Interesting Facts about Delaware

Building a list of Interesting Facts about Delaware was high on my list when I pulled together my homeschool curriculum for the United States this year. A state with so much rich history–you’re not going to want to miss all the fun things in this homeschool study unit-resource.

And if you’ve got big plans to do a whole lot of learning about the United States this school year, be sure to check out my 50 states unit study. You definitely don’t want to miss out on all the awesome resources I’ve pulled together and lesson plans I’ve pre-packaged for anyone who’s ready to learn!

you may not know these five facts about the state of delaware

I know we all know that Delaware is the second smallest state (losing out to Rhode Island–and not by a whole lot) and Delaware was the first state to join the Union, but I bet some of these interesting facts about the state of Delaware might be new to you.

The boys and I can’t wait to start finding out more about our favorite states, like Delaware!

Table of Contents

Five Facts about Delaware:

As you teach your child all about the rich history of The Blue Hen State, make sure to expand on each topic by utilizing some of the resources we have provided.

Delaware State Unit Study

Fact One: The State’s Unofficial Nickname is the Diamond State

Knowing that the nickname of Delaware is the Diamond State might make you think there’s a lot of diamonds in the hills, but that would be a big nope.

The nickname actually comes from the founding father, Thomas Jefferson calling Delaware a small, valuable jewel–like a diamond.

Given how beautiful the land is and how varied the geography, with the Delaware River valley, the scenic byway and state parks, it’s no wonder that this state is considered one of the prettiest of the original 13 colonies.

Resources to help you expand on this fact:

Craft: Diamond Painting is a fun new craft for kids!
Activity: Print, cut, and fold your own diamonds.
Book: Digging for Diamonds – Readers will study how diamonds are formed, extracted, and processed. Stunning sparkling photographs of the glittering gemstones add dimension to the book’s comprehensive content. The book’s relevant subject matter makes it a must-have for growing science enthusiasts studying elementary Earth science topics.
Toy: Your child can learn what it is like to mine for diamonds with this fun toy! Will he find a diamond or not?

Fact Two: The Blue Hen Chicken is the State Bird

Well, let’s just have a little giggle really quick, because I totally spilled the beans on this one earlier, didn’t I?!

But Delaware definitely adopted the Blue Hen Chicken as the official state bird. So, you should probably definitely do some blue hen crafts and incorporate that into your Delaware homeschool study unit!

Resources to help you expand on this fact:

Keep your children’s hands busy with this Blue Hen Chicken coloring page.
Book: Peggy, a brave chicken on a big adventure is a great book for children. When a windstorm blows her out of her decorative suburban chicken coop, she has to adjust to the unfamiliar sights and sounds of a busy city. Peggy eventually finds her way back home.
This is a great site that teaches how a hen lays eggs. I love the graphic, especially!

Fact Three: The Official State Insect is the Ladybug

I love learning about bugs (I’m a boy mom, after all), so it’s no surprise that I got excited about learning that the Ladybug is Delaware’s official insect.

Lots of red with black spots will definitely be on the list of arts and crafts for this study unit!

The following activities for kids will keep the children busy and learning. Plus, they are so fun that they won’t even realize it is school!

Your little ones will love playing with these printable Ladybug counting cards.
Make some gorgeous Ladybug Slime from Ruffles and Rain Boots
How fun are these Ladybug Color Pages at Crystal and Comp?
Teach (or reinforce) doubling and symmetry in nature with this fun Ladybug Activity from Rainy Day Mum.

Your children will love these ladybug books:

Fact Four: Henry Heimlich was from here!

If you include any discussion on health and our bodies in your homeschool curriculum, which you totally should, it’s a fun point about Delaware that Doctor Henry Heimlich, the man who invented the Heimlich maneuver that has saved so many lives from choking, is from Delaware.

This is a really cool fact that really could lead to so many learning opportunities and inspire so much fun.

Surprisingly, it is really hard to find out anything about Henry Heimlich for children. I guess I need to come up with a unit study about him. Until then, hopefully the following websites will help you teach your children about him and what to do if a friend is choking!

Fact Five: The Strawberry is the State Fruit!

Mmmm…I definitely see several strawberry crafts, activities and experiments in our near future. I love that one of my favorite fruits is the official fruit of Delaware. And I can’t wait to plant some, so we can talk about why Delaware picked this juicy berry!

Resources to help you expand on this fact: