
• Fred Rogers, better known as Mr. Rogers, is from Pittsburgh.
• Benjamin Franklin lived in Philadelphia. He invented many wonderful things including the rocking chair, bifocals, and more. He also founded the first library in Pennsylvania.

Royals vs. NY Yankees: My Day as Slugger’s Helper at the Baseball Game

Cooperstown NY is home to the Baseball Hall of Fame, a museum honoring great baseball players, and some people think it is where baseball was invented. New York is known for baseball and many famous baseball players are from New York: Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Babe Ruth, and many more.

Last Sunday, the New York Yankees came to town to play the Kansas City Royals. We played against them for 4 games… we won 2 games, they won 2 games. On Sunday, May 6, I won a drawing at our local toy store to be Slugger’s Helper (Slugger is the Kansas City Royals mascot).

My family went to the Royals game, we brought Grandma & Grandpa too (Grandpa’s birthday was also that weekend).

Daddy took me to meet the Royals employee, a nice lady took me to a spot where I was waiting for Slugger. She asked me if I wanted to meet the Yankees, I told her I cheer for the Royals, not the Yankees. Then, Slugger came out and I met him.

Slugger took me out on the baseball field and the announcer introduced me to the crowd with my picture and name on the big screen. We did a bunch of High Five’s and cheered for the Royals. You may watch a Video of my experience as Slugger’s Little Helper here.

Then, I watched the game with my family. We ate peanuts (you always eat peanuts at Baseball Games… it’s even in the song). Then, we had snacks, we cheered for the Royals, and we went to the Kid Section where I rode the Merry-Go-Round- I chose Slugger!

I love going to Baseball Games with my family and it was especially fun to be on the field with Slugger!

Connecticut: LEGO Capital of the United States

Connecticut is the LEGO Capital of the United States. The LEGOLand Discovery Center opened in Kansas City in April. My family was invited to a sneak preview of LEGOLAND! My Uncle Jeff was even able to come with us. I had a lot of fun!

At LEGOLAND we toured the Mini Factory where we learned how LEGOs are made. First the colors are mixed, then they are melted and poured into molds where LEGOs are formed. I was given a souvenir LEGO to take home!

I also rode the Kingdom Quest ride to rescue a LEGO princess. Then, we watched a LEGO movie in 4D. 4D means you see it in 3D with special glasses, and then effects are added so you feel the movie too! I felt wind blowing when it was windy, rain coming down, bubbles, and more. This was my FAVORITE thing.

At LEGOLAND they created a miniature version of Kansas City entirely from LEGOs! It is called MiniLand and I thought it was really cool to see our Baseball Stadium, Sprint Center, Union Station, Plaza, and other local landmarks. The fountains in MiniLand even work! It was terrific!

We also built with LEGOs. We made race cars and raced them, we built buildings to see if they could withstand an earthquake, and we played with giant LEGOs too.

These are some photos of our day:

Visiting LEGOLAND Discovery Center with my Family

Riding Kingdom Quest with Dad & Uncle Jeff

Union Station made out of LEGOs

Kauffman Stadium made out of LEGOs

New Jersey: Facts & Fun

New Jersey is a small state, but there are a lot of fun things to see and do there. New Jersey is home to 127 miles of white sand beaches, including famous Atlantic City, Ocean City, Cape May, and Seaside Heights. Many beaches have boardwalks…. wooden sidewalks where you’ll find businesses, carnivals, rides, and lots of food!

Facts About New Jersey:

• Capital: Trenton
• Nickname: Garden State
• Statehood: Dec. 18,1787 (3rd State)
• Motto: Liberty and Prosperity
• Bird: Goldfinch
• Highest Point: High Point in Montague (they named their highest point High Point!)
• Flower: Purple Violet

Children’s Books About New Jersey that We Read:

• Welcome to the U.S.A.: New Jersey by Ann Heinrichs. This book is full of fun facts about New Jersey. Did you know that they have a Giant Elephant statue named Lucy. Lucy has been in Margate City, New Jersey, for 120 years. You can climb up inside her and look out the windows in her eyes! She weighs as much as 10 real elephants! In 1902, a family lived in Lucy as their summer home. We also learned that Thomas Edison, the famous inventor, was from New Jersey. He invented 1,093 inventions… even the lightbulb! The book also included New Jersey history, like George Washington’s famous crossing the Delaware River on Christmas Eve to surprise British Troops during the American Revolution.

Lucy the Elephant of New Jersey

• G is for Garden State by Eileen Cameron. This New Jersey alphabet book is full of interesting facts about New Jersey. Seeing Eye Dogs are dogs who are trained to help people who cannot see. Morris Frank, of New Jersey, had the idea to start a Seeing Eye Dog organization in New Jersey in 1929. Now, people still use Seeing Eye Dogs. I was so interested in this, we watched videos about Seeing Eye Dogs including:Seeing Eye: Morris Frank in his own words,  The Seeing Eye: New Beginning and Seeing Eye: Puppy’s Playroom.  New Jersey is famous for the Boardwalk along beaches and people eat cotton candy and salt water taffy there. Campbell’s Soup, M&Ms, and other products are from New Jersey. Many inventors are from New Jersey. The band-aid, Morse code, phonograph, light bulb, electric power plant, and many many other inventions were invented in New Jersey. New Jersey grows many berries, especially cranberries and blueberries
• How to Draw New Jersey’s Sights and Symbolsby Melody S. Mis. This book tells about New Jersey’s famous symbols and landmarks. Then, they give you instructions to draw the pictures. I learned to draw purple violets, my favorite New Jersey symbol.
  

  Purple Violets of New Jersey by Emily

• New Jersey: The Garden Stateby Tika Downey. This book showed great photographs of New Jersey and told the story of the state.
• Meadowlands by Thomas F. Yezerski. This is the story of the Wetlands of New Jersey…. how they were once the home to the Lenape people, then industry took over, and there was a cycle of pollution and now an effort to clean up the area and preserve it for wildlife.
• The Girl on the High-Diving Horse: An Adventure in Atlantic City by Linda Oatman High. This book was a true story about a girl who rode a horse while it dived off a diving board into the water for people to watch in Atlantic City. I even watched videos of high-diving on a horse. I think this would be very dangerous and scary! I was amazed to learn that the girl survived diving on a horse.

Fun Things I Learned about New Jersey:

• The state fruit is the Blueberry! I go blueberry picking with my family every year.
• The Ah-Choo Sneezing Powder Co. is in New Jersey. They manufacture many pranks! They are the largest supplier of hand-buzzers, disappearing ink, whoopee cushions, and sneezing powder.
• Campbell’s Soup is headquartered in New Jersey! We ate Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup & Grilled Cheese for lunch. Then, I learned about artist Andy Warhol who made many pictures of Campbell’s Soup Cans. I even made my own Campbell’s Soup Can Artwork (see below).
• The New Jersey Devil is a legendary creature (like the Loch Ness Monster or Big Foot). He is a shy ape-like animal that lives in New Jersey Pine Barrens. He is so famous, the New Jersey NHL Hockey team named their team the N.J. Devils!
• Albert Einstein lived in New Jersey.
• Thomas Edison operated his lab in Menlo Park, New Jersey. He patented over 1000 inventions and many of them were invented in Menlo Park. He is most famous for inventing the lightbulb, phonograph, first power plant so electricity was available in homes, and his version of a movie projector. He is a very famous American and one of the first to make a career of being an inventor. He was even homeschooled. We read many books about Thomas Edison including, Who Was Thomas Edison?by Margaret Frith, Thomas Edison: Inventor with a Lot of Bright Ideas by Mike Venezia, and Thomas Edison: Inventor, Scientist & Genius by Lori Mortensen. We also watched a DVD Biography: Thomas A. Edison., Father of Invention. I think the lightbulb was his best invention. I am glad I do not have to use candles to do my school now because of it!
• Salt Water Taffy is a New Jersey treat.

Campbell’s Soup by Emily Light (inspired by Andy Warhol)

New Jersey: The Garden State

New Jersey is the Garden State. My family enjoys visiting our local Botanical Gardens, and lately I have been learning about plants. In New Jersey, they grow a lot of tomatoes, strawberries and other fruits and vegetables.

This week, we went strawberry picking! My mom, my sisters, my friends, and I picked 20 lbs of fresh strawberries at Wohletz Strawberry Patch. Strawberry plants are low to the ground. To find the best berries, lift up the leaves to discover lots of red juicy strawberries.

After strawberry picking, we took our berries home where we made Smoothies and Strawberry Shortcake. I love to eat sliced strawberries on my cereal!

Strawberry Picking Tips:

• Pick red berries, not green… they are still growing.
• Pinch the berries gently at the stem so you don’t squish the fruit.
• Put them gently in your bucket.
• Wear clothes that are okay for picking berries… sometimes the red juice squirts out and stains!
• Wear comfortable shoes.
• Bring baby wipes for sticky fingers.
• Rinse them gently at home.
• Eat them with everything! Especially cereal! I LOVE strawberries… they are delicious, juicy, and sooooo good!
• My mom wrote about our experience and she shared favorite Strawberry Recipes on her blog.

Emily picking Strawberries

Our Delicious Strawberry Shortcake

New York: Home of Broadway

Broadway is the most famous place in the world to see live theater. My family enjoys going to live theater performances, and this winter I was able to see a Broadway touring production of Aladdin at my home town. Broadway shows are known for their terrific music, costumes, special effects, and talented actors and actresses. My favorite scene in Aladdin was watching the magic carpet fly!

People travel from around the world to see shows in New York. I have enjoyed watching many Broadway shows from New York on DVD, and many plays in person.

The New York Menu

New York is famous for many foods so we enjoyed several NY themed meals. I cooked some New York foods and we ate others at restaurants.

New York Breakfast: Bagels

Bagels are one of the most famous foods in New York. I love bagels and cream cheese for breakfast… plain bagels, blueberry (my favorite), cinnamon and raisin, they’re all delicious! We ate bagels for breakfast several times this month and even enjoyed mini bagels with our Buffalo Wing Dinner! Yes, we know that New Yorkers don’t usually eat bagels and wings, we just did that for fun. I recommend toasted bagels with strawberry cream cheese for breakfast, they are the BEST!

New York Pizza: d’Bronx

d’Bronx Pizza in Kansas City is an authentic New York Style pizzeria & delicatessen founded by native New Yorkers. I love to go to d’Bronx! We watch the pizza chefs throw the dough in the air to make a thin crust “pizza pie.” I think it’s great fun to watch the dough flip in the air. You know it is New York Style if the crust is thin and hand-tossed and the slices are large and wide so you can fold them in half. At d’Bronx, be sure to ask for “kid dough” – a little pizza dough to play with (like play dough) before you eat. My dad loves their pastrami sandwiches. I tasted his sandwich and I didn’t really like it, but Mom loves pastrami sandwiches too. The pizza, on the other hand, was GREAT! I definitely recommend d’Bronx as one of our favorite places to eat as a family – kids LOVE it!

New York Dinner: Buffalo Wings

There are many stories about the creation of Buffalo Wings. Don’t get confused by the name – of course you know buffalo do not have wings. Buffalo Wings are fried chicken wings coated in special sauce and the recipe was invented in Buffalo, New York. We made buffalo wings as a family (I mostly watched because frying buffalo wings is dangerous) and we coated them with Frank & Teresa’s Original Anchor Bar Buffalo Wing Sauce. We followed the instructions on the bottle. They were too spicy for me, but I liked the teriyaki flavored wings we also made. Mom loved them… she likes spicy foods. The rest of my family thought they were too spicy. According to the Anchor Bar website, they are THE original location of Buffalo Wings.

New York Dessert: Cheesecake

Our Raspberry Cheesecake... before we put it in the oven

My mom and sisters and I made a cheesecake together. We decorated it with hearts using raspberry drizzle. Mom made giant dots of raspberry sauce with a syringe on the cheesecake, then pulled a toothpick through the dots to make hearts. The cheesecake wasn’t just pretty…. it was delicious!

According to The Joy of Baking, “New York Cheesecakes are creamy, and smooth, and rich, and dense, and absolutely delicious. This cheesecake has three layers, starting with a graham cracker crumb crust that is topped with a cream cheese filling, and then a layer of lightly sweetened sour cream. John Mariani tells us in his The Dictionary of American Food & Drink that Americans have come to know cheesecakes made with cream cheese as ‘New York’ or ‘Jewish’ Cheesecakes, and ones made with ricotta as ‘Italian’ Cheesecakes, with both types having their roots in immigrant New York City neighborhoods.”

The New York style cheesecake was my FAVORITE New York Food of all! But, I still like bagels too!