NATIONAL STATES AND CAPITALS DAY

September 21, 2026August 20, 2026Jensperspectiveblog Leave a comment

September 22 focuses on raising awareness and sharing education about all 50 states and their capitals on National States and Capitals Day.

As children, we learn about the 50 states and their capitals in the U.S. But as we get older, we tend to forget those important cities and their role in crafting policy and influencing the economy. And, while everybody knows their own state capital, many do not even remember the capital of the state next door. Today, let’s take the time to remind ourselves how important every state and capital is to our nation.

Learning about States and Capitals

Remember those paper maps we were given to learn about states and capitals? Our worksheet had blank states with star indicating where the capital was supposed to be. The agony of naming each state and capital was definitely stressful! We spent time memorizing names, where the state was and naming each capital. Not to mention spelling everything correctly. Some of us were lucky to have a teacher that would play a game to help us remember.

Typically, we learn about states and capitals between the grades 3-6, starting with the state we live in. From there, we learn our country has 50 states and 50 capitals within each state. All 50 capitals have a unique history, which means there are 50 reasons why a specific city or town was chosen to be a state capital. In addition, we eventually learn how governments operate and the vital roll each state plays in our national government.

Looking for an adventure? Take a road trip for your next vacation. Chances are you’ll find a lot more than 50 reasons to enjoy the scenery. Whether visiting family and friends or another specific spot, do some road tripping to some scenic vistas and appreciate the history, flavor and cultures along the way.

Explore More…

Are state capitals found in the largest cities of each states? No. The first state capitals were built according the where the majority of the population lived in a state, or near a main access hub. For example, in North Dakota the state capital is Bismarck, but was once the capital of the Dakota Territory. The Northern Pacific Railroad was built to transfer goods from eastern U.S. to the west, making Bismarck the prime location for state government. Bismarck became the official state capital only after the territory was split into 2 states–North and South Dakota.

Huh?

The letter Q is the only letter NOT found in any of the state names
Sweet Home, Alabama is a real place.
It’s illegal to bury people in San Francisco, California.
New Jersey has a volcano.
South Carolina has a place called Monkey Island, that has over 4,000 rhesus monkeys.
The state bird for Wisconsin is a plastic flamingo.
There are more chickens in Delaware than there are people.
The Empire State Building in New York has it’s own zip code.

State Capitals in Small Cities

Juneau, Alaska, population est. 32,300.
Dover, Delaware, population est. 39,400.
Frankfort, Kentucky, population est. 28,600.
Augusta, Maine, population est. 18,900.
Annapolis, Maryland, population est. 40,800.
Jefferson City, Missouri, population est. 43,230.
Helena, Montana, population est. 32,100.
Concord, New Hampshire, population est. 4,000.
Pierre, South Dakota, population est. 14,100.
Montpelier, Vermont, population est. 8,100.

BEHIND NATIONAL STATES AND CAPITALS DAY

Dick & Jane Educational Snacks receives credit for the idea to celebrate National States and Capitals Day on September 22. Not only does it raise awareness about the importance of knowing all 50 states and capitals, it reminds people to have fun while learning.

LEARN YOUR STATES AND CAPITALS

Divide learning about states into regions to learn each region before moving on to the next.
Check out a book from the library each week on a specific state to learn facts. Return the book and pick another state until all states have been covered.
Learn fun facts about states. What famous people are from there? What kind of tourist attractions might be fun to visit?
Fix a puzzle with all 50 states and capitals.
Draw a map of the United States with the states and fill in the capitals, too.
Use Dick & Jane Educational Snacks to help your kids learn about states and capitals.
Tag your videos learning states and capitals on social media #NationalStatesandCapitalsDay.

State Quarter Collection Book Folder Map#NationalStatesandCapitalsDay — State Quarter Collection Book Folder Map

Dick & Jane Educational Snacks | STATES & CAPITALS - 120 bags featuring all 50 states from Alabama to Wyoming
#NationalStatesandCapitalsDay — State Quarter Collection Book Folder Map

NATIONAL AMERICAN EAGLE DAY

June 19, 2026September 3, 2026Jensperspectiveblog 4 Comments

Each year on June 20th, National American Eagle Day honors our national symbol, raising awareness for protecting the Bald Eagle. The day also encourages the recovery of their natural environments while providing educational outreach.

The Bald Eagle is both the national bird and the national animal of The United States of America and appears on its Seal.

In the latter 20th century, the Bald Eagle hovered on the brink of extinction in the continental United States. Eventually, populations recovered and on July 12, 1995, the species was removed from the U.S. Federal Government’s List of Endangered Species and transferred to the List of Threatened Species. In June of 2007, as the species continued to thrive, the American Eagle was withdrawn from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in the Lower 48 States.

Eagle Habitat and Facts

The Bald Eagle’s range includes most of Canada, Alaska, all of the contiguous United States, and northern Mexico. They nest near large bodies of open water where abundant food supplies and old-growth trees abound.

Opportunistic feeders, Bald Eagles survive mainly on fish, swooping down and snatching them from the water. Their nests are the largest nests of any North American bird and the largest tree nests ever recorded for any animal species. The largest recorded eagle’s nest was found in St. Petersburg, Florida. It measured 9.5 feet in diameter and 20 feet deep and weighed in at nearly 3 tons.

These majestic raptors tally up quite a list of facts. A fully grown female Bald Eagle has a wingspan of 2 meters (7 feet) and weighs 3 to 7 kilograms (7 to 15 pounds). Male eagles are slightly smaller. They also mate for life and live between 20-30 years. As a power bird of prey, an eagle’s sharp sense of sight joins powerful muscles, piercing talons, and beak, making them primed for the hunt.

Although the raptor is also known as the Bald Eagle, the name derives from an older meaning of “white-headed.” The bird isn’t bald at all. The adult eagle is mainly brown with a white head and tail.

NATIONAL AMERICAN EAGLE DAY HISTORY

The American Eagle Foundation sponsors National American Eagle Day to raise awareness about the American Eagle, its habitats, and conservation efforts. For more information, visit www.eagles.org.

HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalAmericanEagleDay

Join the celebration by learning more about the American Eagle. Whether you visit a nature preserve or learn about conservation, be sure to invite someone to join you. You can also learn about the American Eagle in other ways, too:

Reading books about the Bald Eagle such as The Eagles Are Back by Jean Craighead George or Bald Eagles: Their Life and Behavior in North America by Art Wolfe.
Watching documentaries about this majestic raptor, like National Geographic’s Bald Eagle – Nature’s Largest Raptors.
Listening to a podcast about the American Eagle.
Going birdwatching and bring your camera – you may be able to capture some spectacular images of the eagle soaring above you.
Learning about conservation efforts.

While you’re exploring, share your experiences by using #NationalAmericanEagleDay and post on social media.

NATIONAL CEREAL DAY

March 6, 2026February 28, 2026Jensperspectiveblog 6 Comments

March 7th urges us to get our bowl spoon ready for National Cereal Day each year! Since the end of the 19th century, cereal has become America’s most popular breakfast food.

Now, not only is cereal eaten for breakfast, but it has become a popular bedtime snack. Some people even enjoy a bowl for an evening meal. Bakers turn to cereal in their cake, cookie and bar recipes. The most popular one is Rice Crispy Bar Treats.

Cookie Crisp Breakfast Cereal, Chocolate Chip Cookie Taste, Made With Whole Grain#NationalCerealDay — Cookie Crisp Breakfast Cereal, Chocolate Chip Cookie Taste, Made With Whole Grain

Great Grains Crunchy Pecan Cereal, Heart Healthy Cereal with Crunchy Pecans and Granola Clusters, Non-GMO Project Verified#NationalCerealDay — Cookie Crisp Breakfast Cereal, Chocolate Chip Cookie Taste, Made With Whole Grain

A Little Cereal History:

Ferdinand Schumacher, a German immigrant, began the cereal revolution in 1854 with a hand oats grinder in the back room of a small store in Akron, Ohio. His German Mills American Oatmeal Company was the nation’s first commercial oatmeal manufacturer. In 1877, Schumacher adopted the Quaker symbol, the first registered trademark for a breakfast cereal.

Granula, the first breakfast cereal, was invented in the United States in 1863by James Caleb Jackson, operator of Our Home on the Hillside, which was later replaced by the Jackson Sanatorium in Dansville, New York. The cereal never became popular since it was inconvenient as the heavy bran nuggets needed soaking overnight before they were tender enough to eat.

Do you remember mornings eating a bowl of cereal, reading the back of the box and trying to find the toy inside the box?

The cereal industry rose from a combination of sincere religious beliefs and commercial interest in health foods. Dr. John Harvey Kellogg experimented with granola. He boiled some wheat, rolled it into thin films, and baked the resulting flakes in the oven; he acquired a patent in 1891. In1895 he launched Cornflakes, which overnight captured a national market.

In 1906, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg’s brother, William K. Kellogg, after working for John, broke away, bought the corn flakes rights from his brother, and set up the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company. His signature on every package became the company trademark and insurance of quality.

Charles W. Post introduced Grape-nuts in 1898 and soon followed with Post Toasties.

Because of Kellogg and Post, the city of Battle Creek, Michigan is nicknamed the “Cereal Capital of the World.”

More Breakfast ideas….

HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalCerealDay

What’s your favorite cereal? Have a bowl for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Share it as a snack or bake something and share your recipes. Use #NationalCerealDay to post on social media.

Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds Breakfast Cereal, Honey Cereal with Granola Clusters and Sliced Almonds#NationalCerealDay — Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds Breakfast Cereal, Honey Cereal with Granola Clusters and Sliced Almonds

Cheerios Honey Nut Cheerios Heart Healthy Breakfast Cereal, Gluten Free Cereal With Whole Grain Oats#NationalCerealDay — Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds Breakfast Cereal, Honey Cereal with Granola Clusters and Sliced Almonds

PRESIDENTS DAY

February 15, 2026January 2, 2026Jensperspectiveblog Leave a comment

On the third Monday in February, the United States celebrates the federal holiday known as Presidents Day. The day takes place during the birth month of the country’s two most prominent presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. While the day once only honored President George Washington on his birthday, February 22nd, the day now never lands on a single president’s birthday.

Across the country, most Americans know the day as Presidents Day. More and more of the population celebrates the day to honor all of the past United States Presidents who have served the country. Throughout the country, organizations and communities celebrate the day with public ceremonies.

PRESIDENTS DAY HISTORY

The origin of Presidents Day lay in the 1880s when the birthday of George Washington was celebrated as a federal holiday. In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Bill. The bill moved several federal holidays to Mondays creating three-day weekends. During the debate on the bill, one proposal suggested George Washington’s birthday be renamed Presidents Day to honor the birthdays of both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Washington’s birthday is February 22nd and Lincoln’s birthday is February 12th. Although Abraham Lincoln’s birthday was celebrated in many states, it was never an official federal holiday. Following much discussion, Congress rejected the name change.

Despite the rejection, soon after the bill went into effect in 1971, and the observance of Washington’s birthday shifted to the third Monday in February, gradually Presidents Day became the commonly accepted name. Over time, the observance came to be known to many as a day to honor both Washington and Lincoln. However, today another shift has occurred and many see the day as a celebration of all the U.S. Presidents.

Did You Know…

U.S. presidential elections are held every four years. The next presidential election will be held in 2024.

U.S. presidents take the oath of office according to the 20th Amendment of the United States Constitution. It states that the term of each U.S. President begins at noon on January 20th following the election. The oath of office is taken during the inauguration on that day.

The United State’s first president, George Washington, took his oath of office on April 30, 1789, at the federal hall in New York City.

HOW TO OBSERVE PRESIDENTS DAY

Some businesses close for the day, including banks and federal buildings, so make a note.
Celebrate your favorite U.S. president.
Watch a documentary about the POTUS. For example, The Presidents by the History Channel.
See if you can name all the presidents in order.
Challenge yourself to some presidential trivia:

Who are the three presidents who served in 1841?
Forty years later, this same phenomenon occurred again in 1881. Name the three presidents who served that year.
Name the three presidents who died on July 4th.
Who were the four presidents who were assassinated while in office?

Use #PresidentsDay to post on social media. Find the Answers here!

A Kid's Guide to U.S. Presidents: Fascinating Facts About Each President, Updated Through 2020 Election — A Kid’s Guide to U.S. Presidents: Fascinating Facts About Each President, Updated Through 2020 Election

Presidents Who Built America: 20 Biographies Of American Leaders Who Changed The World - For Kids — A Kid’s Guide to U.S. Presidents: Fascinating Facts About Each President, Updated Through 2020 Election

NATIONAL BLACK HISTORY MONTH

January 31, 2026January 2, 2026Jensperspectiveblog 18 Comments

National Black History Month, also known as National African American History Month, during February is a time for all Americans to celebrate the achievements of African Americans. In addition, the month recognizes the central role of Black Americans in history.

Other countries, including Canada and Great Britain, have also set aside months to honor Black History. February was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln and noted civil rights advocate Frederick Douglass. A privateer ship named the White Lion records the first Africans brought to the colonies in 1619. Captained by John Colyn Jope, the White Lion landed at Point Comfort, Virginia, now modern-day Hampton, Virginia. There, Jope traded the Africans as slaves in exchange for provisions.

Notable Black Americans

African-Americans impacted our society throughout history and in numerous ways.

Thurgood Marshall – The jurist was the first African-American appointed to the Supreme Court. We recognize Thurgood Marshall every year on National Maryland Day.
George Washington Carver – As a man of science, Carver developed over 300 products from peanuts. Celebrate George Washington Carver and his contributions to the peanut industry on National Peanut Day.
Shirley Chisholm – In 1968, New York’s 12th congressional district elected Chisholm as the first Black woman in Congress. She served seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Rosa Parks – The Civil Rights advocate helped initiate the Civil Rights Movement by refusing to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Celebrate Rosa Parks and learn more about her contributions to the Civil Rights Movement.
Louis Armstrong – As a talented musician and performer, Armstrong became a pioneer in jazz. Satchmo Summerfest honors his contributions to music for a week each year in August.
Colin Powell – The 4-star General became Secretary of State. Colin Powell dedicated the Buffalo Soldier Monument at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, establishing the first Buffalo Soldiers Day.
Barack Obama – Americans elected Obama as the first Black President of the United States in 2009. He served two terms.

Black History Activators#BlackHistoryMonth — Thurgood

NATIONAL BLACK HISTORY MONTH HISTORY

Carter Woodson, the twentieth-century historian, created Black History Month. He believed Black Americans were not adequately represented in the study of American history. Carter Woodson also hoped for the day when Americans would accept Black history as a part of American history. President Gerald Ford declared Black History Month (formerly Negro History Week) in 1976.

More Heritage to explore….

Scottish-American Heritage
Caribbean American Heritage
Asain American and Pacific Islander Heritage
Gathering of Nations
Black History Month
African World Heritage
Juneteenth
Black Business Month
Black Poetry
Hispanic Heritage Month
German American Heritage
Native American Heritage
Irish American Heritage
Italian-American Heritage
Native American Heritage Day
Jewish American Heritage Month

HOW TO OBSERVE #BlackHistoryMonth

Learn more about African-American history. Here are a few books we suggest reading during Black History Month:

Use #BlackHistoryMonth on social media and start a book discussion.

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