USA Roadtrip - New Jersey

We lived very near New Jersey for many years. To me, it was what we drove through to get to NYC or our access to the beach. I was surprised to find so many interesting things about our 3rd official state.

New Jersey

1. We have been very pleased with this atlas: National Geographic United States Atlas for Young Explorers. It's a little over the heads of my little babes sometimes but I still read it to them and we enjoy the beautiful pictures. The overview of each state gives me a great jumpstart for planning the rest of our study!

2. We've discussed boardwalks before as we've studied the northeast. We learned that New Jersey has the first ever boardwalk. I came across THIS color page that is actually an incredible drawing of a New Jersey boardwalk that the kids colored while I read to them. We found the perfect book that really brings the boardwalk to life with excitement and mystery: The Boxcar Children, The Boardwalk Mystery.

3. The original game of Monopoly was actually based off of New Jersey streets and places. Enjoying a game of Monopoly is a great way to celebrate this state! We didn't because honestly I don't like the game ha! But I did show them the board and a map of the streets in New Jersey found HERE. There's some interesting tidbits found on that page, too. Probably more interesting for the grownups but hey, isn't that one of the reasons we homeschool? To learn and relearn things we never would have otherwise?

Find HERE

4. Abbot and Costello!  Costello was proud of his New Jersey heritage. So we of course enjoyed their classic: Who's on First?



I also enjoyed learning more about who they were, what they were like, how they came to be the most famous comedians in the US. Do some of your own research and bring these hilarious guys to life.

5. This book was an excellent find- Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team. It's based on a true story of 16 kids, 12 of whom were baseball playing brothers! One page shows all 12 brothers. When the oldest brother was my age (30-something-er-other), the youngest was Marie's (7)! Marie could not believe such a thing was possible! ha. I definitely recommend this book for your New Jersey study, or just because!

Last weekend we went to the Great Homeschool Convention in Cincinnati, OH. We still have a month of school left this year but I'm already excited for next year! We will be adding in science, grammar/writing, and a more in depth Bible curriculum. I'll share exactly what we plan to do when I've got it all worked out and you all care. I realize most people don't at this point in the school year, ha! I highly recommend the Great Homeschool Convention! Derek loved getting to be a part of the homeschool planning and learning along side of me. Solidified our decision to homeschool once again!

Anyway, next up- New York!