Elementary school memories are among the first for many people. It's hard to forget some of the quirkier parts of our educational pasts. As odd as they may be, they bond us to others who went through the same schools at the same time.
We asked the BuzzFeed Community all about the weird things they learned about in elementary school.
1."High school health class included the opportunity to get your boating license at no cost. I'm from Michigan and there's a ton of lakes, so it was probably a basic safety precaution(?)"
2."In my area outside of Philadelphia, we had to watch the Voyage of the Mimi (one of Ben Affleck’s first roles) and then went to a local Seaport Museum to see the captain/grandpa character speak. I couldn’t tell you why we learned it, but everyone I talk to in my district around my age also watched it in 4th Grade."
3."I learned everything about the Erie Canal. Even had to do a concert about it. Central New Yorkers know every inch of the way from Albany to Buffalo."
4."We learned a lot of really specific stuff in Louisiana. There’s the obvious — if you run from an alligator, you should run in a zig-zag because they can’t make sharp turns very well."
5."Nebraskan here, and we were taught the origin and history of Arbor Day (which began here), and we had field trips to Nebraska City (about 50 miles from my city of Lincoln) to visit Arbor Lodge and the J. Sterling Morton house (he’s the founder of Arbor Day)."
6."I’m not sure if this was regional or just in my school district, but I grew up in southern New England, and we had to watch a video on tick safety every spring. The part where the narrator told us that 'ticks like to hide in dark places, like the area your bathing suit covers,' will be burned into my mind forever."
7."I grew up in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. In high school Earth science class, we learned that the Upper Peninsula supplied about 90% of the Allies' copper during WWII."
8."In NW Georgia, we learned about the Cherokee Nation and various figures like Chief Vann and Sequoyah, the creator of their alphabet; the Georgia gold rush around Dahlonega; and Sherman's march in the Civil War."
9."I was born and raised in northern Nevada and in fourth grade, we did a whole year of Nevada history. We learned a lot about the pioneers and westward expansion, as well as the history of mining, the railroads, and the Native American tribes in the area."
10."In MA, we learned about the Great Molasses Flood, which sounds like a joke, but if I remember right I think about 30 people died pretty horrifically."
11."As someone who was in school in Oklahoma, I was able to learn about the Tulsa Race Massacre."
12."In third grade, we spent a lot of time learning about William Penn. Yeah, I live in Pennsylvania. In 7th grade, we could learn to speak Pennsylvania Dutch as an elective."
13."Here in North Dakota, we had a full course in 8th grade on rescuing when falling through ice on frozen lakes/rivers. Learned how to distribute our weight and roll once out."
14."This is probably more a generation thing. I grew up on the Navajo Reservation (now Nation) in the 1970s–80s. I always tell people that art class was dangerous."
15."In Minnesota, they teach you about Lake Superior and the taconite industry and also more than enough info about the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald."
16."Connecticut really loves its whales and ship building. I remember lots of maritime-themed field trips."
17."Gator safety and a lot about wetlands. I also remember reading a book called The Missing Gator of Gumbo Limbo multiple times for class. Obviously, I went to elementary school in Florida."
18."Definitely giving away where I’m from here, but Phineas Gage. We did a unit on him in elementary school, and I think that might be why I ended up majoring in psychology."
19."Near Seattle — we had the local Native Tribe Suquamish come and teach us how to weave bark into baskets, their sacred storytellers would tell us their people’s history, and then we would talk about longhouses. The music was based off the human heartbeat."
20."Missouri in 4th grade, we did anatomy and dissections, they were more detailed than what I was taught in high school in Texas. And Texas was a class you chose, everyone had to do the dissection in Missouri."
21."Where I’m from in MI, we learned all about the local (now defunct) copper mining industry. This makes sense considering it’s the reason so many of the students’ ancestors came to the area."
22."Apparently kids outside of Alaska don’t usually have cross-country skiing as an annual part of gym class. Or mushing. Or the Eskimo-Indian Olympics. Or moose-safety lessons."
23."Last year, I chaperoned my son's 4th-grade 'pioneer' field trip to Stoney Hill Schoolhouse in Waubeka, WI to learn all about Flag Day, complete with costumes and lunch pails. It was a lot of fun! There is also A LOT of Laura Ingalls Wilder in 4th grade in Wisconsin."
24."In Pawtucket, Rhode Island, we learned everything there was to know about Samuel Slater and the first cotton mill in the United States. I had been on at least three field trips there (probably more) by the time I graduated high school."
25."I think this is safe to say, anyone who lived in the southwest coast, in high school, marine bio/oceanography was a required course. I learned more than I ever thought about the tides, currents, everything."
26."In the Seattle area — Salmon. So much salmon education! Even had a tank of salmon fry that we hatched and released into their creek when they were big enough."
27."I don’t know if other states did this, but in Oregon City, OR, we literally had a month designated for learning about the Oregon Trail. Like playing the game, reading, and even going on a field trip to a historic site with homes and everything from people that traveled."
28."Went to two different elementary schools in the Metro Detroit area. The first one was 'Columbus discovered America' (we briefly talked about Americo Vespucio), Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and talked about the Battle of Bloody Run. The second school was discussing Columbus didn't discover America but Vikings did, Leif Erikson, Henry Ford, Chief Pontiac, and the River Rogue pollution."
29."Lincoln for Illinois, probably. But I also lived in a suburb outside of Chicago, and we had a few 'train safety' assemblies, warning us not to play on tracks or in depots or we could die."
30."My boyfriend and I were just talking about when/where you go to school in the US can affect what you learn. I'm about ten years older, and we went to elementary schools in different regions. I was taught that it was a myth that 'Columbus discovered America,' and not only were the Native Americans already here, Columbus wasn't even the first European to land in the New World. My boyfriend was taught that Columbus discovered America."
31."The 5 C’s of Arizona: copper, cattle, cotton, citrus, and climate. Also, IDK if this was just my school, but every year on Valentine’s Day they would do 'venereal disease day' in our science classes."
32."From Alabama. We learn an inordinate amount about cotton. And peanuts."
What did we miss? I'm now on a mission to collect weird state facts and will be stalking the comments accordingly.
