US Geography Study - New Hampshire

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

New Hampshire was fun for us for so many reasons. We studied one of our favorite poets, Robert Frost, made some to-die-for-apple cobbler, and found The Old Man of the Mountain.

I am really beginning to see the value in adding a US Geography study to our year

Ruth has gained confidence in reading directions, and following through on a project. You will get to see the results of this below.

Sarah Joan has enjoyed getting in the kitchen, getting messy, and having something to talk about with Daddy when he comes home.

What have been some benefits to your US Geography study?

This is part of our Eight for Each State series on U.S. Geography. Subscribe via email for a new state study each week.

1. G is for Granite

Beautifully illustrated, well written rhymes, free study guides, children begging to have the books read over again… what’s not to like? Seriously, the Discover America State by State Alphabet books are the best series out there for your US Geography tour.

Don’t forget the free teachers guide with printable worksheets, puzzles, and games.

2. The United States Cookbook

The United States Cookbook is another staple book for our US Geography tour. The recipes are fantastic, and the Fun Food Facts are actually fun. Did you know that in New Hampshire they eat Red Flannel Hash? We had a good giggle over eating pajamas!

The recipe for New Hampshire was Raspberry and Apple Cobbler. It was AMAZING!

The girls learned what a cobbler was and enjoyed putting the recipe together. Their favorite part though was serving it to our weekly dinner guest with a mountain of whipped cream on top!

3. New Hampshire Non Fiction

For Ruth and Sarah Joan’s notebooking pages we used these books.

Hello USA New Hampshire by Dottie Brown – A great middle ground book. Simple enough to read aloud for the younger set with enough information for the older crowd to fill out their notebooking pages.
New Hampshire Facts and Symbols by Muriel L. DuBois – Perfectly short and sweet for Sarah Joan my first grader.
The New Hampshire Colony by Kevin Cunningham– A bit more history for my history lover.

4. North Conway Train Station

Sarah Joan’s notebooking pages included a very interesting train station, the North Conway Train Station. We enjoyed reading about why this Victorian style train station was so important to those who lived around it.

Today, the railroad is used for scenic rides through the beautiful New Hampshire countryside. Yes, this got added to our list of places to see!

At the time, the architecture of this train station was very special. The Victorian style, and the finest efforts of its designers showed the stations importance in a summer resort town.

G Is for Granite The United States Cookbook: Fabulous Foods and Fascinating Facts From All 50 States New Hampshire (Hello USA) New Hampshire Facts and Symbols (The States and Their Symbols) The New Hampshire Colony (True Books: American History (Paperback)) Papa Is a Poet: A Story About Robert Frost Ox-Cart Man Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving

Project Idea!

Have some fun drawing or building a fancy train station. It can be set in the past, present or future. What amenities will your train station offer travelers? What special tourist attractions are around your station?

5. Papa is a Poet

Papa is a Poet by Natalie S. Bober has become one of our favorite picture book biographies. Here Robert Frost’s life story is told not just through his life’s events, but through his way of living.

Robert Frost was a fascinating man, and we loved looking at his life together in this unique way!.

In the back of Papa is a Poet, there are several of Robert Frost’s best known poems. Each of my girls picked one and did a self-chosen art project to illustrate it.

Ruth chose “Dust of Snow.” She created an interactive display and wanted me to tape her recitation. Here are the results:

Sarah Joan chose to illustrate “October.” This is a fun project I have wanted to do with the girls for awhile.

You will need:

Small canvas
Washable paint
Paint Brushes
Glue
An old or dollar store fall puzzle

Paint the sky, grass and tree skeleton. Allow to dry. Pick out the fall-colored puzzle pieces. Glue the puzzle pieces to look like fall leaves falling.

This is a supper cute fall decoration, or a fun Thanksgiving gift for Grandma!

6. Ox Cart Man

Ox Cart Man by Donald Hall is set near Portsmouth. This is a childhood classic as well as a Five in A Row book. If you have Five in a Row, now might be a good time to do a short book study.

If not, read, enjoy, and talk about how families used to live. I enjoy talking about how work as a way of life is a good thing. Work gives us something to do. This family seemed to enjoy their work. The pictures show a smiling family working happily together. How can your family enjoy their work?

7. Sarah Hale

This famous person from New Hampshire struck our fancy. Being close to Thanksgiving, the girls were especially interested to know more about Sarah Hale, the writer who gave us Thanksgiving.

Sarah Hale wrote five different presidents enumerating the values of a national holiday of thanksgiving! Her passion and persistence paid off when Abraham Lincoln passed legislation for a national Thanksgiving holiday.

Thank You Sarah by Laurie Halse Anderson is a fun picture book telling Sarah’s story.

8. Old Man of the Mountain

We were so excited to learn about the Old Man of the Mountain, the symbol on the back of New Hampshire’s state quarter. However, we were crestfallen to find out that we could never see it in person. It nearly got crossed off our list.

You see, the Old Man of the Mountain collapsed in May of 2003. Nature finally go the best of this granite man. But, alas! Hope was restored after watching this YouTube video explaining how some clever engineers made it possible for you to view this natural wonder once again!

What famous New Hampshire places are you adding to your list of things to see?



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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.