Innovative Iowans

Goldie sitting on a couple books, reading a book

Throughout the year, Goldie's Kids Club releases digital Innovative Iowans activities for children and adults to do together at home. These programs involve interactive activities that connect history with STEAM education – science, technology, engineering, art and math. The easy-to-follow instructions require few materials and can provide children with a fun, hands-on approach to Iowa history.

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Create & Inquire with Past Innovative Iowans Activities

Jump into these interactive activities from past Innovative Iowans programs to learn more about Iowa history while flexing your creativity with STEAM-based fun. These activities can be used either at home or in a classroom. You can also find past activity videos on the Goldie's Kids Club YouTube Playlist.

Innovative Iowan/TopicActivity InstructionsActivity Video
Paul Lester Errington Animal Journals (134.85 KB) .pdf Creating an Animal Journal
Don Hall and Ron Clements Animated History (168.65 KB) .pdf --
Maynard Reece Become an Iowa Birder (281.28 KB) .pdf  Birdwatching
Otto Rohwedder Bread Making (173.02 KB) .pdf  Easy Bread
Iowa Caucus How to Caucus (111.58 KB) .pdf Caucus 101 and Activity
Mother Mosque of America Celebrating Ramadan (1.04 MB) .pdf Good Deed Tree
Cloid H. Smith Chemical Reactions (198.56 KB) .pdf Dancing Popcorn
Dixie Cornell Gebhardt Comparing State Flags (772.36 KB) .pdf Flag Activity
John Atanasoff Computer Coding (151.28 KB) .pdf Creating Code
James Van Allen Constellation Jars (164.78 KB) .pdf Creating Stars
Potteries Creating Coil Pots (92.74 KB) .pdf --
Etta Budd Creating Homemade Paint (327.32 KB) .pdf Creating Homemade Paint
Carrie Chapman Catt Creating Suffrage Ribbons (235.72 KB) .pdf Creating Suffrage Ribbons
The State Theater Designing Movie Posters (187.05 KB) .pdf --
Dutch Immigration Dutch Windmills (131.85 KB) .pdf Pinwheels
Geodes Eggshell Geodes (311.06 KB) .pdf Growing Geodes
Jesse Hiatt Experimenting with Red Delicious Apples (240.18 KB) .pdf Apple Experiment
Charles Edwin Bessey Flower Power (2.87 MB) .pdf Pressed Flowers
Bur Oak  Genealogy Oak Tree  (295.44 KB) .pdf Family Tree
Norman Borlaug Grow a Miniature Garden (312.92 KB) .pdf Mini Gardens
Produce Iowa Handprint Activity (90.29 KB) .pdf --
Iowa Pilots Iowans Take Flight (478.97 KB) .pdf Paper Airplanes
Russ Van Dyke Let It Snow (193.13 KB) .pdf Creating Snow
Ana Mendieta Nature Portraits (131.18 KB) .pdf Self Portraits
Air Pressure Noisemaker Activity (832.78 KB) .pdf --
Louise Frankel Rosenfield Noun Oral History Interviews (240.71 KB) .pdf --
Conestoga Wagons Pack Your Wagon (135.44 KB) .pdf --
George Gallup Gallup Polls (159.71 KB) .pdf Creating a Poll
Sanborn Maps Sanborn Insurance Maps  (631.85 KB) .pdf How Neighborhoods Evolve Activity
Montauk Historic Site Snapshots of Montauk (820.53 KB) .pdf Montauk Photographs
Peggy Whitson Space! The Final Frontier (697.73 KB) .pdf --
Grenville Mellen Dodge Spy Codes (378.04 KB) .pdf Cracking Spy Codes
State Seal of Iowa State Seals (184.97 KB) .pdf Designing a State Seal
Edna Griffin Active Citizenship (213.36 KB) .pdf Writing Letters for Change