Our family loves US geography. We explored states, memorized capitals, made flags and seals, researched state animals, mapped, cooked, and baked. It was so fun!
Several options are available for US geography at home. You can blaze a new trail in your studies or come at it from a different angle.
Here are some out-of-the-box methods to learn about our Fifty-Nifty United States.
Road Trip
As a boy, my husband’s father, a schoolteacher, took the entire family on a cross country trip one summer. Camping along the way, Mike encountered General Sherman in Sequoia National Park, hiked down the Grand Canyon, explored Carlsbad Caverns, chased his brothers in the Painted Desert, and saw Old Faithful erupt in Yellowstone National Park. What a trip! The happy memories still linger today!
If you have the resources to travel across the USA, do it!
If not, travel across the USA without leaving your family room. God Bless the USA: Exploring States and Territories takes you and your children on an adventure one region at a time. We start in the Southern states, and continue region by region, state by state, to explore nature, see landmarks, visit popular places, and meet famous people. While we travel, you will learn about geography, farming, and business, too.
God Bless the USA: Exploring States and Territories is divided into 8 sections with an introduction to each section.
Each state and territory gets 4 pages. Written in conversational style, we “travel” through the state visiting iconic sites or wonders of nature for 2 pages. Page 3 uses a state road map and students follow simple directions. Page 4 allows students to research the capital, statehood date, abbreviation, state flower, state bird, state song, lakes, rivers, and fun facts.
The states and territories are divided up into these sections:
- Southern States
- Mid-Atlantic States
- New England States
- Midwest States
- Southwest States
- Western States
- Pacific States
- Territories & Districts
Cook Your Way Through the USA
Many children love cooking and baking to learn about our 50 states and 5 inhabited territories. With the same regional sections as God Bless the USA: Exploring States and Territories, God Bless the USA Cookbook provides recipes from each state and inhabited territory.
Cookbook readers also discover USA farming, ranching, favorite foods, and even a few restaurants! Every recipe is kitchen-tested. So, have fun cooking up these state favorites.
Americana favorites like apple pie, steak, casseroles (hot dishes in the Midwest), Philly cheesesteak, key lime pie, chicken-fried steak, and Texas sheet cake are included. As well as dishes that might be new to you like Cincinnati chili, Rhode Island’s cabinets, West Virginia’s slaw dogs, gator bites, low country boil, and possum pie.
You can learn a lot about geography when you travel! You might want to take this trip with your family. OR join us at True North Homeschool Academy this fall and travel to every state and inhabited territory in our US Geography class (Jr. High but open to high school students). Purchase online class HERE.
Visit National Parks
National parks are another favorite way to learn US geography. Visit the national park closest to you. Out west they are everywhere! While the eastern USA has fewer national parks, be sure to visit Acadia National Park in Maine, Great Smokey Mountain National Park in Tennessee, Everglades National Park in Florida, and a few more in our neck of the woods.
National parks preserve natural wonders. Many times camping is allowed, along with hiking, boating, fishing, and other fun activities. The parks show us what America looked like before cities were built.
Learn about our US national parks with God Bless the USA National Parks Fact Cards.
Play God Bless the USA National Parks Memory Game with the whole family. Even little ones can beat their old siblings with this easy game.
Mapping
Mapping is a life skill. Let children look at maps and work on maps. They can label and color blank outline maps of each state. Or answer questions using maps about the state landmarks, landforms, capitals, cities, and roads.
Have you ever used a blank outline map? Add landforms like mountains, rivers, swamps, deserts, forests, lakes, hills, prairies, or plains. Symbols can be green triangles for trees and upside-down Vs for mountains.
Add a star next to the name of the capital and make dots for major cities, famous landmarks, and significant places of interest. For example, you could include the Grand Canyon in Arizona and the Everglades in Florida.
To finish up, add the bordering states and bodies of water.
In our God Bless the USA Exploring States & Territories, students complete a blank outline map of each region as well as a road map work for each state.
Notebooking with Maps & Printables
Another option is notebooking. Children can read and research on their own to learn about each state. Children can discover a state’s location, capital, abbreviation, and some tidbits about the state.
Use the research notebooking/worksheet pages found in God Bless the USA series by printing out the pages you want to use, fill them out, and put in a special “My States Notebook.” Don’t forget to add worksheets about stamps, coins, flags, seals, capitals, and abbreviations (in the books below).
Seals and Flags are a fun way to learn about states because they are so symbolic. It’s fun to guess why the ingredients of a states seal or flag were chosen. After research, you can see if you’re right. Students can use printables to learn more about state flags and seals, and even make a family flag and seal, with God Bless the USA State Flags & Seals.
Abbreviations, capitols, and capitals are another fun way to learn about the states. You can use the printables in God Bless the USA State Capitals & Abbreviations. Students even learn the difference between capitol and capital! Creative worksheets will help students memorize the capitals and abbreviations of each state.
Finally, students enjoy learning about our 50 states and five territories with stamps and coins. As they work through the printable pages, they may uncover a desire to collect stamps or coins. As with seals and flags, state coins and stamps reveal what states are known for and their contributions to the rest of the country. Discover state coins and stamps in God Bless the USA State Stamps & Coins.
Sorting Mats & Puzzles
Children of all ages love state and country puzzles, especially the super-big ones!
Sorting mats pull everything together with flags, coins, seals, stamps, capitals, and abbreviations. These were created especially for those hands-on learners. They can sort and move cards around, as well as visualizing everything together after they are finished. Use the sorting mats in God Bless the USA State Sorting Mats.
We love sorting mats! They are a great way for children to remember what they’ve learned and see a connection between things.
Read Literature Set in Different States
You’ve heard of a historical fiction. What about geographical fiction. A good writer will bring the setting alive. Since we live in Florida, we’ve enjoyed books set in Florida like The Yearling, Brave the Wild Trail, Strawberry Girl, and Judy’s Journey.
Older children and teens will love To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper set in Alabama and children will be delighted by My Friend Flicka by Mara O’Hara to learn about Wyoming.
If you are studying Michigan, you can find an age-appropriate biography on Henry Ford. Alaska’s hero dog Balto has a bunch of books to choose from for your younger set. Learn about California’s Gold Rush in By the Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleishman.
Read Biographies of Famous State Sons & Daughters
Every state has folks that the state is proud of. Learn more about them through biographies. Eight Presidents were born in Virginia: Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Harrison, Tyler, Taylor, and Wilson. Many astronauts come from Ohio including John Glenn and Neil Armstrong. Athletes Michael Jordan, Mike Tyson, Vince Lombardi, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were all born in New York.
Put Together a Unit Study
This requires a bit of planning. The history, geography, and natural resources of the state are a great place to start. Add books, writing assignments, research projects, and crafts.
More Out-of-the-Box Learning Experiences
Creative assignments help some children thrive!
Children can…
- Create their own national park
- Design a new sports stadium
- Produce a news show or radio drama
- Make a brochure
- Build a diorama
- Make a relief map
- Plan a tour
- Paint
- Write a poem or a song
- Plan a city
- Write letters between cousins who live in different states
- Create a website
All of these projects require research that will build their knowledge of the 50 states.
Have fun exploring the Fifty-Nifty United States!
Until next time, Happy Homeschooling!
Warmly,
Meredith Curtis
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