Summer Series: 50 States - Idaho

IDAHO

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Our 43rd state is Idaho, abbreviation ID.  It entered the Union on July 3, 1890.  It ranks as the 14th largest state by area and the 39th most populated state.  Boise is the capital.  Boise is said to have gotten its name from the French word for wood, bois, since it was a heavily forested area.

Idaho lies in the northwest region of the United States and is famous for growing potatoes.  In the produce section at the grocery store, you are able to purchase bags of Idaho potatoes.  Wheat, sugar beets, and barley are also grown here and shipped throughout the country.  Idaho is also known for lumber and mining.

The nickname is the "Gem State," and its motto is "Esto perpetua," which means "May It Endure Forever."  The state bird is the Mountain bluebird, and the fish is the Cutthroat trout.  Idaho has a state horse - the Appaloosa.  The insect is the Monarch butterfly.

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The state flower is the Syringa, or Lilac, and the state tree is the Western White Pine.  Idaho is covered in forest, and much of the state is protected land.  Outdoor enthusiasts have an endless supply of things to do here.  Craters of the Moon National Monument is a place where people can go to see a lava field.  Hells Canyon is North America's deepest river gorge; it is 7,993 feet deep.  Bogus Basin, Bald Mountain, and Tamarack Resort are areas famous for skiing.  Shoshone Falls, located on the Snake River, is referred to as the "Niagara of the West" and is actually higher than Niagara Falls at 212 feet tall.  There are quite a few dams in Idaho: Dworshak Dam, Lucky Peak, Arrowrock, American Falls, and Albeni Falls Dam.  The Minidoka National Historic Site is where people can go to learn about a not-so-stellar time in America's history.  After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 (Hawaii), Congress, acting in fear, rounded up Japanese-Americans and sent them to one of 10 internment camps in order to "keep an eye on them."  Minidoka was one of the 10.

Visitors to Idaho can also visit the Idaho Potato Museum, of course.  Would any visit be complete without it?

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Idaho's flag was adopted in 1907 and shows a miner carrying a pick and shovel, a woman holding the scales of justice, 2 cornucopias, an elk head resting on top of a shield, and a sheaf of grain.  The motto is written in the banner flying in the sky.

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People from Idaho are called Idahoans.  There have not been many famous people actually born in Idaho, however.  A few are Sarah Palin, Ezra Pound (a poet), Sacagawea, and Picabo Street (an Olympic skier).  The town of Rigby is known as the birthplace of television because Philo T. Farnsworth called it home for a time (he wasn't born there, though).  Farnsworth was a pioneer in the technology that led to modern-day television.

Go here to play some games related to Idaho.  Test your knowledge and learn more.

The following items are available at Christianbook.com.  I am an affiliate.  If you purchase through my blog, I will receive a small percentage.

Idaho By Coughlan Publishing

Idaho History Project Book, Grades K-8 By Carole Marsh / Gallopade International History projects include: creating a cartoon panel describing how our state name may have come about; dressing up as a famous explorer and recreating their main discovery and more! Grades K-8; ages 5-15.

Idaho State History Lapbook - PDF Download [Download] By Cyndi Kinney & Judy Trout / Knowledge Box Central Get to know your home state! Comprehensive state history lapbook resources from Knowledge Box Central are designed so that children of all ages can study together. Explore state symbols, songs and landmarks, famous people, geographical regions, timelines of historical events, and more. The included state-specific study guide provides background information, history, and other factual information; this study guide is the same for both lapbook (Grades K-8) and lapbook journal (Grades 6-12) students, so that the parent only needs to go over the information once. This lapbook includes a list of all the supplies needed if following the included base guide. Blackline masters are provided for students to cut out and paste into their lapbook, while a photo of a finished lapbook provides a visual example. This Lapbook is structured for use with K-8th Grade Students. Get started on your lapbook immediately with this PDF Download.

Outlaw Tales of Idaho By Globe Pequot

Who Was Sacagawea? By Dennis Fradin / Grosset & Dunlap Sacagawea was a sixteen-year-old who made one of the most remarkable journeys in American history. She is a woman who has mountains in three states named after her. Her face is on the new U.S. golden dollar coin. Find out more about the real Sacagawea in this fun and exciting illustrated biography.

Potato Recipes, Edition 0002 By Mary Beth Owens / Tate Publishing

Math Potatoes By Greg Tang & Harry Briggs(Illustrator) / Scholastic Trade The follow-up to the beloved Grapes of Math and Math Appeal books, Greg Tang has come up with another set of riddles to help kids learn common sense strategies for solving math problems. Math Potatoes emphasizes three strategies: making math sums that are easy to work with (such as 10 and 15), to patterns and symmetry, and to look for groups of equal size to multiply instead of add. Helping kids to think about math creatively--in effective, engaging ways-short, illustrated riddles teach kids strategies rather than simple counting. Hardcover with dust jacket. Grades 1-4. Answer key with reduced riddles and explanations are included.

Potato Chip Science Book & Stuff By A. Kurzweil & Son / Workman Publishing The "WARNING! High in saturated FACTS" label says it all. Expand your mind and not your waist with this bag of Potato Chip Science! With the instructions and some harder-to-find-pieces needed to complete 29 experiments and 1 edible project, kids will have a blast learning about physics, biology, chemistry, and earth science. The book inside the bag has all the instructions and science information you need: learn to build an air rocket out of potato chip bags; create a CSI detective kit (to fingerprint a chip thief); create optical illusions; grow a potato pal; and more. Any additional materials needed for the experiment are clearly listed. This Kit Contains: 1 book that includes 29 snacktivities, 5 "spreads", 1 glossary, and 6 optical stickers 1 sound chip and 1 clock 1 biodegradable starch knife 1 propulsion pipe Other items that allow you to blast bags, burn chips, spin lids, and more. (Even the packing "chips" can be used as ammo for the confetti can-non)

The Boy Who Invented TV: The Story of Philo Farnsworth By Kathleen Krull & Greg Couch (Illustrator) / Dragonfly Books