Eight for Each State - Montana | Your Morning Basket

Welcome to the Eight For Each State US Geography tour. I am so glad you are joining us.

Montana, the next stop in our US Geography study, is perhaps one of the most beautiful states I have never seen. The pictures we looked at and the wildlife we explored were breathtaking. Big Sky Country is a fitting nickname for a state with such wide open spaces and beautiful landscapes.

We had fun learning a little bit about Montana’s wildlife, Native Americans, and a very special dog. Come along with us as we try a new cornbread recipe, play a track matching game, and read some great books.

1. B is for Big Sky Country: A Montana Alphabet by Sneed B. Collard III

PinWe always enjoy these amazing books. B is for Big Sky Country is just as much fun as the rest of the series. Starting your US Geography state study with one of these books is sure to get it off on the right track.

With 26 plus separate juicy tidbits of information about Montana, choosing just a few becomes a good problem to have.

Below are two other book series we use to fill out our notebooking pages. They both offer history, culture, quick facts, and most importantly, a recipe from the state.

Montana: The Treasure State by Emily Rose Oachs

Montana Hello U.S.A. by Rita Ladoux

2. Montana State Videos

Montana US Embassy Vienna Video

Why study Montana History (a short history of Montana)

3. Wildlife Tracks Game

PinMontana has a huge population of wildlife. We first looked at Who Pooped in the Park? by Gary D. Robson and Tracks in the Wild by Betsy Bowen to familiarize ourselves with the tracks we might see if we visited Glacier National Park in Montana.

Then we had a great time playing this simple but fun Wildlife Tracks Game.

4. Shep: Our Most Loyal Dog by Sneed B. Collard III Pin

Get out the tissues! One of the juicy tidbits in B is for Big Sky Country was Shep. Shep loved his master so much he met passenger train after passenger train at the station where his casket was loaded, waiting for his master to return.

5. Forestry and the Timber Industry

Timber is one of Montana’s natural resources. Explore a little bit with these resources.

Life in a Forestry Community by Lizann Flatt – Life in a modern forestry community.
Loggers by A.S. Gintzler – A history of logging.
Newton Logging – Watch modern loggers at work.

6. Montana Native Americans

Little Big Horn and General George Custer are names that most of us know. In 1876, Custer made his last stand against Sioux and Northern Cheyenne who resisted moving to reservations.

Enjoy these resources to find out more about the Sioux and Northern Cheyenne who called Montana their home.

Famous Indian Chiefs by John W Moyer – An out of print but excellent book! Read about Dull Knife of the Cheyenne, Red Cloud and Sitting Bull of the Sioux, and gaze at amazing full page color portrits of each. Well worth hunting down for a Native American study.
Indian Legends of American Scenes by Marion Eleanor Gridley – A book chock full of indian legends organized by state. The Montana legend was from the Blackfoot tribe. Not every state is listed and one section includes Native American’s from Canada.
If You Lived With The Sioux Indians by Ann Mcgovern – A fun book about life in s Sioux tribe.
Custer’s Last Battle: Red Hawk’s Account of the Battle of the Little Bighorn by Paul Goble – A good read for those wanting more details on the battle.
Pin Custer’s Last Stand by Joeming W. Dunn – A graphic novel type history. My daughter loves these because she can see the story happening in the pictures.
The Battle of the Little Bighorn – A Youtube video summarizing the Battle of Little Bighorn.

7. Cheyenne Batter Bread

We found this interesting cornbread recipe in The United States Cookbook by Joan D’Amico. It turns out very soft and gooey. We all enjoyed it with our chili for dinner.

8. Grandfather Buffalo by Jim Arnosky Pin

I end with a charming book about the buffalo herds that roamed much of the great plains including Montana. Grandfather Buffalo is about as sweet as an animal story you can get with its gentle narrative of an old buffalo welcoming a new calf into the heard.

B is for Big Sky Country: A Montana Alphabet (Discover America State by State)Pin Montana: The Treasure State (Exploring the States)Pin Montana (Hello U.S.A.)Pin Who Pooped in the Park? Yellowstone National Park: Scat and Tracks for KidsPin Tracks in the Wild (Fesler-Lampert Minnesota Heritage)Pin Shep: Our Most Loyal Dog (True Story)Pin B is for Big Sky Country: A Montana Alphabet (Discover America State by State)Pin Life in a Forestry Community (Learn about Rural Life)Pin Rough & Ready Loggers (Rough and Ready Series)Pin Famous Indian chiefsPin Indian Legends of American ScenesPin If You Lived With The Sioux IndiansPin Custer’s Last Battle: Red Hawk’s Account of the Battle of the Little BighornPin Custer’s Last Stand (Graphic History (Graphic Planet))Pin The United States Cookbook: Fabulous Foods and Fascinating Facts From All 50 StatesPin Grandfather BuffaloPin

What are your favorite Montana books?



Download your FREE State Scrapbooking Pages

About
Latest Posts

Jessica

Contributor at pambarnhill.com

Jessica Lawton is a homeschool mom to five fantastically fabulous children. Her hobbies include book collecting, knitting, reading, and birdwatching. While teacher or writer were never on her list of Things to Be When I Grow Up, she curiously finds herself doing both, and enjoying it. This only strengthens her firmly held belief that God has better plans for us than we have for ourselves.