Last school year, we embarked on an exciting journey of discovery, exploring 17 different countries across 6 continents. It was an incredible experience, and you can dive into all our global adventures HERE. Building on that global foundation, this school year, we’re turning our focus inward to explore our own nation, diving deep into learning the 50 states of the United States. My children are thrilled about this new adventure, eager to uncover the unique aspects of each state. Honestly, I’m equally excited to refresh my own geography knowledge alongside them!
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We’ve chosen Traveling the States from The Waldock Way as our primary curriculum for this exciting endeavor. What I love about this curriculum is its simplicity and comprehensive nature. It includes an easy-to-follow teacher’s guide packed with additional book recommendations, QR codes linking to curated YouTube playlists for each state, and a wealth of printable games to make learning interactive and fun. Furthermore, the student journal is a fantastic resource, featuring state flags to color, engaging coloring pages, state outlines and maps, and dedicated notebooking pages for each state. I opted to print a student journal for each of my older children, who are in 4th and 2nd grade. My kindergartener is also participating in our state studies, enjoying coloring the state flags each week and absorbing the information alongside us, though he isn’t engaging with the writing portions of the student journal just yet.
At the beginning of the school year, I didn’t have a rigid plan for pacing our state studies, but I knew we needed to cover approximately two states per week to explore all 50 within the academic year. We eased into it, starting with just one state per week for the first few weeks until we found our rhythm. Currently, we dedicate one day per week to our state studies, but we might increase it to two days a week as we progress and potentially incorporate more in-depth activities for each state.
One of the initial hurdles was selecting books that resonated with our learning style and needs. (I’ll share more about the books that weren’t quite the right fit for us later in this post.) We also needed to decide which activities from the curriculum to prioritize and which to set aside. However, after exploring four states, I feel confident that we’ve established a comfortable and effective routine that we can sustain throughout the school year. So, I’m excited to share a quick overview of how we are utilizing the “Traveling the States” curriculum, highlight our favorite books, and mention some additional resources that have enriched our learning experience.
Our core resources for learning the 50 states revolve around these three main books: National Geographic Kids Beginner’s US Atlas, Only In America: The Weird and Wonderful 50 States, and 50 Adventures in the 50 States.
Initially, I considered aligning some of the state studies with our science curriculum’s weather and natural disaster unit. For instance, I thought about studying Oklahoma when we learned about tornadoes. In a perfect world, I also envisioned coordinating the study of the original 13 colonies with our American History curriculum. However, I quickly realized that this level of intricate planning would be quite demanding for me! LOL.
So, inspired by my kids’ suggestion, we adopted a more spontaneous and engaging approach. We placed all the state bingo cards from the Traveling the States curriculum into a large mason jar. Each week, when it’s time for our state study, my children eagerly draw one or two state cards from the jar. This element of surprise has made learning about the states incredibly exciting and has transformed our state studies into a much-anticipated part of our school week!
Once our state for the week is chosen, we gather their student journals and locate the corresponding state flag coloring page. We then open the Beginner’s United States Atlas from National Geographic Kids to the correct state and explore the map together. While listening to the YouTube video playlist provided in the curriculum, which features catchy songs and interesting facts about each state, my children color the state flag. Afterward, they turn to the notebooking pages in their journals to complete the state map and fill in key facts such as the capital, largest cities, date of statehood, and major rivers or lakes. I also encourage them to write the state motto in the “interesting facts” section to add another layer of learning.
Coloring the state flag while listening to state-themed songs and videos is a multisensory approach to learning the 50 states, perfect for engaging young learners.
Following this, I read aloud from Only in America: The Weird and Wonderful 50 States by Heather Alexander. This book has become a favorite in our home because it presents information in a simple, engaging way, focusing on fun and quirky facts that captivate my children’s interest. They love learning about each state’s unique claims to fame, unusual or popular attractions, favorite local foods, and distinctive state lingo. After reading the page dedicated to our state of the week in this book, I ask them to choose their most memorable fact and record it in their journal under “moments to remember,” encouraging personal connection and retention.
On the subsequent journal page, we revisit the Beginner United States Atlas to identify and document the state bird, state animal, state flower, and state tree. I encourage them to illustrate these symbols with drawings and label them with their names, keeping the activity focused on visual recognition and basic identification rather than extensive factual writing, unless they express a particular interest in delving deeper.
Finally, once we’ve completed the journal pages for the week, we get to color in the state we learned about on our large US poster. I found this poster years ago at the Target dollar spot, and it’s become a visual centerpiece on our bulletin board this year. You can find a very similar US poster HERE. (Just be sure to check the measurements as it might be larger than ours.) Coloring in each state as we learn about it is a tangible way to track our progress and visually represent our growing knowledge of the United States. I’m excited to watch the poster gradually fill up with color throughout the school year!
Last but certainly not least, we’ve incorporated 50 Adventures in the 50 States by Kate Siber into our bedtime routine. This book highlights one unique and exciting adventure or activity that can be experienced in each state. On the evenings following our state study, we read the adventure page for that state before bed. The book features beautiful illustrations and engaging, simple text that our whole family has been enjoying. It’s a wonderful way to spark curiosity and imagine exploring different parts of the country.
And that summarizes our approach! I know many might expect elaborate crafts, art projects, or a stack of picture books for each state, but realistically, we need to keep things manageable within our time constraints. Since we randomly select states each week, advance planning for specific state-related crafts becomes challenging. However, if we come across relevant picture book read-alouds on YouTube for a particular state, we sometimes listen to them while the kids are coloring, adding another layer to their learning. This simplified, consistent rhythm has proven to be both effective and enjoyable for learning the states.
Here are a few additional resources that we’ve found particularly enriching for our state studies:
The USA Learning Blanket is a soft and interactive tool for reinforcing geography knowledge, making it a cozy and educational addition to learning the 50 states.
We were recently gifted this incredibly soft and engaging blanket from Birdy Boutique, and it has been an absolute hit! After we study a state each week, I have my children use a toy car to “drive” to states we’ve previously learned about on the blanket, quizzing them on state capitals for review. Sometimes, I’ll have them hop around to different states to reinforce their location knowledge. The reverse side of the blanket features the state bird and animal for each state, which they’ve been using as a reference when filling in their journals and creating their illustrations. Beyond its educational value, my kids frequently play with or cuddle up with this blanket – it’s incredibly soft minky fabric! + An added bonus: purchasing from Birdy Boutique supports disabled Veteran Women. They offer a wide array of blanket designs, so be sure to explore their other options. We’ve owned their City Block Play Town print blanket for years and absolutely love it; they are perfect for taking on trips!
Playing “Race Across the USA” board game is a fun and interactive way for the whole family to learn geography and facts about the 50 states.
Race Across the USA Board Game
The Race Across the USA board game helps children practice state locations and learn interesting facts, making it a valuable tool for learning the 50 states.
This board game is a fantastic way to reinforce the geographical locations of the states and learn a wealth of interesting facts. Although it’s recommended for ages 8+ and includes separate cards for 3rd-4th and 5th-6th grades, my kindergartener also joins in with a little assistance. It’s a game the whole family can enjoy while learning!
Mapology USA with Capitals Puzzle
The Mapology USA with Capitals Puzzle is an engaging hands-on resource for kids to learn state capitals and locations while learning the 50 states.
We don’t own this puzzle yet, but as we progress further in learning the states, I plan to acquire it as a hands-on tool for practicing state locations and memorizing capitals. This puzzle will be an excellent independent review activity that my children can use anytime.
The USA Double Sided Puzzle, with its large pieces and glow-in-the-dark feature, offers a fun and engaging way for kids to learn about the 50 states.
This puzzle is another appealing option, featuring large, double-sided pieces and a fun glow-in-the-dark element!
My kids are absolutely obsessed with this app game! It’s a fun way for them to practice US geography and learn interesting state facts when they have screen time. It cleverly combines learning with entertainment.
Why we decided against using these two books:
There’s absolutely nothing inherently wrong with these books, they simply weren’t the best fit for our family’s learning style at this stage.
I’ve owned The 50 States by Gabrielle Balkan for several years. It’s undeniably a beautiful book, and I plan to keep it for when my children are older. However, for now, we found this book to be too overwhelming. The pages are packed with illustrations and a vast amount of information, making it almost challenging to locate key details like major cities and state capitals. While it contains excellent information, much of it is beyond my children’s current comprehension level or doesn’t align with their immediate interests. Each time we attempted to read it, we felt overwhelmed, and their attention would drift as I read.
Our 50 States: A Family Adventure Across America by Lynne Cheney presented a similar challenge. Each state’s page was so densely packed with information that it became difficult to follow. Often, we struggled to even identify the state map or outline amidst the visual complexity.
Both of these books are visually stunning, but for our current needs, they proved to be too overwhelming and overstimulating. We were seeking a simpler approach and found a good balance in the three books I mentioned earlier, which we will continue to use throughout the year. I particularly appreciate the more realistic maps in the Beginner’s Atlas and the focus on essential facts. Only in America provides engaging and fun information that my children enjoy, and 50 Adventures has been a delightful addition to our bedtime routine, offering a glimpse into each state’s unique experiences.
I firmly believe that simple is often best, and that’s the guiding principle for our state studies. So far, we are thoroughly enjoying our journey of learning the 50 states and are excited to continue exploring them throughout the school year. At the end of the year, I might have my children choose their favorite state and create a short in-depth report on it, but we’ll see what develops as we progress. Of course, I’ll share any further plans as they unfold. 🙂
Have a wonderful week!
– Lindsay
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