Year 3 Fun/Educational Resources!

I've pulled together a variety of ideas for how you can explore this year's United States Geography for this year!  It's definitely one of my favorite and more fun topics!

The ideas below, include hands on ways to learn such as; cookbooks, picture books, flashcards, puzzles, board games, electronic games, US coin collecting, brain teasers, scavenger hunts, mazes, drawing, coloring and some whacky, little known trivia!  Many of these items we already have and utilize at home and some are on my own wish list for this coming year!  Oh - and if you have a fun US resource your family enjoys that you want to share, put it in the comments section for everyone to see.  

BOOKS

These books are geared towards foundation age kids - there are enough pictures and easy to understand information that will keep younger kids attention, while packed with lots of educational information for the older crew to be engaged as well!  I've included one that everyone can have fun doing together- cooking!  
   

The United States Cookbook:
Fabulous Foods and
Fascinating Facts From All 50 States 

Smart About the 
Fifty States (Smart About History)

The Scrambled States of America

Our 50 States

My son has an ABC paradigm book for about anything you can think of!  He loves them and it was a main way I could engage him and get him to learn information.  There is an entire selection of books that are by various authors with a common alphabet paradigm for each book's topic.  ABC Geography books is a starter list where you can get an ABC book about each state or you can find these two general America/United States books to read that we love here at our house...

A is for America

The United States ABCs: A Book About the People and
Places of the United States (Country ABCs)

FLASH CARDS

Edupress State Capitals In A Flash Card Set

Carson-Dellosa Publishing U.S States and Capitals

Not technically a flash card -but more of a trivia card game -but great fun!  We love Professor Noggins games!  You can't go wrong with them.  They're easy to play for all ages!

Educational Trivia Card Game - Professor Noggin's Geography of the United States

PUZZLES

United States Of America Floor

The United States of America Puzzle is nice because it not only offers a jumbo 2'x3' puzzle for little hands to put together, it also has a music CD that helps teach the states and capitals and it has a printable activity book in PDF.  There are multiple ways to use this puzzle set to learn about the US this year.

Ryan's Room (U.S.A. Map Puzzle)

If you are looking for a tool for class or home then this game to teach the Capitals/States is a fun way.  The Ryan's Room USA Map features all the states on separate pieces.  You can use it for a fun geography review game by having the kids guess a capital for a state and then have them remove the puzzle piece for the answer to see if they earn a point or not! 




BOARD GAMES

You can't really go wrong with a Bingo game - can you?  
This could be a good game for geography review!  

GeoBingo USA - Educational Geography Board Game

This is a good game for those 4-7yrs.  In this game they will find the shape, find the picture and find the name for all 50 states.

Great States Junior

This game provides a fun way to enrich 
basic knowledge of U.S. geography. Players 
learn the names, capitals, nicknames, shapes 
and positions of the states through a myriad of 
visual teasers, language riddles and geography 
challenges. After playing, you'll see that there's 

Ticket To Ride

more to the 50 States than meets the eye!

Scrambled States

Ticket to Ride's objective is to see the most 

cities in North America - in just 7 days. Ticket 

to Ride is a cross-country train adventure game.  

Jax Sequence States and Capitals

Test your knowledge of the states and their capitals in this fun version of the Sequence game. Each card has the name of a capital with it's location shown on the state. Players match the state's shape and color on the card to the same states shape and color on the board, then place your chip on that space. Five chips in a row wins!

ELECTRONIC LEARNING

VTech USA Explore and Learn Map

If your child is motivated by sound and touch - then these games are really great.  This is a predominate way my visually impaired son learns and he loves games that talk and teach him facts and information.  Here are two of his favorites...

Interactive Around the United States

These are well loved electronic games at my house!  My son has memorized all the answers to every question on these game!  










SOME OUT OF THE ORDINARY FUN 

Color Yourself Smart: Geograph

Color yourself smart is a fun way to learn about the United States for this year and it has some review from Year 2 about the Seven Continents!

MindWare Color Chart: USA

Color, learn state facts, brainteasers and go on picture hunts to learn more about the United States!

State Quarter Map - 
Us State Quarter Collection

A fun activity for this year:  collect quarters for each state!

Draw Write Now, Book 5: The United States, 
from Sea to Sea, Moving Forward 
(Draw-Write-Now)

Great book for learning to draw and learning some United States facts while you do copy work!  Recommended by many CC families.

United States Maze Craze (Dover 
Children's Activity Books)

If your kids like mazes like mine does, then this is a great book for fun with mazes and the United States!

The Slightly Odd United States of America

Does your child like whacky, little known trivia?  Then this is a great book for them!  Lots of odd facts and information about each state and activities to go along!







Planning for Year 3?  Then you will want to get a Year 3 Teaching Plan....

PURCHASE HERE