Let’s Explore Connecticut!

October 21, 2026

The Connecticut state study page we used is found in the Learn + PLAY USA resource.

You can find it here:

Our finished Connecticut worksheet, origami whales, Charter Oak tree craft, charter scroll, and state card laid out on the table
Our Connecticut lesson, all laid out!

This week our state study had us exploring Connecticut, the Constitution State! Did you know the hamburger originated in Connecticut OR that they have a very interesting story on their governing charter suddenly going missing!? We watched this video about it. Then we made our own Charter Oak just for fun!

Coloring in the state flag

We always start our lessons looking through books collecting information or picking up interesting facts. I like to set out our library books all over the table.

A Nat Geo Kids states video on the laptop next to the Connecticut worksheet and Charter Oak tree craft
Watching Nat Geo Kids while we filled in our worksheet

This week there is a state video from Nat Geo so of course we watched that collect information too! Rockin’ Renee the American Robin is the state bird of Connecticut and she flies over lots of fun facts.

Tracing the map on the Connecticut page of Learn + PLAY USA
Tracing the map in our Learn + PLAY USA state page

Connecticut is a tiiiiinnnyy state but we found it on the map!

A Mapping Connecticut book open to a page of state symbols
Looking through state symbols in Mapping Connecticut

We learned that Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River. The name comes from an Algonquian word meaning "land on the long tidal river." It earned the nickname "Constitution State" because its early settlers wrote the Fundamental Orders, a set of laws that later gave ideas to the U.S. Constitution. Its capital is Hartford, its state bird is the American robin, and its state flower is the mountain laurel.

In addition to our state information sheet, we like to expand learning with a hands on activity, game, or project. This week we made origami whales! They were so cute and fun to make! The Sperm Whale is the state mammal of Connecticut. Fair warning, these are really easy to make and turn out so cute, you might just have a pod of whales invading your house after your kids learn to make them! This video explains the step by step directions so you can make them too!

Four origami whales lined up on the table
Our little pod of origami whales

Proudly holding the Charter Oak tree craft with the charter scroll
Our Charter Oak tree, with the charter tucked safely inside

The Charter Oak video with Sen. Chris Murphy playing beside the tree craft
We also made our own Charter Oak using a paper roll for the trunk, green paper for the foliage, and a paper for the pretend state charter. It was a super simple activity and a fun way to remember that special piece of CT history!

After we collected facts and information about Connecticut we took our learning to the digital realm with lots of YouTube videos! If you need a little guidance on places to "visit" or learn more about I made a list for you here:

Here are the top ten most visited, family friendly places in Connecticut.

We looked them up on YouTube for little tours and reviews from travelers.

Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic is a recreated 19th-century seaport village. Kids can climb aboard historic tall ships, watch the working shipyard, and visit the planetarium and a small children's museum.
Mystic Aquarium is just up the road, and the beluga whales steal the show. There are also sea lions, seals, and African penguins.
The Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk is all about Long Island Sound. It has a 110,000-gallon shark tank, touch tanks, and seals.
Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill has more than 750 dinosaur tracks, 200 million years old, under a big geodesic dome. The trails are free, and kids 5 and under get into the Exhibit Center free.
The Yale Peabody Museum in New Haven is where Brontosaurus, Stegosaurus, and Triceratops were first described.
Gillette Castle State Park in East Haddam is a stone castle built in 1914 by William Gillette, the actor famous for playing Sherlock Holmes. It sits high above the Connecticut River.
The Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford is the home where Mark Twain wrote some of his best-known books.
Lake Compounce in Bristol is America's first amusement park, and it's the longest continuously operating one too. It started as a picnic park in 1846.
Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport has more than 300 animals, mostly from the Americas, plus a New England farmyard with goats, pigs, and sheep.
Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk is a hands-on museum with science, art, pretend play, and puppet shows.