By: Lauren Gray, Head of Reference

Share the gift of history this holiday season.

Day 5: Coasters

(Part of the 12 Days of Archives DIY Series)

Uncle Phil (and his coffee cup ring stains on the good furniture) may not be visiting this year, but you can still get these coasters ready for next season. And what better gift to give than a splash of Kansas history across your coffee table? Coasters are great conversation-starters and the ultimate furniture-savers. We’ve picked our favorite scenes below.

Coasters are pretty easy to make, if a little sticky! You’ll need small tiles, Mod Podge (a multi-purpose adhesive available at most craft stores), spray sealant, paint brush or sponge, felt pads for underneath the tile, and your photos, printed and trimmed to the size of the tiles. Glue each photo to a tile using your sponge and Podge, then apply three layers of Podge evenly over the photo with your sponge (be sure to wait for the Podge to dry completely between each round). Once the final layer is dry, take the tiles outside and spray on the sealant in another three rounds, waiting between each for the layers to dry completely. (Make sure to spray the entire tile: front, back and sides.) Wait 24 hours for the sealer to dry completely, then glue the felt on the bottom of each tile. Easy peasy, and Uncle Phil and your furniture can now rest easily – on a piece of Kansas history!

You can still visit the Lawrence rail depot today. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and still has an active rail track next door.

The Kansas capitol as you’ve rarely seen it before. It took over 30 years (and three million dollars + inflation) for construction to finish on this historic building.

Another entry from the Register of Historic Places, the Hotel Jayhawk is a familiar site in downtown Topeka. Sorry, Wildcats, it’s nothing personal!

Train enthusiasts will recognize this as locomotive #3783. Others will recognize it as a larger metaphor for American expansion – robber baron capitalism, anyone?�

By: Lauren Gray, Head of Reference

Share the gift of history this holiday season.

Day 4: The Memory Game

(Part of the 12 Days of Archives DIY Series)�

While 2020 is a year that most of us would rather forget, it’s no secret that improved memory can aid in stress reduction, enhanced concentration, and better organizational skills. With school disrupted this year, we’re doing what we can to ensure our children use their brains more than their video game expertise. The Memory Game not only challenges our retention skills, but it’s fun for the whole family! All you need is a printer, a pair of scissors, and a flat space to play on.

To play Memory, pick at least five images from our website (add more for higher age levels) and print out two copies of each image. Make sure you can’t see the photo through the back. Mix up the images and place all of them face-down on a table. You can have as many players as you want, but we prefer 2-4. The object of the game is to collect the most matching cards. Take turns flipping up two cards at a time to find a matching pair. See if you can remember where each card is on the board. It’s harder than you think!

For more fun, read about each image on our website while you’re playing – a history game counts as homework…right?

Here are our favorite combinations:��

Although we’re not as concerned about pests spreading Covid-19 in 2020, catching flies could still be a fun game for your bored youngsters this holiday season. (Plus, you’ll save on your Orkin bill.)

Mr. G. Hopper is the Oliver Twist of grasshoppers – but don’t feel too sorry for the poor fellow, his extended family of Hoppers devastated Kansas farmers during the late 19th century.

We swear we aren’t bug crazy, but studying all of these grasshopper images surely counts as science class too, right? Two bugs, one game?

Miss Abel, Kansas’ own resident space monkey, was born in Independence in 1957. Study hard, children, and you too can be a space ape!