We have been studying American history for a long time now. (I first posted about this notebook in October of 2008.) After the American Revolution, when the colonies became states, Sprite began her 50 States Notebook. My idea was to add each state as it entered the Union chronologically. Well, we are finally finished. With Hawaii and Alaska gaining statehood in 1959, we have now wrapped up the notebook. What a rewarding project!
Look at how thick it is! Almost four inches!
Each state has a two cardstock notebooking pages filled with information about the state, including the state flag, state bird, a map, etc. Most every state also has at least two postcards — a map card and a card with the state capitol building.
Here is page one, front and back.
And here is the second page, front and back.
At the beginning of the notebook, we added information on American currency, Washington D. C., the three branches of government, and all the things that President Bush sent us.
No offense, Obama. We haven’t written your letter yet. We’re giving you time to make some nice glossies of you and your White House pets.
During our two months in America, I let Sprite work on a collection of US license plates. She used the Ultimate Sticker Puzzles: License Plates Across the States: Travel Puzzles and Games! (yeesh, that’s a long title). Although she discarded the other puzzles, she kept the pull out map with all her stickers. We never found Hawaii, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Nebraska, and maybe a few others. But the vast majority were filled in by the time we were ready to leave.
For how to make your own and for links to state notebooking page templates, visit this 50 States Notebook lens.
Other tasks Sprite did to wrap up the 50 States Notebook:
- Completed all the US Presidents matchbooks which I got from Notebooking2Learn. (No, this doesn’t directly relate to the 50 States, but it seemed the best place to put the collection we’ve been working on since good old George Washington.)
- Added state rock/mineral/gem information to each state.
- Added Yellowstone brochures, maps, etc in page protectors.
- Added various brochures received from flat traveler exchanges and from our summer travels (The Hermitage, for example) behind the appropriate state pages.
- Added a list of the 50 states in chronological order by when they entered the union
Wow, what an impressive notebook – a treasure chest of information and a wonderful testimony of much hard work … and it looks FUN! Well done to both of you!
You guys did an awesome job! We are going to tackle the 50 states next year & this is such an inspiration to see. Definitely going to borrow ideas from this! 🙂
What a fun notebook to have completed! I love the license plate map! Thanks for sharing!
A-mazing! That is an awesome notebook. My older two have already done the 50 states, but I definitely have to file this away for my youngest. I love it!
That looks fantastic!! Thank you so much for posting about it, we are STILL working on ours, and I was feeling pretty slack because it still isn’t finished.. I feel better now! I now realize that something like this takes TIME!!
I love looking at Sprite’s work, & it is so inspirational for our home-school!! You guys give me so many ideas! (that I actually use!!)
🙂
Amazing job! We, too, are going to be learning the states this year, but on a much lower level – 1st and 2nd grade:-) I remember my older kids doing something similar many years ago. Great fun!
Awesome! Daisy is still working on HER presidents notebook. Not even sure how close she is to the end.
I love the postcards! Is that something you printed off the net or ordered through the mail? Or had friends send you?
Good job, Sprite!
Blessings,
Sandwich
This a great post! I really like that license plate sticker book!
I gave you an award, hope you accept it:
http://canadianhomelearning.blogspot.com/2010/07/blog-with-substance-award-x2.html
What a GREAT Job!! Congratulations!
What an amazing project. That binder is sure packed full of hard work. What a treat it will be to look back through that big binder.
Congrats Sprite and Mom.