Colorado
38th State (August 1, 1876), west-central U.S.
State Abbreviation: CO
Nickname: The Centennial State (Colorado became a state in the
year 1876, 100 years after the signing of our nation's Declaration of
Independence. )
Origin of Name: The Spanish word colorado means “colored
red.” The name was given first to the Colorado River, which
flows through canyons of red stone. The state was named for the river.
Colorado State Symbols:
Capital: Denver
Motto: Nil Sine Numine (Nothing Without Providence)
Colorado State Seal
Animal: Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep
Bird: Lark Bunting
Dance: Square Dance
Fish: Greenback Cutthroat Trout
Flower: Rocky Mountain Columbine
Fossil: Stegosaurus
Gemstone: Aquamarine
Grass: Blue Grama Grass
Insect: Colorado Hairstreak Butterfly
Song: Where the Columbines Grow
Tartan: State Tartan
Tree: Colorado Blue Spruce
Things to Know
In 1893 "American the Beautiful",
was written by Katharine
Lee Bates At the summit of Pikes Peak she was inspired to pen
the lines to her most famous poem, "America the Beautiful."
Colorado has the highest average elevation of any state. More than
1,000 of its Rocky Mountain peaks reach over10,000 feet high, and 54
tower above14,000 feet! Colorado Mountains
The most famous of the Rocky Mountains is Pike's
Peak, discovered by U.S. Army Lieutenant Zebulon M. Pike in 1806.
Major Rivers: Colorado River, Rio Grande, Arkansas River, South Platte River
Colorado River
Explore
the Colorado River
Learn about the dams, lakes, cities, parks, recreation areas and
points of interest on the Colorado River.
The
Colorado River
View a map and get interesting information about the primary river of
the American Southwest.
Famous Coloradans
Clara
Brown 1800-1882
First African-American woman to cross the plains during the Gold Rush.
Kit
Carson 1809-1868
A mountain man, guide, scout, Indian fighter and Indian protector.
Ruth Handler,
1916-2002 , Born in Denver, Colorado inventor of the Barbie
Doll
M.
Scott Carpenter, 1925-, astronaut
John Denver ,
1943-1997, singer
Things to Do
Colorado Word Search
Western Day
Colorado State Bird and State Flower
Printable Color Page.
Before printing under File in Page Setup set margins to zero.
Lesson Plans
Geology
Mountains in Landform Snack
To learn about the earth's layers and how the fold mountains are made
make these and eat as a snack at the end of the unit.
Have groups of four children make a layered model of the earth with a
tortilla on bottom, refried beans spread across this, guacamole on
top of that and shredded cheese on top of this. Heating not
necessary. Top off with another tortilla and then on waxed paper or
clean surface have one child push together both sides with clean
hands to demonstrate the way mountains are formed in layers. At the
end cut in four pieces and eat it.
Sites to See
Voices of the Colorado Plateau
An online multimedia museum collection featuring oral history recordings and historic photographs that document life on Colorado Plateau.
Colorado
lore, legend and fact
Read about a historical person or place from Colorado's colorful past.
Castle
Rock Pueblo: A Trip Through Time
Solve the mystery in each time period.
Southern
Ute Tribe
Aspen Historical Society
Color Pages
Colorado Flag
Wildflowers of Ponderosa Pine Forests (pdf)
Wildflowers of the Colorado Mountain Tops (pdf)
In Your Backyard (pdf)
Things To Do-Other Sites
Colorado State
Quarter
Read about the Colorado State Quarter and print out the color page.
Stories to Read
The
Gift: A Rocky Mountain Fairy Tale
A free illustrated online book for children of all ages.
Webcam
Pike's Peak Cam
Colorado Ghost towns
Ghost Towns
Colorado has a lot of ghost towns.
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