August/September 2005

A fun magazine for kids!

A Coin for Kansas!

Explore the pages of Kansas Kaleidoscope to learn more about the Kansas State Quarter, a new symbol for the state of Kansas!

On The Cover

Crop artist Stan Herd creates the new coin design in a field outside Hutchinson, Kansas. Sponsors for the design were Kickapoo Indian Nation.

For Parents and Teachers:

In honor of the Kansas state quarter launch, this issue will examine the official Kansas symbols. Readers will learn about economic issues, such as, inflation; the process of making coins; and even how to "read" a coin. Creating new coins isn't just about making money, it's also about history. Be sure to check out the Teacher Supplement pages online at www.kshs.org/teachers for extended activities to use with this issue.

The first Kansas State Quarter was "struck," or made, on July 18, 2005, at the United States Mint in Denver, Colorado. Many people from Kansas attended this special event.

As a new country, the United States needed to have its own currency and the founding fathers made sure we would have it. The U.S. Constitution gave the federal government the power to make money.

At one time, all paper money in circulation was backed by gold. If you went to the bank, you could turn in your bills and get gold.

History in Your Pocket

Grab a handful of quarters and take a close look at both sides. One side has an image of George Washington. Chances are there will be many different designs on the other side of the coins. What's happening to our quarters? Why and how are they changing?

That depends on whether you are talking about coins or paper money. Coins can survive in circulation for about thirty years.

Banking on a Special Deposit

Central Bank and Trust Co., a community bank in Hutchinson, Kansas, has been in business since 1915. So.what exactly is a bank?

Kansas' poet laureate wrote a poem in honor of the new state quarter for the State Quarter Launch at the State Fair. Jonathan Holden, professor of English at Kansas State University, has the honor of being the first poet laureate in Kansas history.

When the Kansas State Capitol was designed in the 1860s, a sculpture was planned for the top of the dome. People could not agree, however, on what sculpture or how to finance it.

Artist Stan Herd: Outstanding in His Field

When you learn that Stan Herd grew up on a farm near Protection, Comanche County, Kansas (population 625), it is easy to understand why he feels very comfortable in wide-open spaces.

Kaleb Anderson is a fourteen-year-old student from Spring Hill, Kansas. He is passionate about collecting coins. Kansas Kaleidoscope was curious about his hobby. Kalebn shared his story with us.

You know what a quarter can buy at the store these days..not much. Today $.25 will buy a big gumball from the machine. Two quarters can get you a soft drink from a machine, a candy bar, or a video game at the arcade.

James W. Denver was a Kansas governor with special connections to two states. He was appointed the seventh governor of Kansas Territory in 1858, when the western boundary of Kansas still extended to the Rocky Mountains. So the city of Denver, founded during this time, was named for a Kansas governor! It is now Colorado's capital city.

Where do you go in Kansas to see coins minted? Today that would not be possible. The closest U.S. Mint is in Denver, Colorado.

Teacher Supplement