As children color in pictures today of the NiPInta and Santa Maria, there’s more to be learned than staying within the lines.

And that something will be learned not through catchy rhymes about “sailing the ocean blue,” said American Indian leaders in Lawrence, but through honest discussions of who Christopher Columbus was and what he did for and to America.

Students at Haskell Indian Nations University will participate in a “teach-in” despite having the federal holiday free of classes, said Casey Douma, student body president.

A variety of speakers will talk about American Indians’ history and future, starting about 9:30 a.m. at Stidham Hall, Douma said.

The day is one of remembrance, he said, noting the “many truths out there that aren’t spoken of.”

Although students at Kansas University do not have any specific activities planned for this year, they, too, have used the official holiday to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day.

Much of the frustration surrounding Columbus Day stems from elementary schools where Columbus is portrayed as a hero and the history of Thanksgiving is taught by having kindergartners make feathered headdresses, said Ryan Red Corn, co-president of the First Nations Student Assn. at KU.

“You can teach kids about Indians without making a construction paper hat,” he said.

But elementary school teacher Cynthia Chamberlin said it was difficult for 5-year-olds to wrap their minds around the complexities of issues such as colonialism or racism.

“They don’t have enough experience with the world,” she said. “They think everybody’s good.”

So when it comes to someone like Columbus, children learn a little bit more each year, said Chamberlin, who taught first grade for 20-odd years but is now a sixth-grade teacher at Deerfield School.

To first-graders, “you get to introduce a brand new person,” she said. “Sixth grade, they’re a little bit more sophisticated. They’re learning to reason out motives.”

Discussions about Columbus in public schools have improved over the years, with greater sensitivity to different segments of the population, Chamberlin said.

And although historical figures like him prove to be prickly subjects, it would be irresponsible to ignore his existence.

“Columbus has had an impact whether we like it or not,” she said.