The Ferris Wheel

George Washington Ferris, an American engineer from Illinois, invented the Ferris wheel for the 1893 Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition. Challenged to conceive of a monument for the fair that would be more impressive than the Eiffel Tower, he designed the wheel from which visitors would be able to view the entire fair. Millions of visitors enjoyed the very first Ferris Wheel and it continues to be a popular attraction at amusement parks and fairs.

The Ouija Board

If you’ve watched your share of spooky movies, you may be familiar with the Ouija Board. It is a classic supernatural game that lets you ask questions and a small heart-shaped piece of wood or plastic guides you for answers on a flat board marked with various letters, numbers, words, and symbols. It was invented by Elijah Bond in 1890 as a parlor game. While the Ouija Board has received criticism, today it is still manufactured by Hasbro and has been included in many books, movies, and television.

The Cheeseburger

Yum! Cheeseburgers are so delicious and such an icon of American culture. While there are several competing claims as to who created the first cheeseburger, it appears to be an American invention by Lionel Sternberger. At the age of 16 in 1926, while working as a cook in his dad’s California sandwich shop, he created the cheeseburger.

Floss

We all have (or at least should) incorporating flossing as part of our daily hygiene routine. But did you know floss is an American invention? As early as 1815, floss was invented by Levi Spear Parmly, a dentist from New Orleans, Louisiana. While the early version was made from silk, today we use nylon or plastic floss for good dental care.

Super Soaker

A more recent American invention is the Super Soaker, a high powered water gun. The Super Soaker was invented in 1982 by engineer Lonnie Johnson who created one out of PVC pipe, a plastic container, and a soda bottle. It was a great design that millions of Americans, kids, and adults buy and use yearly.

Swivel Chair

While you may think a swivel chair is a more modern invention, did you know it was invented in 1776 by none other than founding father Thomas Jefferson? Amazing right? Jefferson heavily modified the Windsor-styled chair such that the top and bottom parts were connected by a central iron spindle. This enabled the top half known as the seat, to swivel on casters. The original did not have wheels as many of our swivel chairs today include.

Duct Tape

Duct tape began as a serious solution. During World War II, the U.S. military needed a strong, waterproof tape to help keep ammunition cases dry. The tape began as army-green colored but as its use expanded outside of the military, duct tape was offered in a gray color to match “ducts” – hence its name. Today, duct tape is found in most American homes as a very versatile tool.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

It’s such classic, simple and delicious cookie. Made from flour, butter, brown sugar and semi sweet chocolate morsels, it was made by accident in 1930 by Ruth Graves Wakefield who owned a restaurant in Whitman Massachusetts, called of the Toll House Inn. What a great mistake!

Zipper

In 1893, Whitcomb L. Judson, an inventor from Chicago, created the “clasp locker” which we now know as the zipper. To save time and fuss with buttons, the zipper is a quick and easy fastener for clothing, accessories and more. Americans and people worldwide use zippers every day.

Traffic Light

Can you imagine traffic without traffic lights? Thank goodness in 1912, Lester Wire, a policeman from Salt Lake City, created the first traffic light. They now efficiently manage the traffic of pedestrians and vehicles at intersections across the U.S. and worldwide. While originally only a red and green light, the yellow has been added.

Microwave Oven

Now commonplace in kitchens, the microwave oven was invented in 1945 by Percy Spencer. He was an engineer from Maine working for Raytheon on radar sets. He discovered that the microwaves he was exposed to at work, melted some chocolate in his pocket. This discovery paved the way to the microwave oven that can cook, thaw or reheat food.

Defibrillator Paddles

1.  We may be familiar with the story of Betsy Ross but the 50-star flag we know today was designed by a teenager, Robert G. Heft, as a school assignment. In 1958, before Alaska and Hawaii were officially made states, Heft’s history teacher assigned his class project where each student had to bring in something they created. Hearing rumors of adding Alaska and Hawaii, Heft created a flag that included 2 additional stars. His teacher’s impression was not very high and graded him a B- for Heft’s efforts. Heft remained proud of his work and defended it. His teacher is said to have instructed Heft to get his flag approved by U.S. Congress and only then would Heft’s grade be reconsidered. After a couple of years of Heft writing letters to the White House, President Eisenhower told him that his flag design had been chosen out of over a thousand. On July 4th, 1960, Heft witnessed his school project design to become the official American flag. And yes, his grade was changed to an A.

2.  Prior to President Trump, our first president, George Washington was the wealthiest president we’ve had. He had assets worth more than $500 million in today’s dollars. How did he have his wealth? He was not born in a family with money. Washington owned a lot of land at the time, over 50,000 acres. Some of the land he purchased in his teen years and some he acquired as part of the war. Washington’s brother married a leading family which led to him marrying one of the richest women at the time. Washington’s choice of career, a highly-in-demand surveyor, pushed him further into wealth. By reading Washington’s will, we learn he owned substantial shares and bonds and livestock. We know he had many slaves and he ran many crop distribution businesses.

3.  The first battle of the civil war in America occurred in the same place where it ended. You may have heard of Bull Run or Battle of Manassas (Virginia), which is the first major battle of the war. Union soldiers marched 30-mile west from Washington, D.C. while Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard took over McLean’s farmhouse as his headquarters. On July 18, 1861, a cannonball was sent through the kitchen fireplace at the home on Wilmer Mclean’s farm and began the fierce war. While McLean and his family moved 120 miles away, he was asked by messenger in 1865 if his home could be used to discuss the conditions of the South’s surrender. This historic meeting of Robert E. Lee, Confederate General, surrendering to Union General, Ulysses S. Grant took place right in McLean’s living room.

4.  The Liberty Bell is a well-known piece of American history. It is a symbol of freedom as it was adopted in the 1830’s by abolitionists.   The bell was erected in August 1752 and was first rung on July 8, 1776, to celebrate the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. It is fractured with a large crack and there are various stories of how that occurred. The bell has not been rung since 1847 at George Washington’s birthday. But we didn’t know that during the Revolutionary War, the bell was hidden in a church in Allentown Pennsylvania in 1877-1878. Soldiers feared that the British would steal the bell and melt it down to make cannons.

5.  When you think of the western-frontier man, Daniel Boone, you envision a coonskin cap. Contrary to popular belief and legend, Daniel Boone not only did not wear a coonskin cap, he hated them. Instead, Boone wore a wide-brimmed felt hat, like many other hunters of his day. It was much more logical as the brim of the hat provided better vision in the sun and the hat itself. It is believed this stereotype that he wore the raccoon hat because of an early drawing was done of him in the book, “Daniel Boone and the Hunters of Kentucky’ (1854) by W. H. Bogart.

6.  When you think of Abe Lincoln’s physique, it’s hard to image him wrestling, right? President Abraham Lincoln, when young, was a successful wrestler, defeated only once out of about 300 matches. Maybe the long arms and legs helped.

7.  When the American Civil War started, Confederate Robert E. Lee owned no slaves. Union general U.S. Grant did. Quite the contradiction, don’t you think? Lee insisted that his decision to support the Confederacy was not based on his defense of slavery. While Grant did own a slave, he freed them in 1859.

8.  Martin Van Buren may have started a popular phrase that is used extremely frequently today. Van Buren was raised in Kinderhook, N.Y., and because of that, his nickname became “Old Kinderhook.” A popular belief is that the familiar saying of “OK” originates from his election campaign.

9.  The first submarine attack happened in 1776. That’s a lot earlier than we would have thought. Named the “Turtle”, it was a one-person submersible vehicle invented by David Bushnell, an inventor and patriot. He discovered gunpowder could be exploded under water. The submarine allowed the occupant to attach a powder keg to a British ship in New York Harbor.

10.  Jimmy Carter believed in UFOs. That’s right. While governor of Georgia, in 1973. Carter was asked to file a report of the sighting by the International UFO Bureau in Oklahoma. He reported “There were about twenty of us standing outside of a little restaurant, I believe, a high school lunch room, and a kind of green light appeared in the western sky. This was right after sundown. It got brighter and brighter. And then it eventually disappeared. It didn’t have any solid substance to it, it was just a very peculiar-looking light. None of us could understand what it was.”

Here’s our list of zany items that have been made official to represent their state.

State Muffin

Massachusetts made the corn muffin its official muffin in 1986. While Cape Cod lawmakers wanted the official muffin to be cranberry, corn won out in the Senate. Corn muffins were advocated for because they were used in trade between the Indians and the state’s early settlers and because corn is grown in Massachusetts.

State Vegetable

In 2007, Oklahoma named the watermelon its official vegetable, explaining that the watermelon belongs to the cucumber family. Scandalous! And their state fruit is a strawberry.

State Insect

Deleware declared the Stonefly its official “macroinvertebrate” in 2005. Because the presence of stoneflies is indicative of excellent water quality, Deleware wanted to bring attention to this. Deleware has had numerous initiatives for water quality.

State Flavor

Vermont is the only state with a government-recognized flavor. Any guesses? Vermont chose to make “Maple” its official flavor.

State Drinks

Nebraska has a state drink that most kids love. In 1998, Kool-aid was recognized. It was an unusual move to designate something other than milk as its official beverage. Kool-aid was created in Hastings, Nebraska in 1927.

State Snack

Utah made this wiggly dessert its official snack in 2001. Included in the bill to pass Jello as its state snack, were the many reasons  including:

• Jello was introduced to the U.S. in 1897 (only one year after Utah was admitted to the Union)
• Utah consumed the most Jello per capita for many years
• Jello is fun and well, so is Utah

State Exercise

One way to increase physical fitness in your state is to make exercise official. Maryland did this in 2008 making “walking” its designated state exercise because of its health benefits and low-impact.

State Bird

Most states have named various birds as symbols for their states so why would a state bird be on our strange list? Well, the bird is plastic. Wisconsin, in 2009, voted to make plastic pink flamingos official after years of pink flamingos flocking the state. It originated in 1979, when students at the University of Wisconsin at Madison covered the campus with more than 1,000 plastic flamingos on the first day of school as a prank.

State Cookie

New Mexico was the first state to select an official cookie. They did so in 1989, choosing the bizcochito, a rich buttery shortbread cookie flavored with anise and cinnamon. Other states have followed suit and named various cookies to represent.

State Dinosaur

Yep, a dinosaur! D.C.’s official state dinosaur is the Capitalsaurus. This is no joke. In the late 1800s, a fossil was discovered. But because not enough fossil was unearthed, it cannot be scientifically recognized. Despite not being able to prove this new genus of dinosaur, Washington D.C. has embraced this dinosaur – naming a street, a holiday and their state dinosaur after the Capitalsaurus!

Cost

The expense of college is often the first and most important consideration. The location of your school can have an impact on the cost. When choosing a school close to home, you may take advantage of in-state tuition rates. And because you are close-by, you won’t have travel expenses. Going to school driving distance from home can keep costs down. Airfare is expensive. But keep in mind if you choose an out-of-state school, you may be awarded scholarships that offset expenses. You’ll need to consider that location of school does not necessarily dictate cost. Where would you go to school if cost was not a factor? Make sure that college/location is on the list. Then weigh in the other elements to consider.

Community Culture

When choosing a college, consider the network of people that comes with it. You’ll be spending pretty much all your time with students and teachers. Try to get a sense of how the community interacts with one another. Make observations by sitting in on a class and watch students outside the classroom. Visit a coffee shop and see how local people are. Can you envision yourself feeling comfortable with these people?

Environment

The actual environment of a college or university is important. Think about the size of the school and whether it’s urban or rural. What are the buildings like? Do you feel at ease in the classrooms? Would you feel at home in the dorm? What’s the weather like? All of these questions are good ones to look at. Being comfortable in your physical environment should be a factor in your decision on where to go to college.

Location Opportunities

While much education will occur in the classrooms of your college, you need to consider opportunities in the surrounding location. Investigate area companies or job opportunities in your field of interest. Some areas of study would benefit being near a bustling city while others near farmland. Consider this in your decision.

Location is an important factor to consider as we have outlined. Even if you desire to break free from your hometown, being able to return to it may be optimal until you get your bearing in a new place. There are always opportunities to branch out through travel, internships, exchange programs and college transfers. If you think you may need some support as you enter your first year of college, stay relatively close to home. On the other hand, consider that having your family so close may prevent you from taking full advantage school both academically and socially. Take your time in making a decision and weigh all the factors.

Puzzles

Puzzles are such a fun activity for many as they force you to sit and be in the moment. If you choose a puzzle for your child that is a map (world or country) or one that is of a real landscape, it is a wonderful way to learn about places without even trying. Choose a peg puzzle for your preschooler or a 500 piece puzzle with your elementary aged kid. Puzzles allow children to study a picture of the world and is a great opportunity to have a conversation about places and people.  Putting a puzzle together, makes children truly study a map, and ultimately memorize its details.

Songs

We all love music. Songs are fun and catchy and most children enjoy music. Play a variety of fun songs to your kids which teach about continents, countries, states, cities and more. Because songs tend to stick in your head, kids memorize the information more quickly.

One well-known song for kids is “Fifty, Nifty United States”.

You can search for more examples of fun songs about geography.

Maps and Globes

Maps and globes are great tools to use to play games with your kids. You can take turns spinning the globe and placing your finger on it. When the globe, stops, try to identify where your finger lands. Talk about the continent, country, ocean, or fact about that region, etc. Printable maps are also fun to color, use as placemats, or use in games as well.

Another entertaining way to incorporate mapping in a fun way is to have your child draw their own maps. Whether it’s a map of their home, neighborhood or school, or even an imaginary place, it’s fun to do. Make sure to instruct on including all sorts of things in their maps, buildings, and landscape, and also include a legend to identify the parts of the map.

Books

A child-friendly atlas can be a great way to incorporate teaching about our world. The Lift-the-flap Picture Atlas a great one for preschoolers and even older kids like it. They can lift flaps to make discoveries about places all over the world.

Books can teach a lot about the world. Choose books from different cultures to learn about different places. Also, if a book mentions a place, try to take the opportunity to point out the place on a map. When your child is ready, have them identify on a map.

Additionally, there are all kinds of fun kids books available such as flag sticker books, state son, and capital books and more. Cook books from various regions is also a fun way to incorporate culture in your daily meals.

While not a book, we’d thought we would mention mobile apps as they can be a great tactical tool to read and learn about geography. Explore apps including the Kids Map App and Google Maps.

Travel and Exploration

Try to take your kid on a trip or use ordinary life experiences to teach about the world. Whether it’s a drive around town, a visit to a museum, or a planned vacation, all of these can broaden your child’s geographical knowledge. As much as you can, talk to your child about the town you live in. Get to know and share history, landmarks, roads, and places. Make sure if you are around your own town or traveling somewhere you talk to your child about what you see and what they see and observe.

You might be sending your child off to preschool, middle school, high school or college. This means that a new school year has started or is around the corner. While some kids love school and anticipate the first day with excitement, others groan when they think about school. As your children go back to school they may be experiencing a similar mix of enthusiasm and dread.

This article will show you how you can prepare them for the most successful school year possible. You will be able to see ways that can be used to support them daily. This is because, getting as involved as possible in your child’s experience is the best way to ensure that everything goes right. Be sure to stop short of doing everything for them. Let them experience the challenges and joys of learning. We will provide some tips to guide your child towards a successful school year.

Make a Decision on When They Have To Wake Up
We all know that mornings determine how the rest of the day goes. Getting a jump on the morning can mean having a more successful day. Depending on how many little ones you have and how slow or fast they are, you will be able to decide when they will get up. Especially when it’s back to school time, is important to work backward from the time the children leave the house and considering how much time they use up on each task. By using this method, you will be sure to factor in the time they used to get dressed, breakfast and handling the “5 more minutes” cries they give. When you wake up at the appropriate time, you will feel less rushed throughout the morning.

Decide When You Will Get Up
Deciding when the children wake up and deciding when you get up are two different things. This is because before the kids wake, there are things you should already have in place as a mom when they get back to school. The same idea of working backward also applies in this case. Since you also have yourself to think about, like when you need to get to work or tasks that you need to do before the kids leave, it is critical that you wake up at the right time so as to have a jump on the day. This will help you not to rush things and therefore you will not make mistakes.

Getting enough sleep
Another secret to having a successful school year is having enough sleep. Enough sleep is important for you and your kids. This is because lack of sleep causes people to be cranky and less tolerant of each other. This coupled with the morning’s rush can spell disaster for everyone involved. This means that you have to be strict as a mom about the time the kids go to sleep. Having enough sleep will also aid the children in getting ready for the coming school day and also help them to concentrate in school.

Use a planner
Planning is very important when it comes to having a successful school year when the kids get back to school. Having a plan helps you make fewer mistakes and also helps you to accomplish things smoothly. A plan can be written down on paper, or it can also be done digitally. Whichever way, it is important to plan everything. This helps you not to forget any activity you child or children have. Using a planner helps you never to forget stuff your kids need you for. Be it sports, PTA meetings, or different event around your children. You can also color code the calendar to make the process easier.

Preparing the night before
The best way to ensure you have smooth year and for your children and yourself, is getting in the habit of preparing things the night before. This means that activities, like choosing outfits, packing lunches, packing up the backpacks and checking that homework, is complete. You should always do these things the night before as it eliminates the uncertainty during the mornings and helps things go along faster and more efficiently.

Create a routine your kids follow daily
Routines are important when the children get back to school. This is because routines help the kids get into a program that guides them in regards to the activities that need to get done. These activities are those that must happen in the morning before the kids go to school and after school. These are like brushing teeth, taking a shower, getting dresses and eating breakfast and so on. By establishing a routine, you are able to help the kids do things without much assistance and they will still follow the routine even when you’re not around.

By utilizing these practices stated above, you will be able to get a jump on the school year and also allow your kids to have a fluid and successful school year. This is because order and discipline is key when it comes to succeeding in any activity.