The Mega List of US Geography Books for Early Elementary Kids
I am so excited about next year's U.S. geography curriculum with Notgrass History, called "Our 50 States." I just pre-ordered it for next year, and I can't wait to get it into our hands! We were able to do some geography with the US history study (Our Star Spangled Story), but it will be great to slow down and study landforms, state flags, and do some map work. Look for printables and idea posts in the near future.
We chose Notgrass History because they are a reputable Christian curriculum company for social studies. They not only have US history and geography, but also civics, world history/geography, and economics covering all 12 grades. I love that their "textbooks" are actually narrative stories (what Charlotte Mason called "living") and include primary texts, songs, poems, hands-on projects, and Bible verses. There are novels and biographies to go along with each curriculum set, allowing you to combine social studies and literature if you want. Many of the sets also include workbooks and supplemental resources to make lesson planing and teaching even easier.
The "50 States" curriculum is designed for kids in grades 1-4, and makes a great read-aloud for the whole family. The hands-on activities, recipes, songs, and more engage younger learners, while the Lesson Review book keeps older kids on track. The geography curriculum also includes an atlas workbook with landforms to learn and a state map to color. If that's not enough, Notgrass throws in a teacher's book that has everything mapped out for you and all the answers to the reviews and tests. I love that for one price, I have a full package for all three of my kids!
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Since we're getting ready to study US geography, I've gathered up all of the best resources and books to help you prepare for the new school year. Click on the colored text to visit the product in the store.
The 50 States Sticker Book- Whether you're getting ready for a road trip or looking for some fun geography activities, this book looks like a great place to start. It includes stickers, puzzles, dot-to-dots, and more.
Race Across the USA game- This game asks players to answer eight questions about different states before they can return home. It's a road trip and a geography quiz in one game!
Large Wall Map of USA- We have this big, colorful map hanging on our kitchen wall above the table. After getting it in the mail from Amazon, I took it to an office supply store to get laminated. We've enjoyed being able to write on our map, tape things to it, and touch it, while still being able to wipe it clean easily.
Scrambled States of America game- My kids enjoy the "Scrambled States" book, but we haven't tried the game yet. I really like that this game can be played in solo mode (making it great as a "busy bin" activity while working with other children) or in a group.
Safari Ltd North American Animals Toob- We love toob animals in our home! I even have printable matching cards from almost every toob Safari makes! If you're studying U.S. geography, be sure to grab the other toobs like river animals <> backyard birds <> desert animals <> arctic animals <> to cover the wildlife in several of the states.
Magic on the Map chapter book- We just bought this short chapter book to read aloud on our summer adventures. The series is like "Magic Treehouse," except instead of traveling through history, the magical camper takes the kids through U.S. geography instead. We've been enjoying the first book so far.
The 50 States: Explore the USA book- This book is packed full of hundreds of facts about the 50 states and features all the things that make each state unique. With maps, pictures, landmarks, flags, and more, your kids won't be able to stop flipping through it.
A is for America book- I did a blog post about the "Discover America State by State" series a couple years ago, but I wanted to highlight this unique ABC book again. There are two levels of information, a simple, rhyming section for younger kids and a longer, detailed explanation for older kids and adults. I love that the books grow with your family!
The Scrambled States of America book- The states are getting restless. Not for civil war, but to change out where they're located on the map. They all switch places, experience new things, and then realize they missed their old locations. It's a silly book that looks at why the states are placed where they are and how they all fit together.
Interactive Talking Map for Kids- Encourage kids to learn more and more about US Geography by having this map out where they can come back to it again and again. With over 500 facts and a quiz mode, kids will have plenty to learn and explore.
Safari Ltd USA Landmarks Toob- These miniature figurines feature major landmarks in the USA, including the Liberty Bell, the St. Lewis Arch, and
US State Flags Stickers- Small state flag stickers like these would be great for putting on a US map or making a matching game with wood disks. Even young kids can learn to match colors and designs. You could even pair these with a flag coloring book for even more learning potential.
Stack the States App- This game has both the high stakes of a tetris or jinga and the mental challenge of a geography quiz. It asks you to pick out which state is correct from the line-up to answer questions about landmarks, location, cities, and more. If your kids are too young to play the app themselves, they can play with you and just to the state stacking part.
Geography Books for Every State
I was originally going to post a book list for each US state. Then, I started working on it and decided that I wanted to do graphics for each state. Pretty soon, I was thinking about 1 graphic per state. I then knew that there was no way on earth I could make one giant post with all the graphics and links for all 50 states. It just wasn't practical, wouldn't load well, and wouldn't be very navigable. Instead, I decided to do a whole bunch of posts and link them up to each other. Below is all the posts with their US states listed, so you can find exactly what you need quickly.
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