Eight for Each State - Ohio | Your Morning Basket

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

Ohio may seem like any other ordinary state, but it has plenty to offer residents and visitors. We are quickly learning that each state has its own fantastic character and culture. With five zoos, Cedar Point, The Air and Space Museum, and Holden Arboretum being only a few of the many attractions in Ohio. Come along with us on our US Geography tour as we study Ohio. I am sure you will want to put many things on your list of places to see!

The Buckeye State was exciting for us because we turned it into a mini unit study on the Great Lakes. There are plenty of other states you could do this with, namely Michigan, but I thought Ohio would do nicely as a back drop to studly the largest freshwater lakes in the world.

1. Ohio Introduction

When available, we love to start our state study with a video.

US Embassy Vieanna – Ohio

We then move on to books. There are so many great informative books out there about the states. Here are a few we have been using and a few suggestions for multiple ages.

PinB is for Buckeye by Marcia Schonberg – Our favorite set of books!
Cardinal Numbers: An Ohio Counting Book by Marcia Schonberg – A counting companion book to B is for Buckeye.
Little Ohio by Marcia Schonberg – A board book for your preschoolers coming along on your US Geography tour. Filled with riddles about Ohio, I bet even your older children will enjoy this book!
State Shapes: Ohio by Erin McHugh – I picked up Texas at a local thrift store and loved it! A great way to change up your informational state books!

2. Great Lakes Mini Unit

I grew up not more than three miles from the shore of Lake Erie. On our visits back home, my children have enjoyed walking the beach, playing in the waves, collecting driftwood and rocks. It is truly a beautiful region.

Ohio is bordered to the north by Lake Erie. Lakers, large lake barges, still pick up and drop off cargo at ports all along the shores of the Great Lakes.

Enjoy these resources and activities for your Great Lakes Mini Unit.Pin

Great Lakes by Kimberly Valzania – This is a good, short start to your study.
The Great St. Lawrence Seaway by Gail Gibbons – A fantastic overview of the ships, locks, and canals that make travel on the Great Lakes possible.
How Canals Work Video
Blog She Wrote has a great Geography Quest for the Great Lakes! How many answers can you find?
Printable Great Lakes Map

3. Paddle-to-the-Sea by Holling Clancy Holling

PinThis has been one of our favorite books on our US Geography tour. Its vivid illustrations and descriptions captivate both my eight year old and five year old alike. If you have not read any of Holling’s books, you are in for a treat!

While we read the story, the girls wanted to use their new found pastel skills to draw a Paddle-to-the-Sea. Thanks to Getting Started in Chalk Pastel Art, we are well on our way to loosing ourselves in this very forgiving art form!

There are so many things you can do with this book but mostly we just enjoyed reading it. The girls enjoyed following Paddle on the maps in the book as he made his way to the sea.

Try these ideas for extra enrichment.

Write a descriptive paragraph about one of Paddles adventures. What is he feeling? What is he thinking? Is he excited, scared, worried?
Make a Paddle-to-the-sea out of clay or wood. Paint and decorate him. Do you live near one of the Great Lakes? Set him on his journey!
Watch the movie!

4. Living Books

We found and enjoyed several living books as we studied Ohio.

PinThe Boy Who Saved Cleveland by James Cross Giblin – Historical fiction covering the malaria epidemic in Cleveland.
Lentil by Robert McCloskey – A classic picture book set in Ohio.
Pioneer Children of Appalachia by Joan Anderson – A simple, lovely, photo book about pioneer children living in Ohio.
The Ojibwa by Ann M. Todd – Ok, so this one is not a living book, but Ruth enjoyed learning more about the Native Americans in Ohio.

5. Cincinnati Chili

I continue to be so very thankful for our state cookbook. We have been using The United States Cookbook by Joan D’Amico. We have enjoyed so many great foods and food facts out of this book! This time, we enjoyed Cincinnati Chili over Pasta.

Every other recipe we found for Ohio was for Buckeyes. They are certainly tasty and fun to make!

6. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Sarah Joan’s notebooking pages from Enchanted Homeschooling Mom featured the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as the landmark. After our Tennessee music study, the girls were very ready to delve into what makes this landmark great!

We mostly enjoyed these videos from YouTube telling about the different exhibits and memorabilia on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum: exhibits overview.

Not necessarily someplace we would go, but it was fun to learn about.

7. Astronauts

PinWe learned in B is for Buckeye, that more astronauts call Ohio home than any other state. Space is a fun topic to study any time. My girls also enjoy learning about the people who went into space.

8. Presidents

What fun that Ohio also has the most presidents as well. Have fun learning about nine of our presidents as you study Ohio on your US Geography tour! Click on the name of the president for a YouTube video.

B Is For Buckeye: An Ohio Alphabet (Discover America State by State)Pin Cardinal Numbers: An Ohio Counting Book (America by the Numbers)Pin Little Ohio (Little State)Pin State Shapes: OhioPin Great Lakes (Rookie Read-About Geography)Pin The Great St. Lawrence SeawayPin Paddle-to-the-Sea (Sandpiper Books)Pin The Boy Who Saved Cleveland by James Cross Giblin (2006-04-04)Pin Lentil (Picture Puffin Books)Pin The Ojibwa: People of the Great Lakes (American Indian Nations) by Anne M. Todd (2002-09-01)Pin The U.S. History Cookbook: Delicious Recipes and Exciting Events from the PastPin John Glenn: Young Astronaut (Childhood of Famous Americans)Pin One Giant LeapPin Who Was Neil Armstrong?Pin

William Henry Harrison – Book, Coloring Page
Ulysses S. Grant – Book, Coloring Page
Rutherford B. Hayes – Book, Coloring Page
James A. Garfield – Book, Coloring Page
Benjamin Harrison – Book, Coloring Page
William McKinley – Book, Coloring Page
William Howard Taft – Book, Coloring Page
Warren G. Harding – Book, Coloring Page



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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.