Where in the World? Wednesday

Welcome to Where in the World? Wednesday!

Thank you for joining us again on our trip around the

United States via postcards and the Internet.

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Welcome to our tour of the state of Maryland.

Here are the lovely postcards we received this week.

Thanks folks!

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Interesting facts about Maryland:

State Capital: Annapolis
State Abbreviation: MD
State Nicknames: Old Line State
Origin of Name: In honor of Henrietta Maria (Queen of Charles I of England)

State Motto: Manly deeds, Womanly words (I LOVE this motto, don't you?!)
Name for Residents: Marylanders
State Song: Maryland, My Maryland
Largest City: Baltimore

State Tree: White Oak
State Bird: Baltimore Oriole
State Flower: Black-Eyed Susan
State Insect: Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly

State Beverage: Milk
State Dessert: Smith Island Cake
State Boat: Skipjack
State Sport: Jousting

State Team Sport: Lacrosse
State Gemstone: Patuxent River Stone
State Dance: Square Dance
State Crustacean: Blue Crab

State Cat: Calico
State Dog: Chesapeake Bay Retriever
State Reptile: Diamondback Terrapin
State Fossil: Ecphora gardnerae gardneraee

State Fish: Sriped Bass (Rockfish)
State Marine Mammal: Great seal
Highest Point: Backbone Mt , MD 3,360 ft
Industries:  Farming, Machinery, Mining, Steel

State Folk Hero: Johnny Appleseed
Famous people from Maryland:  (list of famous people comes from 50states.com)

Spiro T. Agnew vice president, Benjamin Banneker mathematician, astronomer, John Wilkes Booth actor, Lincoln assassin, Samuel Chase jurist, John Dickinson statesman, Frederick Douglass abolitionist, Christopher Gist frontiersman, Philip Glass composer, Matthew Henson explorer, Billie Holiday jazz-blues singer, Johns Hopkins financier, Francis Scott Key laywer, author, Thurgood Marshall jurist, H. L. Mencken writer, Charles Willson Peale painter, naturalist, Babe Ruth baseball player, Upton Sinclair author, Harriet Tubman abolitionist

Thanks to Tex, for compiling this list. It was a big help!

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Here are printables and some sites to help you with your study of Maryland.

Here is some basic information on Maryland from Enchanted Learning.
Here is an outline map of Maryland from Enchanted Learning.
A Label Me Map of Maryland from Enchanted Learning.
A dot-to-dot mystery map for your younger students from Enchanted Learning.
A Maryland Map/Quiz printout from Enchanted Learning.
A Maryland state flag printable is available HERE from Enchanted Learning.
Another Maryland flag printable.


Information about the State Symbols of Maryland can be found here.

Here are some fast facts about Maryland from Kids Konnect.

Here is information about the making of the state of Maryland from Social Studies for Kids.

Maryland Kids has a great collection of printables...please check these out. From coloring books to online crossword puzzles, there is something for every age group. I could have chosen what I liked and posted it here, but I figured, you will know what's best for your family. However, one quick note: the picture in the first coloring book titled "Meeting With the Indians" would be a good Thanksgiving coloring page.

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Here are some excellent Virtual Tours of interesting sites in Maryland:

University of Maryland virtual tour If you are interested in higher education or history, this video tour of the university will be right up your alley.

Less flashy, but with fascinating information and an interactive timeline, is a journey to The United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. Click on dates on the timeline to see specific events from that year.
Historic St. Mary's City has a children's page with fun links to explore.

Fort McHenry, over which Francis Scott Key saw Old Glory flying during its bombing, and was inspired to write the Star-Spangled Banner during the War of 1812, has some interesting historical tidbits on their site. I enjoyed the download about the archaeological treasures. Once you have checked those out, head on over to the National Park Serivce site (Ft. McHenry is a National Park) and let your kids try their hand at becoming a junior ranger using their fabulous online learning game HERE. It's wonderful!

For even more nature and geography study, the visit Maryland site has interesting a colorful photo tours of each area of the state, with links to each area's most interesting sites.

To further study the geologic features of Maryland, click on specific locations as you scroll down to see photos and descriptions of each

**DO NOT MISS THIS ONE Thinkport Maryland is an awesome educational website with virtual adventures. We did the one called Bayport and it was excellent. We learned a lot about the Chesapeake Bay and tidal areas of the state, interacted with the wildlife, and explored the ecosystems.  Here are some of our picks:

•  Explore the Chesapeake Bay with an interactive adventure called Bayquest. Excellent.
• Exploring Maryland's Roots Visit an archaeological dig and watch videos about historical sites.
• Explore the Chesapeake Bay with Baytrippers

The National Aquarium in Maryland has some interesting links to information about animals. I was surprised they did not have a virtual trip available. If you find one that I missed, please e-mail me. My kids were so disappointed.

The Maryland Zoo offers online back issues of their Zoogram Magazine geared toward kids. If you scroll over the ad-like stuff, you will find good photos, informative articles, and even some crafts and puzzles. This would be fun for an animal-lover.

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Thinking about taking a trip to Maryland? Here are a few sites you might want to visit:

• National Colonial Farm has a homeschool day in May that looks like fun.
• St. Mary's City celebrates the military with free admission for military members and $1 admission for family members in the month of November.
• A listing of other historic sites around Maryland, their offerings, and their cost is HERE.

We live close to Maryland, and I am thinking a field trip there sounds like a nice idea!!

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I hope you have enjoyed our excursion to the colorful state of Maryland.
Please check back next Wednesday for a trip to North Carolina.

Blessings,

Heather

If you post about your "visit" to Maryland, or anywhere else geographic, please feel free to link up with our Mr. Linky here. The same linky will be open all school year (and posted every week here) and you can just keep adding your geography trips to it (if that's all right with you...?).

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Where in the World? Wednesday

                                                 

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Welcome to Where in the World? Wednesday!

Thank you for joining us again on our trip around the

United States via postcards and the Internet.

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Welcome to our tour of the historic state of Massachusetts.

Here are the lovely postcards we received this week.

Thanks folks!

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Here are some facts about Massachusetts
you might find interesting:

State Capital: Boston

State Abbreviation: MA

State Nicknames: The Bay State

Origin of Name: Massachusetts was named for an Algonquian Indian word that means "a big hill place."

State Motto: Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem," or "By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty."

Name for Residents: Massachusettsans or Bay Staters

State Song: All Hail to Massachusetts

Largest City: Boston

State Tree: American Elm

State Bird: Black-Capped Chickadee (HERE is a pretty coloring sheet)

State Flower: Mayflower (HERE is a coloring sheet)
State Insect: Ladybug

State Beverage: Cranberry Juice

State Dessert: Boston Cream Pie

State Muffin: corn muffin

State Cookie: Chocolate Chip Cookie

State Donut: Boston creme donut
State Bean: Navy Bean (as in Boston Baked Beans)

State Berry: Cranberry
State Sport: Basketball

State Gemstone: Rhodonite

State Building Rock: Granite

State Dance: Square dance

State Colors: blue, green, and cranberry

State Children's Book: Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McClosky

State Children's Author: Dr. Seuss

State Artist: Norman Rockwell

State Poem: "Blue Hills of Massachusetts" by Katherine E. Mullen

State Horse: Morgan horse

State Cat: Tabby cat

State Game Bird: Turkey

State Reptile: Garter Snake

State Shell: New England Neptune

State Fossil: Dinosaur (theropod) tracks

State Fish: Cod

State Marine Mammal: Right Whale

Highest Point: Mt. Greylock - 3,491 feet (1,064 m) above sea level

Main Lakes and Rivers: Charles River, Connecticut River, Merrimack River, Quabbin Reservoir

Other famous geographic features: Plymouth Rock

Industries: textiles, electronics, publishing, education, tourism, fishing

State Folk Hero: Johnny Appleseed

State Heroine: Deborah Samson

Famous people from Massachusetts: Susan B. Anthony, Leonard Bernstein, Clara Barton, John Singleton Copely, Bette Davis, E.E. Cummings, Benjamin Franklin, Emily Dickinson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Samuel Morse, Edgar Allen Poe, Leonary Nimoy, Paul Revere, Dr. Seuss, Eli Whitney, James McNeill Whistler

Presidents born in Massachusetts: George Herbert Walker Bush (picture to color), John Adams (picture to color), John Quincy Adams (picture to color), John Fitzgerald Kennedy (picture to color)

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Symbols of Massachusetts:

**Find more detailed information about the symbols of Massachusetts HERE .

Flag:

HERE is a printout of the flag to color from Enchanted Learning.

HERE is an interactive flag to paint online from apples4theteacher. You can also print it out to color it.

State Seal:

State Quarter:

HERE is an observation sheet about the quarter.

State Map:

HERE is a map/quiz ro print out and label from Enchanted Learning.

HERE is a simple outline map from Enchanted Learning.

HERE is an outline map from about.com with bordering states.

HERE is a Label Me! Map from Enchanted Learning.

HERE is a dot-to-dot Mystery Map of Massachusetts.

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Other interesting printables for Massachusetts:

• An acrostic poem sheet for Massachusetts
• Scrambled vocabulary sheet from Massachusetts.
• Simple Word Search for Massachusetts.
• Cities Word Search for Massachusetts.

**A brief history of Massachusetts can be found HERE.
**other brief history of Massachusetts from InfoPlease is HERE.
**Some FUN FACTS about Massachusetts can be found here.

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Here are links to some virtual field trips available for fun locations in Massachusetts.

Doesn't November make you think about the Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving? Visit Plymouth, MA where they think about those things all year long! This link has brief information and colorful pictures of the best-known sites around town.

 First, take a trip to Plimoth Plantation to find out about the First Thanksgiving courtesy of an excellent interactive activity. This journey back in time is a fun educational opportunity...and timely, too! It is completely guided, with plenty of colorful images and audio clips. See the reproduction of Plimoth township and meet costumed guides who will tell you about their ancestors who participated in the original celebration in 1621. This is a complete learning experience for your kids. Just turn them loose and watch them enjoy. **Don't miss this one.**


After visiting Plimoth Plantation, why don't you stop by the Pilgrim Museum to learn more about the daily lives of the settlers. There are some excellent learning activities available such as this completely guided and interactive activity about portrait painting, and this one about William Bradford. There is also tons of Pilgrim-related information on this site for you to read...everything from what utensils the settlers used to what they packed for their trip to the New World. On this next page, click on the links below the label "There is always something to do..." to learn more about whatever interests you. Discover more about Pilgrim history HERE and find out the "rest of the story" HERE (links to many source documents can be found at this link, including the Mayflower Compact, passenger lists, and the Treaty with Massasoit). For those students who really want to delve into who the Pilgrims were, try out this site for more information.

After Plymouth, step forward in time to the 1830s and visit Old Sturbridge Village. First, view this video tour of the town. Read this overview of 1790-1840 New England. Then, take an online tour HERE (this is a fairly simple "tour" using text and color photos, but if you scroll down, they often have a FAQ section that gives extensive info about the site and its activities...definitely worth checking out). Make sure you stop by the Kids Zone for some informative fun and games (be sure to try the EyeQ and Tools of the Trade activities) before you leave. Try some of these fun and (mostly) edible activies at home (from making a candle to a cake). For those interested in engineering, they have an interesting section on different forms of water power (with animations) HERE. Here is a "Life in Early America" lesson plan you might find useful for discussion this virtual field trip. Read the book Ox-Cart Man by Barbara Cooney and use the lesson plan HERE to supplement your virtual visit. For more videos like the one above, see the complete listing HERE. Also, you can view slideshows of many activities HERE. I got some great ideas for an apple (or pear) picking implement by watching the Apple Days slideshow...and to think I was precariously climbing our trees to get the ones at the top. Silly me! Upon completion of the day's activities, print up this old-fashioned certificate of merit for your students to add to their portfolio or notebook.

Learn about the Shaker Village in Hancock, MA by reading this brief history, then continue your tour by clicking on the links to the side to see pictures and information about their lifestyle, famous furniture, and religion. See what a Day at the Museum is like HERE.



And a few final brief stops at these popular locations:

Nantucket--pictures only
Cape Cod--pictures only

Lastly, travel to Boston and take a virtual GPS tour of the city, with many historic stops along the way HERE. Tour the city's major areas and events with articles and many photos HERE.


**If you find any tours I did not locate, please let me know and I will add them...even weeks later. Thanks.


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Thank you for joining us. I hope you will check back
next week for a fun and informative field trip
to marvelous Maryland!

Blessings,

Heather

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Hop on board the Where in the World? Wednesday field trip bus by
leaving links to your geography posts below.

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Where in the World? Wednesday

Due to the stomach flu visiting our family this week, there has been an interruption in our regular programming...;-)

Please check back next week for a new edition of Where in the World? Wednesday, featuring the exciting state of Massachussetts.

In the meantime, you can try out this two page "Thirteen Colonies Mapping Activity" from KB Teacher.

See you back here next Wednesday.

Thanks for understanding.

Blessings for a happy and healthy week,

Heather

Where in the World? Wednesday

Welcome to Where in the World? Wednesday!

Thank you for joining us again on our trip around the
United States via postcards and the Internet.

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Welcome to our tour of the charming state of Georgia!

Here are our postcards for the week:

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Here are some facts about Georgia you might find interesting:

State Capital: Atlanta
State Motto: Wisdom, Justice and Moderation
State Nicknames: Empire State of the South, Peach State, Yankee Land of the South
Origin of Name: named after George II of England

State Tree: Live Oak
State Bird: Brown Thrasher
State Flower: Cherokee Rose
State Song: Georgia on my Mind

State Gemstone: Quartz
State Fruit: Peach
State Insect: Honeybee
State Butterfly: Tiger Swallowtail

State Dance: Square Dance
State Crop: Peanut
State Shell: Knobbed Whelk

State Fossil: Shark Tooth

State Fish: Largemouth Bass
State Marine Mammal: Right Whale

State Possum (really!): Pogo Possum

State Reptile: Gopher Tortoise

State Wildflower: Azalea
State Game Bird: Bobwhite
Highest Point: Brasstown Bald - 4,784 feet (1,458 m) above sea level

Industries: paper, timber, agriculture
Main Tributaries: Chattahoochee River, Savannah River, Suwannee River
Other famous geographic features: Stone Mountain
Largest City: Atlanta

Famous people from Georgia: former President Jimmy Carter, Martin Luther King, Jr., Jackie Robinson, Ty Cobb, Sequoyah, Juliette Gordon Low, Ray Charles, Jasper Johns, Brenda Lee, Gladys Knight, Clarence Thomas, and Paula Deen.
Hey y'all, folks from Georgia are called Georgians.
Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the Constitution and was admitted to the Union on January 2, 1788.

Here's a STATE INFORMATION SHEET you can print up for your kids to fill out. It incorporates some of the above info and spaces for drawings of the flag, flower, bird, and seal.

Check out this great site to see actual photos of many of the above state symbols. This is a good one.

A lovely coloring page for the Brown Thrasher and the Cherokee Rose can be found HERE. Your girls (especially) will enjoy this one.

 Much of this information was found on Enchanted Learning HERE.

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Here is a map of Georgia.

A Georgia Map Printout and Quiz from Enchanted Learning is HERE.
A Label Me Georgia Map from Enchanted Learning is HERE.
An Outline Map of Georgia from Enchanted Learning is HERE.



Here is a Georgia's state flag:

Color a copy of the flag online HERE (or print it up).

Find the history of the flag of Georgia HERE.

Here is Georgia's state seal:

Further information on the state seal is HERE.

Here is Georgia's State Quarter:

Further information on the quarter is HERE.

A Georgia Quarter Observation Worksheet print out is HERE.

Here is the Georgia Stamp:

Further information on the stamp is HERE.

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GEORGIA FACTS AND LINKS TO RESOURCES

Here's a great collection of Georgia facts from the Kid's Corner at Explore Georgia.

Kids can find more fun facts about Georgia at Kids Connect.
Lots of good links to info and things to do at A-Z Kids Stuff.
Another list of facts from Apples4theTeacher.
Info and links from 50States.

Detailed information on the history of Georgia is HERE
at Thru the US 50.
Simpler information on the history of Georgia can be found HERE.
Start HERE to find out more information about Georgia's founder,
James Edward Oglethorpe.

Read an essay on the history of the Native Americans who
 inhabited Georgia through the early nineteenth-century HERE.
Information about the Trail of Tears is HERE and the
 Legend of the Cherokee Rose, the state flower.
Interested in the Cherokee people? Take language lessons HERE
(learn to count 1-5 in Lesson One).
View a Cherokee Storyteller relating the
Story of the Rattlesnake HERE.
Read some more Cherokee stories HERE.

An online word search with Georgia terms is HERE.

A printable Georgia acrostic poem worksheet is HERE.

A printable Georgia Word Jumble is HERE.

A printable Georgia Cities Word Search is HERE.
A nice alphabet coloring book (pictures for A-Z places in Athens, GA) is HERE.

A suggested Georgia reading list from Apples4theTeacher HERE.

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GEORGIA PICTURES


Here's a beautiful picture of the state tree, the Live Oak, covered with the
characteristic Spanish moss hanging from its branches.






Atlanta is a bustling metropolis and was home to the 1996 Olympic Summer Games.

 

Georgia has numerous beautiful tributaries.

Visit Georgia and take a trip to popular Stone Mountain.

Hungry? You will be after seeing these pictures of juicy Georgia peaches!

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GEORGIA VIRTUAL TOURS AND TOURISM SITES


Go HERE to check out a video of the top five things to see in Atlanta. A list of fifty things to do in Atlanta is HERE...and a list of free or inexpensive activities is HERE.

Then stop by the Georgia Aquarium HERE. Take a picturesque VIRTUAL TOUR (a bit hard to navigate, but pretty), then move on over HERE to see specific areas. Be sure to click on each area heading, and you will not only see information on the animals in the exhibits, but also have an opportunity to click on webcams for each of the tanks. Really cool! Check out videos taken at the aquarium that are posted on YouTube HERE. This last link leads you to a Teacher Page, with two links to teacher's plans for your visit. The topic is how animals meet their basic needs. On both sets of plans, the final page is a nice reproducible graphic organizer about being a "Sea Life Survivor." If you have younger ones, you might want to give this a try.

You can also visit the Atlanta Zoo. Start your tour with the interactive map. Then learn more about the animals that really interest you HERE and the plants scattered throughout the park HERE. These links are extensive and very informational. All include pictures. For a change of pace, check out the many fun crafts (such as a panda mask, etc.) and printable activities (such as a lemur crossword, etc.) HERE. Learn about the intersting history of the zoo HERE. Then before you leave, don't forget to check out the Panda Cam (M-F 10-5).

Visit Stone Mountain for many fun, family activities. See pictures of the attractions and descriptions HERE. Stone Mountain is one of the ten most visited paid attractions in the US.

Take a virtual tour of the Coca-Cola factory HERE.

A tour of Andersonville, the Civil War Prison Camp, as a tribute to all POWs, is available HERE.

Visit Westville, an 1850's Living History Museum near Lumpkin, GA. First, read the background history of Westville HERE, then go to THIS PAGE to view a large collection of videos that show various parts of the museum grounds and reenactments. It's great!

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I am beat! That was a BUSY trip, with a LOT to do. I hope you found some things that added to your homeschooling this week. We sure did.

I hope you will be back next week to join us again.

If you post on any geographic topic at all, especially any of the fifty United States,
please link up with us below. We'd love to take a trip with you.

Blessings to all,

Heather
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Where in the World? Wednesday

Where in the World? Wednesday----New Jersey Edition

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Thank you for joining us again on our trip around the United States via postcards and the internet.

This week's destination is New Jersey.

Here are our postcards for this week:

Here are some facts about New Jersey that you might find interesting:

State Capital: Trenton

State Motto: Liberty and Prosperity

State Nickname: The Garden State

Largest City: Newark

Origin of Name: Named by the Duke of York, brother of Charles II

Folks from New Jersey are called New Jerseyites

In 1787, New Jersey became the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution and the first state to sign the Bill of Rights.

State Tree: Red Oak

State Bird: Eastern Goldfinch

State Flower: Purple Violet

State Dinosaur: Hadrosaur

State Dance: Square Dance

State Fruit: Blueberry

State Insect: Honeybee

State Mammal: Horse

State Shell: Knobbed Whelk

Industries: farming, chemicals, pharmaceuticals,

tourism, petroleum-products

Famous historic events: Battle of Trenton, Battle of Monmouth, Battle of Princeton..."New Jersey was known as the "Pathway of the Revolution." Over 100 battles were fought on New Jersey soil."

Famous people from New Jersey: President Grover Cleveland, Aaron Burr, James Fenimore Cooper, Jerry lewis, Frank Sinatra, Meryl Streep, Judy Blume, Count Basise, Buzz Aldrin, Stephen Crane

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Map of New Jersey:

from maps.statemaster.com

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Find another map and more information about New Jersey at Merriam-Webster's atlas HERE.

Find a simple map for filling in major cities and landmarks HERE.

A New Jersey map and quiz printout from Enchanted Learning can be printed up HERE.

A LABEL ME version of a New Jersy map is HERE, also from Enchanted Learning.

See a picture of the New Jersey state quarter HERE and learn about how they selected its theme.
Download a worksheet to go with the lesson abou the state quarter HERE.

The flag of New Jersey:

Color the flag of New Jersey on the worksheet found HERE.

The Seal of New Jersey:

Go HERE to view the state symbols of New Jersey.
Then go HERE to color a picture of them online.

Color a copy of the New Jersey stamp HERE.

A timeline of New Jersey history is available HERE.

Read a brief history of the state of New Jersey HERE.

A cartoon history of the explorers of Jew Jersey is available HERE.

Fun Facts about New Jersey...click HERE to go to a page with an archive of interesting articles about topics from Thomas Edison to Cranberries.

New Jersey is known for the many types of apples it produces. See a listing of the types grown in New Jersey HERE.

Buy a dozen apples of a type from New Jersey next time you go to the store, and try one of these recipes from New Jersey.

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Here are some interesting places you can visit in New Jersey:

Visit New Jersey in the spring HERE

in the summer HERE

in the fall HERE

in the winter HERE.

Videos available on all pages.

Check out the information on Atlantic City HERE and watch many videos about various attractions in the area. We watched the first video which showed the boardwalks, and also how salt water taffy is made at Shriver's Candy.

 

See photos and read information about eleven of New Jersey's historic lighthouses HERE, especially the one in the Cape May community (the 2nd video, the one with the picture of the lighthouse, is a tour of the Cape May Lighthouse).

Washington Crossing Park, just eight miles noth of Trenton, is where the Continental Army landed after their historic river crossing. See a virtual tour and photo album HERE.

The Hermitage, a mid-18th century house visited by General Washington and his staff, has a video tour HERE.

Visit The Wildwoods, tagged as one of the 50 Best Authentic American Experiences by Time Magazine. Enjoy the music and check out the Photo Gallery HERE. Notice the Doo Wop stylin' of many buildings and businesses in the area HERE.

Allaire Village, a well-preserved 19th century historic iron-making town contains the following buildings: a general store, blacksmith shop, carpenter's shop, owner's house, foreman's house, church, and museum. Visit the link HERE to view some videos about what they have to offer. Allaire is supported by donations and volunteers, so if you live nearby, you can train to become a costumed interpreter. What fun!!

Read about Cranberry Bogs and the Cranberry Harvest HERE at Double Trouble State Park. Then make your own Cranberry scoop, and complete a word search.

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Well, folks, that's all I have time for this week.

I hope you enjoyed our virtual tour of New Jersey. It looks like a great place to go on a family vacation.

If you found any more fun facts or interesting places in New Jersey you'd like to share, please feel free to leave a comment. If you posted about New Jersey on your blog, please also leave a comment or connect to us with the Mr. Linky below.

Thanks for joining us on our tour of the fifty states!

 

Blessings,

Heather

Where in the World? Wednesday

Welcome to our new meme, Where in the World? Wednesday! We are participating in several postcard exchanges this year and thought it might be nice to regularly share the cards we receive, as well as to have a place to keep all of the information we discover about each place we "visit."

If you would like to "travel" with us, feel free to check here every Wednesday for our latest virtual field trip. If you would like to link up and share your virtual travels, please be patient as I figure out how to make a button and do a linky so you can join us.

In the meantime, feel free to leave a comment with a link, so we can check out your fun learning adventures, too!!

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This week's destination: The wonderful state of Pennsylvania!

 
Here is the postcard we received this week:

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Here is what we found out about Pennsylvania (mostly from Enchanted Learning):

Pennsylvania was the second state in the United States of America. It ratified the Constitution on December 12, 1787.

Capital: Harrisburg
Abbreviation: PA
Origin of name: This state was named to honor Admiral William Penn and his son, William Penn, Pennsylvania's founder.
Nickname: Keystone State


Land Area: 46,058 square miles
Motto: Virtue, Liberty, and Independence
Song: Pennsylvania by E. Khoury
Residents: Pennsylvanians

Animal: White-tailed deer
Bird: Ruffled Grouse
Dog: Great Dane
Tree: Eastern Hemlock

Flower: Mountain Laurel
Insect: ladybug and firefly
Fossil: Trilobite
Fish: Brook Trout

Industries: Steel, farming, mining, electronics, cars
Famous Pennsylvanians: James Buchanan (15th President), Lousia May Alcott, Daniel Boone, Gene Kelly, Andrew Wyeth, Betsy Ross, Robert Fulton, Mary Cassatt, Jimmy Stewart
Famous facts about Pennsylvania: Atreipus dinosaur fossils were found there, Amish population
Interesting features of Pennsylvania: borders Lake Erie, highest point is Mt. Davis, largest city is Philadelphia which is where the Liberty Bell is located, Appalacian Mountains.

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There is a LOT to do in Pennsylvania. After putting together this post, the kids and I want to go to PA for our next family trip!

Start your virtual visit to PA with this fun video starring Abe Lincoln, a Hershey Kiss, and an Amish farmer. Really, it's cute and will introduce you to the variety that is Pennsylvania.

Visit The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia and learn about: the automaton that inspired Brian Selznik's book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret HERE (scroll down to watch a demo), Ben Franklin's Glass Armonica HERE and and scroll down HERE to give playing one a try, and visit HERE to learn more about Edison's lightbulb (scroll down to find an experiment to make your own lightbulb).

Would a trip to PA be complete without stopping at historic Gettysburg?

Make a virtual visit to Cherry Crest, a fun farm adventure in Ronks, PA HERE. It would be perfect to visit this time of year. I'd love to make some of these fun activities a reality on our own farm.

What would a visit to PA be without stopping by HERSHEY for a virtual tour of the factory on the official site, and this excellent video tour found on youtube from CoolStuffBeingMade? Then stop by and have some fun at Hershey Park. Did you know that in 1900, Hershey Bars were introduced and sold for five cents each? Wow!

Let's not leave out a visit to the Amish in Lancaster Co. Enjoy learning about the differences between their culture and your own, and about the similarities, too.

Find Fun Facts and Activities about  Pennsylvania at Enchanted Learning: Pennsylvania map and quiz , Liberty Bell printout, PA Dot-to-Dot Outline Coloring Page

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Here's the State Flag of Pennsylvania:

Here's a map of Pennsylvania:

Here are some pictures of Pennsylvania:

Pittsburgh, PA



Here are some handouts you can print up for a state notebook: Pennsylvania Label-Me Printout from Enchanted Learning. PA Outline Map Printout.

Here's a printable map of the fifty states with lines for writing the names of the states on, if you want to start filling in each state as you recieve the card. HERE is one from Enchanted Learning with no lines, but it has questions to answer about your home state. There are also some other great prinables for individual state reports (a one-page notebooking page for older students and a mini-book for younger ones), but you have to be a member (it's a low cost of $20 a year...I think it's worth it).

HERE'S a good online fill-in game for the entire US. You have to know where the states are placed on a blank map (no outlines), but it gives you a clue after the first try and even tells you by how many miles you are in error. It was good practice. I think that one of my goals for the year is for my kids to be able to draw a reasonably accurate map of the US on a blank sheet of paper and label all the states, capitals, and major landmarks/geographic features. What are your geography goals?

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Here are some pictures of our notebook pages about Pennsylvania:

Tex also read Chapter 13: Trusting God's Character about William Penn in the book Character for Life by Don Hawkinson. We got the hardcover book on sale at a homeschooling convention, and it is a wonderful book, full of excellent character building stories.

We also just received For You They Signed, by Marilyn Boyer, to review, and he will be reading the stories of Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush today and tomorrow. They were both signers of the Declaration of Independence for the state of Pennsylvania. I will let you know how we like the book.

The movie, The Amish, a People of Preservation, just went on instant play at Netflix, and I am thinking we will watch that over the weekend. I love Netflix!

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I hope you enjoyed our trip to the Keystone State. We sure did.

See you next week when we visit New Jersey!


Blessings,

Heather

Where in the World? Wednesday