We like to cover geography through field trips whenever possible, but we all know it’s not practical or financially feasible to travel the world on a regular basis. To make geography fun and memorable without travel, we’ve gotten creative with our studies. The Poppins Book Nook theme for March, Where in the World?, is a great example of how geography can be interesting from the comfort of your own home.
Since this is my first month as a Poppins Book Nook blogger, I wanted to find something especially fun that would incorporate kids of all ages. I was pleased to find something I knew my girls would love and we could read together during our daily Circle Time.
Our book choice for Where in the World? March theme for Poppins Book Nook:
From Pie Town to Yum Yum: Weird and Wacky Place Names Across the United States
Author: Debbie Herman
Illustrator: Linda Sarah Goldman
About the book:
Did you know that the United States has hundreds and hundreds of towns with weird and wacky names? Places like Quiggleville (PA) and Sopchoppy (FL) might make you laugh, while Bread Loaf (VT) and Chili Bar (CA) will probably make you hungry. And you can always count on Bug (KY) and Worms (NE) to make you Yell (TN) “Eek!” (AK). This book will explore the reasons behind some of these really wacky place names and also teach you a little bit about the states in which they’re found. So if you’re thinking “Ono! (CA) Not another geography book!” then Fearnot (PA)! You’re in for a Surprise (NE)!
A state-by-state compendium of the funniest place names ever, loaded with historical tidbits, whimsical cartoon-like drawings, silly puns and lots of travel ideas.
Our Activities:
This book has a really neat arrangement. It is in alphabetical order through the whole 50 states, including some of the funniest town/city names in each state. It also includes basic facts about the state, like when it became a state and some general info about the topography.
To really bring this to life, we used a map that we could print and color. (You can download a freebie lapbook offered by Enchanted Homeschool Mom that includes some maps and free bookmarks, too!) We then marked all the places we’ve actually traveled to and/or heard of that were mentioned in the book. We also located and labeled each state on the map along with its capital city.
We had a fun discussion about our favorite place names and what we would name a city if we had the chance. We wrote down all of our ideas in the lapbook. Big Sis (12) was able to do this herself while I helped Lil Sis (6) and Baby Girl (4) with this part. Some of the ideas they came up with included:
Mooseville, Maine (Big Sis)
Ice Cream Sandwich, Alaska (Lis Sis)
Purple Polka Dots, Purpleland (Baby Girl — she even made up her own state name. Can you tell purple is her favorite color?)
We had a lot of fun with this book and I’m so glad for the keepsakes we made with the lapbooks. These will also work well for our portfolio of work for the homeschool year-end assessment.
I recommend the book From Pie Town to Yum Yum if you want a fun way to study all 50 states in a unique way.
Poppins Book Nook Giveaway! Every month the Poppins Book Nook group will be offering readers a chance to win a brand new storybook that ties in with our theme for the month. This month one lucky entrant will win a copy of Where in the World! The winner must reside within the United States. This giveaway is brought to you by the company Enchanted Homeschooling Mom, who is owner and founder of the Poppins Book Nook. By entering this giveaway you are also acknowledging that you have read and agree to all of the Rafflecopter terms & conditions as well as Enchanted Homeschooling Mom’s disclosures found here {http://
enchantedhomeschoolingmom.org/
disclosures/}. Just enter the Rafflecopter below to win:
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