United States of America

• Pledge of Allegiance … Start off your U is for USA day by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance!
  1. Put your right hand over your heart.
  2. Look at an American flag.
  3. Recite the Pledge of Allegiance, found here.

• Make a personalized picture-filled map … put up a map of the US somewhere in your house and make it come to life! This one from National Geographic is nice because it’s already laminated.
  1. Keep the information simple, but introduce the country that we live in called “The United States of America”
  2. Point out the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
  3. Point out Canada to the north and Mexico to the south.
  4. Find the state you live in.
  5. Personalize your map with pictures! Print out small pictures and stick them to the map (with sticky tack) in the right location. Some picture ideas you could use:
     1. your family or home attached over your city
     2. grandma & grandpa’s house over their city
     3. relatives and friends who live in other cities or states
     4. a small picture of Mickey Mouse for Disneyland if you’ve visited there (or want to!)
     5. Mt. Rushmore, the Washington Monument or other memorable family vacation spots
     6. a picture of Punxatawney Phil over PA
     7. your college logo over the city where you attended college
     8. places you hope to visit
     9. a tent over your favorite camping spot
     10. if you’re LDS like I am, a picture of the temple you were married in, church history sites or Temple Square.
     11. …the list goes on and on. Make your US map personal for your kids!

• USA Postcard Swap … My kids and I are lucky to be apart of a USA postcard swap this spring. It has been so much fun receiving postcards from each state in the US. We’ve been receiving them almost daily lately. We read the back, look at the pictures on the front and then find the state on our big USA map and pin it up.
  1. You can do something similar! Ask friends and family living in different states to send you a postcard. Or if you (or they) visit another state, send yourself a postcard!
  2. As you start collecting postcards, sort them alphabetically, punch 2 holes in the side and use clasping rings to make a “United States of America” book.
  3. I would love to organize a USA postcard swap, but I think I’m going to hold off until next year. Maybe in January, so that we can start receiving postcards when U week rolls around. Keep it in mind and we’ll do it!

      

• Kids USA Atlas … My kids love browsing through these looking at the pictures and maps.

• USA Dot-to-Dot Page … from Making Learning Fun here.

• United States License Plates Matching Game … so this game from The Dating Divas is intended to use on a road trip. You mark off any license plates you see. My 7-year-old would love this. My 4-year-old probably wouldn’t love it as much.
  1. Instead, print off two copies.
  2. Cut one copy apart.
  3. Play a matching or Bingo game. Draw one license plate card, name the state and mark off the match!

• USA Symbols Book … a very simplified coloring book of the symbols of America from ABCTeach. A much more detailed coloring book can be found here.
  1. Click the link above to print.
  2. Cut apart each page.
  3. Stack and staple.

 

• Statue of Liberty Crown … make your own with paper plates! Fun idea from Kathy Ross.