Blog

Learn About the 50 States

When learning about the 50 United States,  a few excellent resources can serve you well.  Too many choices will leave you feeling overwhelmed and lacking a sense of accomplishment.

These are our tried and true resources for learning about the states.

Drill and repetition has always been the foundation for our learning. This, coupled with books, games and activities, will  cement this knowledge for years to come!

Learn About the 50 States

*This post contains affiliate links.

Memory Work (Apps, Flashcards) for Learning the 50 States

Through our homeschool program we learned  a few states and capitals each week. This constant drill and review cements knowledge of the states. We supplemented with these drill/repetition resources:

GeoMaster: a free app that drills state locations and capitals - much fun!

States & Capitals Flash Cards

Seterra Geography - a great site online for geography!

geomaster.png

Games For Learning The States

The Scrambled States of America This game is such fun!  We've had the book and DVD for years, and the game is such a fun addition to our collection. Learning about the 50 states has never been so easy! 

The 50 States Card Game

Categories

My kids made up their own states and capitals review game at the pool. I'm always the "caller" -- I call a state name as they run off the diving board and they have to say the capital before they hit the water.  Fun! 

Notebooking the 50 States

The last time we learned the states, my children created notebooks.

We used our membership to Notebooking Pages and were able to download notebooking pages for each of the 50 states. This is a great project for your kids to sink their teeth into, and they will have a beautiful finished product when they are done!  

Map Tracing

Map tracing is an integral part of our geography studies. 

tracetheus.jpg

Find maps you like, get some tracing paper and Sharpies, and trace each state as you go. Trace the entire United States, too. You will be amazed at how quickly your child will learn to draw each state and draw the entire United States. 

(Classical Conversations readers: I have used the maps from user heathergwyn on CC Connected.)

We have also found the 50 States Notebooking Pages to be very helpful with maps for tracing!

Fifty Nifty United States - A Song For Learning the States

This is the song I used in my elementary music classes when I was a teacher. It's catchy and your kids will be able to memorize all of the 50 states in alphabetical order in no time! 

 Whatever resources you choose, can I offer one piece of advice?

STAY CONSISTENT!  

I've found that children love it when you repeat things in the same way. Our 50 State study looks like this each week: 

  • introduce the new states (generally 4 or 5 per week) and their capitls -- DRILL THESE daily

  • listen to 50 Nifty United States and sing along

  • trace the entire United States daily and color in the states we are learning about

  • notebook about each of the states during that week

  • make books about the states available (strew around your house on coffee tables, bedside tables, etc...)

  • play games about the states as a family

Devise a plan that works for your children and stick to it. 

Most of all, HAVE FUN!  

Learn the 50 States

Are you studying the 50 United States this year?   Tell me about it! 

 

You Might Also Like:

Map Tracing Tips & Tricks

Benjamin Franklin Unit Study

Teaching Your Kids to Code

We've added something new in our homeschool this year: CODING

Learning to code is the rage right now - and rightly so.  There are so many things in our world right now that RELY on code. Anything that is run with the use of technology requires CODE, and therefore the world needs workers who know how to code.

Coding teaches our children the skills of troubleshooting and translating. It helps foster patience and logical thinking. 

Teach Your Kids To Code

But, what exactly IS coding?  

“Computer programming, or coding, is a crucial skill every child should be learning. We use computer to solve problems, play games, help us work more effectively, perform repetitive tasks, store and recall information, create something new, and connect with our friends and the world. Understanding how to code puts all this power at our fingertips. ”
— Bryson Payne

The Resource We Are Using For Coding

We are a picky family when it comes to coding resources.

My husband is a software consultant. You could say he deals with code all day every day. It is our bread and butter. 

We KNOW the value of learning to code.

Teach Your Kids to Code, A Parent Friendly Guide to Python Programming, has been our guide to teach Grant about coding. 

This book is broken into 10 chapters. A parent and child can sit down together and easily learn about Python, the most user-friendly language for learning coding. 

Notice the overlap between coding and math - coding and logic, etc...   

When you teach your child to code - they are getting so much MORE than just a computer language!

Teaching Your Kids to Code
  • Python Basics: Get to Know Your Environment
  • Turtle Graphics: Drawing With Python
  • Numbers and Variables: Python Does the Math
  • Loops are Fun (You Can Say That Again)
  • Conditions (What If?)
  • Random Fun and Games: Go Ahead, Take a Chance!
  • Functions: There's a Name for That
  • Timers and Animation: What Would Disney Do>
  • User Interaction: Get into the Game
  • Game Programming: Coding for Fun

 

Some of you might be wondering if a person with NO coding experience can teach their child from this book.

The answer is a resounding YES!  

The book is designed for parents and children to learn TOGETHER. Learning to code is supposed to be low stress and fun. It encourages our children to experiment and take risks and then sit back and enjoy the results. 

When I asked Grant his favorite part about the book he said it was definitely creating his own program to create spirals!  Coming in a close second was a program he wrote to calculate the cost of pizzas.  

UDEMY Course - Teach Your Kids to Code

Bryson Payne has also created a 7 hour UDEMY course (which has received a 5 star rating, by the way), to accompany the book, Teach Your Kids to Code. 

In this course, you and your children are walked through every chapter of the book. It takes all of the information in the book to the next level and is a wonderful supplement to the book. 

If you'd like your child to learn about coding in a non-threatening, fun, and engaging way I would HIGHLY recommend Teach Your Kids to Code by Dr. Bryson Payne. This resource gets two HUGE thumbs up from our family! 

To learn even more, visit the Teach Your Kids to Code website. 

 

The Giveaway

I'm pleased to be offering one Teach Your Kids to Code book and UDEMY course to a lucky reader.  Simply follow the Rafflecopter widget instructions below to enter. 

Good luck! 

Teach Your Kids to Code Giveaway