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Social studies activity

Georgia's Story: Peaches, Coca-Cola & the Courage of Change

Georgia is called the Peach State — but did you know peaches actually originally came from China, traveled to Persia, then Europe, then sailed across the ocean to America? Georgia just grows them so well it claimed them as its own! Let's draw a peach tree and learn about the person who grew up under Georgia's sun and changed the world.

Hands OnAbout 25 minutesScreen-freeParent help expected

Materials and setup

How this changes by age

Pre-K (ages 3–4)

Georgia is called the Peach State — but did you know peaches actually originally came from China, traveled to Persia, then Europe, then sailed across the ocean to America? Georgia just grows them so well it claimed them as its own! Let's draw a peach tree and learn about the person who grew up under Georgia's sun and changed the world.

Difficulty 1 of 3

Steps

  1. Say: 'Georgia grows millions of peaches every year. And Georgia is also where Martin Luther King Jr. was born — a man who believed that words spoken with love and courage could change unjust laws. He was right.'
  2. Draw a tall peach tree with round orange-pink fruit hanging from it. Add a big warm sun.
  3. Draw a small child standing under the tree — say: 'This is young Martin Luther King Jr., growing up in Atlanta, Georgia, watching the world and wondering how to make it fairer.'
  4. Add a speech bubble coming from the child. Ask: 'What kind thing would YOU say to make the world fairer? Write or draw it in the bubble.'
  5. Ask: 'What's something kind you could do TODAY for someone who needs it?'

Learning objectives

  • Identify Georgia as the birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr.
  • Notice that words — not just actions — can change the world
  • Wonder at the power of speaking up for what is right

Kindergarten (ages 5–6)

Martin Luther King Jr. grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and gave one of the most famous speeches in history on August 28, 1963 — in front of 250,000 people. But he didn't only give speeches. He was arrested 29 times for peacefully protesting unjust laws. Each time he got out and kept going. Let's learn about his persistence and draw our own dream for the world.

Difficulty 2 of 3

Steps

  1. Tell the story: 'Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested 29 times for doing peaceful things — marching, sitting in a restaurant, praying on a sidewalk. Each time, he got out and kept going. He believed that peaceful protest could change unjust laws, and he was right. In 1964, the Civil Rights Act passed.'
  2. Write 'I Have a Dream...' at the top of a paper in big colorful letters.
  3. Finish the sentence together — what is YOUR dream for how people should treat each other?
  4. Draw a picture of your dream world. What does it look like? Who is in it?
  5. Ask: 'If something was unfair at school, what is one PEACEFUL way you could try to change it?'

Learning objectives

  • Identify Martin Luther King Jr. as a Georgia-born civil rights leader
  • Understand that he was arrested 29 times for peaceful protest — and kept going
  • Connect perseverance and peaceful action to real historical change

Early elementary (ages 6–8)

The Cherokee Nation built one of the most sophisticated civilizations in North America — their own written alphabet, their own newspaper, their own democratic constitution. Then in 1838, the US Army forced them to leave their Georgia homeland and walk hundreds of miles west in winter. A century later, Georgia produced Martin Luther King Jr. — a man who used peaceful protest to fight the same kind of injustice. Today you'll compare two Georgia stories of resistance.

Difficulty 2 of 3

Steps

  1. Research the Cherokee Nation: Who was Sequoyah and what did he invent? What was the Cherokee Phoenix newspaper? Write 3 specific facts.
  2. Research the Trail of Tears: In 1838, the Cherokee were forced to leave their homeland and march hundreds of miles to present-day Oklahoma. Write 3 facts about the journey — include the distance traveled and what it was like in winter.
  3. Research Martin Luther King Jr.: Where in Georgia was he born? What specific law did the movement help pass? Write 3 facts.
  4. Create a two-column chart: 'Cherokee Nation 1830s' and 'Civil Rights Movement 1960s.' In each column, write how they faced injustice AND how they resisted.
  5. Write a paragraph connecting the two stories — what did Cherokee leaders and civil rights marchers have in common? Use the phrase 'both faced' and the word 'resistance.'

Learning objectives

  • Describe the Cherokee Nation's remarkable civilization — written language, newspaper, constitution
  • Explain the Trail of Tears as a forced removal from Georgia homeland
  • Compare two historical struggles for justice across 130 years in the same state
  • Practice evidence-based paragraph writing with a connecting thesis

Upper elementary (ages 8–10)

Georgia has produced some of the most remarkable stories in American history — and some big surprises. Did you know Coca-Cola was invented in Atlanta in 1886 by a pharmacist named Dr. John Pemberton, who mixed carbonated water with a new syrup at his drugstore? Today Georgia's most famous export is recognized in over 200 countries. But Georgia's story goes far deeper: it's the birthplace of the civil rights movement's most powerful voices, from Martin Luther King Jr. to Congressman John Lewis. Research Georgia's extraordinary legacy of both invention and justice — and write about what it reveals.

Difficulty 3 of 3

Steps

  1. Research Coca-Cola's origin: Who invented it, when, where in Atlanta, and how did a local drugstore syrup become the world's most recognized brand? Find 3 surprising facts.
  2. Research Martin Luther King Jr.'s Georgia roots: Where was he born? What did he study? What specific laws did his movement help change? Write 4 facts.
  3. Research John Lewis: How did this Georgia congressman spend his life fighting for voting rights? What is the 'good trouble' he talked about? Write 3 facts.
  4. Research the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta — opened in 2005, it was the world's largest aquarium. What makes it special?
  5. Draw a Georgia history arc: a wavy line from 1733 to present. Plot at least 6 events, including the Cherokee Nation, Coca-Cola's invention, Martin Luther King Jr.'s birth, the Civil Rights Act, and John Lewis's career.
  6. Write a 4-paragraph essay: Georgia has given America both one of its most beloved brands and some of its most courageous voices for justice. What do Coca-Cola and the civil rights movement have in common — and what makes Georgia such a powerful place in American history?
  7. Coca-Cola started in an Atlanta pharmacy in 1886 and sold for 5 cents a glass. Today Coke sells billions of servings a day worldwide. If one can costs the company about 20 cents to make and sells for $1, calculate profit per can. Then list two reasons the brand name is worth more than the recipe.
  8. Georgia is the top peanut-producing state. Farmers use a 'peanut digger' that flips plants upside down so pods dry in the sun. Draw a peanut plant (pods grow UNDERGROUND) and label the digger blade and shaker. Then design one adjustment to the digger so fewer peanuts get left in the dirt.

Learning objectives

  • Explain the origin of Coca-Cola and how a local invention became a global brand
  • Identify multiple civil rights leaders from Georgia — Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, Andrew Young
  • Sequence key Georgia history events from colonial era to present day
  • Write a 4-paragraph essay connecting Georgia's legacy of innovation and justice

Safety and evidence note

Read the full activity before beginning. An adult should supervise tools, heat, food, outdoor work, movement, and experiments as appropriate. Completion records that the activity was done; the child’s explanation, work sample, photo, or demonstration is stronger evidence of learning than a completion check alone.

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