Our geography focus for the coming year includes U.S. states & capitals, territories, trails, great lakes, rivers, and other prominent features.
Memorization is our first goal using the show-me / tell-me method, along with tracing or drawing the outline of the United States (and individual state outlines if you or your child feels so inclined). Of everything that follows, our family primarily uses: How to Draw the USA freehand videos and Seterra.com (free download or online version).
We also occasionally use the U.S. States Coloring pages and a geography file folder game we’ve created for mastery of the states and capitals. Aside from practicing our show me/tell me drills and map drawing & tracing, that’s all we do for geography!
But in addition to this, you may want to pick and choose a few items we have listed here. Please remember that this is a reference list of resources, not a lesson plan. It’s just a place to find stuff.
Coloring Sheets, Copywork, and Lapbooking
- Our boys (age 2, 5, 8) are each creating a “My United States Notebook” using the state coloring pages and state fact pages from crayola.com. Or use the free USA Notebooking Pages from Productive Homeschooling.
- Create a United States Lapbook using Homeschoolshare’s lapbook components for each state or use this state notebooking page from Homeschool Creations.
- To get an idea of the scope of our land’s resources, landmarks, and beauty, I’m hoping that we have the chance to complete Homeschoolshare’s Unit Study on How to Make a Cherry Pie and See the USA at some point during our school year. Homeschoolshare has many lapbook pieces and other printables for the United States.
- Let your children make their own flashcards to study the capitals (and other facts) by printing Crayola’s state fact flash cards.
Maps
- I like using National Geographic’s Outline Maps for maps. You can print out any country with (to study) or without (to test) borders, and you can print out each individual state with or without details.
- Your Child Learns has interactive maps for study, quizzes for on-line practice of state capitals, map puzzles for memorization of state location and capitals, and instructions for printing megamaps from their site. It even has a cut and paste exercise for major geographical features in the United States.
Games & Other Fun Activities
- U.S. States & Capitals Geography file folder game
- The Passport to America File Folder Game helps with location and recognition of U.S. Landmarks.
- The Oregon Trail File Folder Game provides a little history lesson to go with our memory work when we get to Week 19:
- There are many additional geography games included below, like I Have… Who Has.
- Practice your geography skills using these on-line games: Sheppard Software, Your Child Learns, and AAAWhere.com (Sheppard Software has many other games, including math practice, science, and preschool activities, just to name a few.)
- Learn U.S History and Geography on this interactive U.S. History Map.
- Our boys LOVE the Animaniacs version of the States & Capitals, to the tune of Turkey in the Straw.
- We LOVE building Paper Toys from papertoys.com. Many paper toys are available, including The Statue of Liberty, The Empire State Building. The Brooklyn Bridge, The U.S. Capitol Building, The White House, The Mississippi Queen Riverboat, and Mount Rushmore. Be sure to download all of the pieces!
- Include the U.S. States in your Timeline Notebook “Book of Decades” (or “Book of Centuries”) timeline notebook.
As we learn to draw the United States from memory, we are using this set of video tutorials.
During our study of American history we use Draw the USA to memorize the states. It’s a great way to simplify memorizing how to draw the USA free-hand. In fact, if you’re memorizing how to draw the world freehand, we highly recommend the entire Draw the… [Continent] books by Kristin Draeger.
Draw the USA
Learn to draw and label the United States of America from memory! Draw the USA provides students with a simple method of committing the map of the USA to memory. Through simple, step-by-step instructions, students learn to draw each state as it connects to neighboring states. This resource is used in Units 5 & 6 of our Mission: Lasting Liberty curriculum.
Suggested grades: Elementary through High School
Price: $19.95
Format: Paperback.
Draw the World
Learn to draw the world from memory! Draw the World provides students with a simple method of committing a continent outline map of the world to memory. Through simple, step-by-step instructions, students learn to draw each continent as it connects to neighboring continents. This resource is also used in the Mission Pacific Peacemakers Six-Week Unit Study.
Suggested grades: Elementary through High School
Price: $19.95
Format: Paperback.
States and Capitals Songs CD + Map Kit
Learn the names and locations of the 50 states and capitals with these catchy songs! Divided by geographical regions, these echo-style songs make it simple to memorize the states and capitals. The USA is divided into five geographical regions: Northern Border States, Southern Border States, Eastern Border States, Middle States, and Pacific States. This resource is used in Units 1 & 2 of our Mission: Lasting Liberty curriculum.
Suggested grades: Elementary School
Price: $12.95
Format: Kit consists of an audio CD and a 25″x36″ blackline map of the USA with 172 items to label. The lyrics are included on the map. Students sing the state/capital names in geographical order.
You may also want to check out one of our favorite geography practice tools, Pin-It Maps!
List of U.S. Geography Resources
[table]
Topic,Resource
States & Capitals – Printable Games,States & Capitals file folder game
,Battle of the States Game
,Racin’ Across the United States Game
,Scrambled States Memory Game
,State Capitals Bingo Game
,Right-brained learner picture/story flashcards
,States Game: I have… Who has… PDF
,State Capitals Memory Game
,Passport to America File Folder Game
,States & Capitals Grid Puzzle
,Other Free States & Capitals Games | Activities | Worksheets
,
States & Capitals – Printable Worksheets and Coloring Pages,States & Capitals Crossword
,States & Capitals Grid Puzzle
,Transformations on a Map
,50 States & Capitals Matching Worksheet #1
,50 States & Capitals Matching Worksheet #2
,Memorize States & Capitals Worksheets
,USA Latitude & Longitude Worksheet
,Maps (Basic Map Skills)
,Crayola’s state fact flash cards
,Crayola’s state coloring pages (search for each state)
,50 States: Penelope Peabody is Lost
,Keith’s Think Zone Map Fun
,
States & Capitals – Printable Maps & Activities,The 50 States Food Puns (funny!)
,Individual State Maps – Outline | Physical | Human Geography | Comprehensive and Label-me (GREAT RESOURCE!)
,Hands-On U.S. Geography & History Pin It Maps
,United States Test Map
,U.S. State Capital Cities Test Map
,USA Numbered Map
,US State Regions Packet
,Resources for a 50-States Unit Study
,50 States Geography Cards
,National Geographic’s Outline Maps
,Megamaps
,How to Make a Salt-Dough Map
,
States & Capitals – Online Interactives/Games/Videos,Draw the USA by hand – Tutorial
,Roadschooling the USA – 50 States Before They Graduate
,Animated Atlas – Growth of Our Nation
,U.S. Mint Online Games Center
,U.S. State Flag On-Line Game
,U.S. Capitals On-Line Game
,Drag-and-Drop States On-line Game
,On-line practice of state capitals
,Map puzzles for memorization of state location (challenging)
,Interactive maps for study
,Your Child Learns Map Puzzles | Quizzes | Interactive Maps
,Seterra.com
,Sheppard Software
,US Games by Region from AAAWhere.com
,Interactive U.S. History Map
,U.S. State History Info and Videos from history.com
,Wakko’s 50 States & Capitals Song/Video
,
States & Capitals – Notebooking and Lapbooking Pages and State Info,Free Fifty States Notebooking Pages Ebook
,Free USA Notebooking Pages from Productive Homeschooling
,States Notebooking Pages (Cut-and-paste style)
,U.S. State Symbols | flags | history | geographical features | fun facts
,United States Lapbook Resources
,State notebooking page
,How to Make a Cherry Pie and See the USA
,Fifty States Quarters Program Lesson Plans (U.S. Mint)
,Free U.S. State Printables
,
Massachusetts,Roadschooling Massachusetts
,
New York,Brooklyn Bridge Paper Model
,Empire State Building Paper Model
,Chrysler Building Paper Model
,Statue of Liberty Paper Model (Simpler)
,Statue of Liberty Paper Model (Complex)
,
South Dakota,Mount Rushmore Paper Model
,Rough Riding the Dakotas
,
Montana,Lewis & Clark and the Falls of the Missouri
,
Geographical Features,Chester Comix North American Geography
,Landforms On-Line Game
,America the Beautiful Quarters Program Lesson Plans (U.S. Mint)
,Major U.S. geographical features cut-and-paste
,USA Major Landforms Map
,
Appalachians,Homeschoolshare’s Appalachian Mountain Connections
,The Appalachian Trail NPS
,
Rockies,Pikes Peak Cog railway
,U.S. Mountain Ranges Map
,
Other Western Mountains,Denali National Park & Preserve in Alaska
,Pacific Northwest Travel Guide Cascade Mountains in WA
,The Seasons of Mount Rainier
,Mt St Helens: Back From the Dead
,U.S. Mountain Ranges Map
,
Great Lakes,Can you name the Great Lakes? online quiz
,Learn about U.S. Lakes – Online Interactive
,USA Lakes Online Game
,
Bays & Sounds,What’s the difference between a bay and a sound?
,
Major Rivers,USA Major Rivers Map
,Learn U.S. Rivers Online Interactive
,U.S. Rivers Online Game
,Little Toot on the Mississippi Unit Study
,Mississippi Queen Riverboat Model
,NeoK12 Geography of Rivers for Kids
,
Trails West,Manifest Destiny for Kids: Online Interactive of Trails
,Animated Map: Westward Trails Oregon and Santa Fe
,Westward Expansion: Trails West
,Trails West in the Mid-1800s Map
,Trails West Map
,Oregon Trail File Folder Game (printable)
,All About the Oregon Trail
,Pioneers and History of Westward Expansion/Trails
,
Canals,Erie Canal Map
,The Erie Canal
,Erie Canal Unit Study & Notebooking Sheets
,Roads and Canals and Rails in the 1800s
,The Canal Era
,
Native Territories,Native American Study
,Sign of the Beaver Unit Study & Book Club Ideas
,
Deserts,What is a Desert? NPS Activity
,Deserts for Kids on National Geographic
,Mojave National Preserve
,NeoK12 Deserts for Kids
,
Prominent Features,NPS Grand Canyon for Kids
,Grand Canyon Videos National Geographic
,Olympic National Park
,Death Valley
,Mammoth Cave
,Mississippi Delta
,Gulf of Mexico
,The Gulf of Mexico: Layers of Life (Science Connection)
,San Andreas Fault
,
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If you have a favorite U.S. Geography resource to share with others, please leave a comment or email me directly at halfahundredacrewood@ gmail.com