My DD5 has started asking me questions about space and continents and states etc. So I think I would like to start with the US states first. What did you use when starting to identify the states? I find a lot of online games to play, once they know the names, but I was just wondering how did you begin? Puzzles, worksheets, reading, etc? etc? What worked best for you? TIA Candace
I use FIAR and almost every book is set in a different location. So after we read the book, we locate where it's set on the map. And then we review it every day that we read the book. Now, we are doing the world and the US. I've also taught them some of the states by showing them where different family members live and they associate the state with who lives there and it helps them remember. Hope this helps!
I've heard a lot of great things about the Leap Frog globe. You can set it to the child's level and they play games while learning to identify places. I'm not sure if it goes into all the states or just countries and major cities, but I'm sure you can find out online somewhere. I looked it up just to see and dang it's costly! $100!!!!! But, as my mom just said, that's what you'd pay for a regular decent globe anyhow. *sigh*
You know what that globe was one of our best investments ! They loved it. I can whole heartedly recommend it for about ages 6 and up.
I purchased a large packet of colorful, blank, sheets of the US. We started at one end and have covered the whole US. We learned a few states at a time. This way it was easier to remember. After she remembered where they were, we added the capitals. I would also write some states and capitals on the whiteboard. Ems would draw a line to connect the state to its capital. Patty
We use FIAR also, and it just instills a love for learning geography (and remembering geography!). We have the Leap Globe (Khol's for $60 this past Christmas season), and my ds (6) loves it, but I don't know he'd be as interested as he is if it weren't for the all the characters he "knows" from children's literature (like Ping in China, Madeline in France, Papa Piccolo in Italy, Sal in Maine, Lentil in Ohio, Curious George in Africa, etc.!) from our unit studies. Also, I plan on buying this map puzzle along with my amazon back-to-school order.
Just got the LF Globe for our kids for Christmas. My sister got it Buy 2, get 1 free at Toys R Us. So she bought 3, I got one, she got one, and we sold the other to a friend....so it ended up being about $70 or something. Split between 3 kids and years of future homeschooling....it was well worth it for us. I love it.....note, I said "I"......OK, the kids like it too but I could play with it for hours. If you don't have a globe at all, definitely research it and try it out at TRU. Rhonda C.
We have an electronic talking globe, too...don't think it's Leapfrog though...u all are reminding me to pull it out!!! Look under the websites section, someone just posted a link on Geography stuff...there's A LOT there! Very cool.
My dd loves geography. BOth my kids especially love learning about the 50 states. My dd can recognize all the states by thier shape..even the square ones on her flash cards. lol. Anyway, the online games have proved to be usefull for my kids. There is one listed now as metioned above. Iknowthat.com has some games also. My kids also have flash cards and an atlas. We do not have a globe...bad mommy! I can't go another school year without one so I will have one for next year. Also, Sequence has a states and capitals game and there is a game called State to State. I also have printed out blank maps online and had my kids color them. And I have a few workbooks on maps. So while studing maps they were studying the states. Oh and I have a huge puzzle of the United States. My kids loved that.
My boys' have a USA puzzle from Melissa and Doug, but since they can't read yet they haven't learned the state names from it. Eli is very funny about puzzles. He won't let me near him when he's working one, so I can't go over it with him. At least he's learning the basic shapes and where they go. Each morning after we say the pledge we look at our big USA map (that hangs on the wall above our kitchen table. We're such a HS family...lol). I ask Eli to find Missouri then our city. Then I ask him to find Pennsylvania, which is where all the rest of my family is. He can also tell me where my brother is in Australia when we pull out the globe (a beach ball looking blow up globe, but it was only $6 at Mardel and completely accurate). I guess what I'm trying to say is that using something like FIAR or just letting the child get to know certain characters has merit. Eli has easily learned places where he knows people who live there, so I'm sure the same would be true for characters.
www.enchantedlearning might have good things. Do you have family in other states? Try starting like that. Is their state north, south, east or west of us? I also know you can email the governor's office of whatever state and you'll get a packet of info on the state.
We haven't done a lot of geography yet but we have used sheppardsoftware dot com. The kids enjoyed it - even my 6 y/o. We also have a floor puzzle of the USA that they have put together.
Joy LOVES playing this game, and now she is at least familiar with the names of the states, although she can't recite them all. She can put them in their places really really fast. http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/web_games.htm Whoops.. that's the game that I love playing. This is the one Joy likes: http://www.mapmsg.com/games/statetris/usa/
I will put my vote in for the site Marylyn mentioned. Someone seems to "find" it and mention it about twice a year; it happened again just a few weeks ago. Phillip has learned his states there. He has also learned South and Central America. He's currently learning his capitals. Rachael has used it to teach herself most of the countries, one continent at a time. It's a great site!!!
We have an Oregon Scientific globe that costs about $60 or so, you can sign up for $15.00(?) on their website and it'll update your globe (each year you pay).
You all came through for me again. What great ideas! Thanks!! We have just about every LF item it seems like, and I am surprised I did not know they had a globe too! And LOVE LOVE that Map Puzzle thingy. Sweet links, too...I love that Tetris one, my DS3 was so entrigued by it as I was trying it out. "no mom, I think it goes there.." He loves puzzles and even does them backwards. Very hands on little guy! Anyway, thanks again, and I am sure I will have tons more questions soon. I am currently trying to put some lesson plans together thanks to the wonderful links on this site and books recommended by the awesome people here! I can't thank you enough. :love:
We started off with the world instead of the states, but same idea... We got out a world map and said, "This is where we live - in AFrica. Grandma lives here - in America." And then when we got on an airplane to fly to the us, we showed them the map and said, "Look - we are flying from AFrica to America. The plane is going very fast up in the sky, but it's a l-o-n-g way!!" They started to understand after a few times of that. Understanding the political divisions is a lot harder though....
Well I am simple, I got a placemat from Walmart with the US on it. I take it out and we learn the states from it. I play games with it mostly. One day I might teach them the state and something about it. Like Maine- this is where we get Lobsters. Hawaii- This is where we get pineapples. Minnesota- this is where grandpa lives. Florida- THis is where crocs live etc. Someday I ask them to show me the state where______________ They have to point and say the name. Then other days I put a choc chip or raisin on each state they know. If they get it right they get to eat the raisin or whatever. It has worked well for us.
