Nebraska celebrates its 150th Birthday in 2017, and many fun activities for kids and families are planned across the state.
A FREE “Truckin’ Through Nebraska” mobile children’s museum will be one of the celebration highlights for kids as it travels to 42 Nebraska communities. The exhibit is intended for children ages 5-12, but audiences of all ages will enjoy the hands-on fun.
The exhibit will likely stay in each community for a few days, and stops may coincide with other events or celebrations already planned in that community.
The mobile exhibit kicks off with a stop at the Omaha Children’s Museum on April 8-9. Other April stops are planned in Wahoo (April 12-14), Blair (April 18-20), West Point (April 22-23), South Sioux City (April 26-27) and Plainview (April 29-30)
The mobile museum was designed with guidance from the Omaha Children’ Museum and includes the following fun activities:
My Nebraska (Kiosks): Make a movie about Nebraska using historical video footage. Learn about future jobs in Nebraska using a touch screen exploration game.
Builder Battle: Build a shelter using three different types of materials before testing them in the wind chamber or earthquake simulator.
Homestead Hero: Create a ten-acre homestead placing buildings, rivers, pastures, corn, potatoes and other crops in the space and complete the survival puzzle. Compare homesteads from the past to modern Nebraska farms.
Nebraska Panorama: View Nebraska’s most beautiful and famous places.
Agri-Quest: A fast-paced touch-table game to test knowledge about Nebraska.
Whirligigs and Spinners: Play with toys from the past, such as whirligigs, ball-in-a-cup and spinning tops.
Nebraska Fun Facts: Find out surprising facts about Nebraska sports, innovations, geography and famous people.
Postcard Discovery: Explore a new side of Nebraska history by viewing Nebraska postcards from the past and present and then create a postcard to send to a family member or friend.
Chore Challenge: Compete with family and friends to complete a set of chores, such as wheel barrel chores, churning butter and taming a stubborn cow.
I Spy Nebraska: Hunt for 10 illustrations hidden among the dozens that show what makes Nebraska great.
Construction Junction: Use large foam blocks to invent a gadget, vehicle or robot that will make life easier for Nebraskans of the future.
Creation Station: Design and create a toy such as a button buzzer or yarn doll to take home.
To see when the mobile museum will be in your community, visit https://ne150.org/museum/
Statewide Events
In addition to the mobile children’s museum, there are many other events planned throughout the year to celebrate Nebraska’s birthday.
Another fun event for kids will be the Union Pacific Railroads old-fashioned Whistle Stop Tour, which will take place across the state Aug. 4-6.
For More Information
For a link to all activities throughout the year, visit the official Nebraska 150th Birthday website at ne150.org or the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/nebraska150/
Other Birthday Activities
Volunteering: The state is challenging citizens to log 150 volunteer hours next year, which averages about three hours a week. Visit nebraskaimpact.com to seek volunteer opportunities and log hours.
Staying Healthy: The site ne150challenge.com will allow Nebraskans to track their fitness hours with the goal of logging 150 fitness hours in 2017. The site includes links to recreational opportunities and health-related events across the state.
Education. The site ne150.org/nowyouknow will feature short, fun videos featuring facts about Nebraska. The videos could be used as teaching tools by teachers for parents.
History: The site iamnebraska.com will allow Nebraskans to upload oral history videos that could end up in the Nebraska State Historical Society’s archives.
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