Michigan - School-Age
Michigan
26th State (January 26, 1837), the Midwest U.S.
State Abbreviation: MI
Capital: Lansing
Origin of name: From Chippewa words mici gama, meaning "great water," after the lake of the same name.
Motto: Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspice, which is Latin for "If you Seek a Pleasant Peninsula, Look About You.
Nickname: Great Lakes State, Wolverine State, Water Wonderland
Michigan State Symbols
Michigan: Great Seal
Bird: Robin
Fish: Brook Trout
Flower: Apple Blossom
Fossil: Mastodon See mastodon fact sheets
Game Mammal: White-tailed Deer
Reptile: Painted Turtle
Soil: Kalkaska Sand
Song: My Michigan
Unofficial state song: Michigan, My Michigan
Stone: Petoskey Stone
Tree: Eastern White Pine
Wildflower: Dwarf Lake Iris
Video
Things to Know
United States Senators from Michigan.
World's Motor Capital
A Car Capital-Kids History-Michigan Time Traveler
Michigan is the nation's number one cherry producing state. Michigan produces 70 to 75 percent of the tart cherries grown in the United States.
Battle Creek is called the "Cereal Bowl of America." Today, Battle Creek produces more breakfast cereal than any other city in the world. Kellogg
Floating Post Office
The J. W. Westcott II mailboat delivers mail to any vessel on the Great Lakes that passes through Detroit.
Major Rivers: Detroit River, Grand River, Kalamazoo River, St. Clair River, St. Marys River
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes contain the largest supply of fresh water on earth; 20% of the earth's total fresh water. Only the polar ice caps contain more fresh water.
There are five Great Lakes.
To remember the Great Lakes names, remember the word "HOMES."
H=Huron
O=Ontario
M=Michigan
E=Erie
S=Superior
Video
Mackinac Bridge
Michigan is divided into two large land segments: the Upper and Lower peninsulas. The two peninsulas of Michigan are separated by the Straits of Mackinac (pronounced "Mack-i-naw"), which links Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.
The Mackinac Bridge extends over the Straits of Mackinac. The 5 mile long Mackinac Bridge (Big Mac) links Michigan's Lower and Upper peninsulas. The Mackinac Bridge is the one of the world's most beautiful bridges. It is the third longest suspension bridge in the world and the longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere.
Famous People From Michigan
Michael J. Bloomfield, Astronaut (1959-)
Gerald R. Ford 38th U.S. president, Omaha, Nebraska (1913- )
Henry Ford industrialist, born in Dearborn (1863 - 1947).Charles A. Lindbergh aviator, born in Detroit (1902 - 1974).
Famous for being the first person to cross the Atlantic ocean in an airplane non-stop.
Dr. Ben Carson, Pediatric Neurosurgeon (1951-)
An inspiring life from his childhood in inner-city Detroit to director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Kid Rock, singer and musician (1971-)
Mastodon
Mastodon Trackway
The mastodon trackway is a set of preserved mastodon footprints found near Saline, Michigan.
Mastodon Pictures and info on the Mastodon found near Lennon, Michigan by zoologist, George Buck, of Flint, Michigan, in 1962.
Mastodon Fact Sheet
Print and color the mastodon fact sheet.
Mastodon Teeth and Tusks Fact Sheet
Print and color mastodon teeth and tusks fact sheet.
Another Mastodon Fact Sheet
Print and color more mastodon facts
Tracking the Mastodons Video
Michigan Agriculture
A look at Michigan Agriculture (pdf)
Michigan is the nation's number one cherry producing state. Michigan produces 70 to 75 percent of the tart cherries grown in the United States.
Michigan ranks 3rd in the nation in apple production
History of Michigan maple syrup
Battle Creek is called the "Cereal Bowl of America." Today, Battle Creek produces more breakfast cereal than any other city in the world. Kellogg
Stories to Read
Ottawa story: How Arch Rock on Mackinac Island was formed.
How the Robin Got His Red Breast (based on an Irish folk tale)
Michigan Winds retold by S. E. Schlosser
Paul Bunyan and the Frozen Flames retold by S. E. Schlosser
Things to Do
Michigan State Bird and State Flower Printable Color Page.
Michigan Flag Map color page
Kids' Stuff from the Michigan Historical Museum
From the first people in Michigan to the year 2000 find things to make, poems, stories and more.
Dream Catcher
Ojibway Dream Catcher
Need: wire hanger, flannel strips (brown or tan), string, beads, feather.
Shape wire hanger into a circle. Wrap the hanger with flannel strips and tie. Tie on beaded strings and criss-cross through the inner circle of the hanger to make a web. Tie on feather at the bottom.
Things to know: The Ojibway tribe of the Great Lakes and northern plain regions believed that the night was filed with the spirits of dreams. They suspended dream catchers above the beds of their children. The web of the dream catchers trapped bad dream spirits. Good dreams passed through the web and floated down to the sleeping children.
Sites to See
Michigan Wildflowers
Photographs of wildflowers found in Michigan including common and Latin names.
Michigan Butterflies
Pictures of Michigan Butterflies.
Michigan Lighthouses historical beauties. There are over 100 lighthouses in Michigan. Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state.
Michigan Lighthouses Video
