Hooray America!

My kids love learning about America, and I thought I'd share some of our favorite things that have taught us about our country.

Liberty's Kids

I bought this set of 6 DVDs when they were on sale some time last year, and the kids have loved them.  They have learned so much about the revolutionary war from watching them.  Last year they were so inspired by them that they created a club called the "Rescue Kids Club" who's purpose was to plan and perform historical plays.  (Yes, the name doesn't fit, but I wasn't in charge).  They planned a whole "patriotical" play (I always laughed when my daughter said that) with written scripts that included my son and his friend facing off as General Howe and General Washington, plus speeches by Abigail Adams and Betsy Ross. There was also to be an intermission with refreshments and a parade.  Alas, we were out with pneumonia for 6 weeks last summer and the kids never had the chance to perform it for us, and now those dear friends have moved out of the state. Boo.  But, the point of all this rambling is that the DVDs are great.

Stack the States

This is a great app for the iphone or ipad.  My kids love it.  They have learned a lot about the states, including capitals, bordering states, landmarks, and the shape of the states. My 6 year old was skipping rocks with his grandpa the other day, and held up one rock and said "Hey grandpa!  This rock looks like New Hampshire!" and it did.  He also likes to find states in pieces of his cut up pancakes.

"From Sea to Shining Sea" compiled by Amy L. Cohn

This is a great book!  It's a "treasury of American Folklore and Folk Songs" illustrated by great artists.  I highly recommend checking it out of the library or seeing if you can get a copy on amazon.

Wooden States Puzzle by Melissa and Doug

My kids just enjoy putting this together.  They also like to reference it when they're playing "stack the states".

Scrambled States of America card game

The game is simple to play and my 6 year old loves it.  It helps them get familiar with state capitals and nicknames and bordering states.