Last week I went on another fun-filled Friday Field Trip to my state’s capital city, Jefferson City. Turns out its official name is The City of Jefferson. As both a life-long Missouri resident and an educator, I gotta admit…that was a new one for me. Who knew? We mostly stuck to the back roads and tried to avoid the interstate through part of our journey so it was nice to see the beautiful summer scenery of the Show-Me State.
Missouri’s State Capitol
A few weeks ago I toured the original state capitol so I thought it would be fun to visit the current capitol. What a big difference between the two buildings! Although, interestingly, both are located right on the banks of the Missouri River. Apart from that notable similarity, that’s about it. The current capitol is HUGE! Build almost entirely of stone, concrete, and steel, it’s meant to resist fire because two previous capitols both burned down. Third time’s the charm, I guess. Here are some of the photos I took on the hour-long (and free!) tour of the building.
Missouri State Museum
The Missouri State Museum is located on the first floor of the state capitol, which has a great collection of exhibits and displays. If I lived closer to Jefferson City, it would be an excellent place to bring my students to learn about the history and geography of our state. Unfortunately (or not, depending on how you look at it!), I’m not up for a 3.5 hour (one way!) trip with a busload of 4th graders. Nope.
Resources
Here are some links to resources about Missouri’s history that might make up for the fact that a field trip to the museum also isn’t in the cards for you!
- Social Studies – Missouri History Pinterest Board
- Show-Me Missouri Bundle
- Famous Missourians Gallery
That’s it for this week! I’m planning for a new school year even as I enjoy the last few days of my summer break. How can it be the end of July already?!
