The Star-Spangled Combo Package
Joel King
www.HomeroomEducation.com
Homeroom Education, Inc
547 McLean Avenue
Hopkinsville, KY 42240
homeroom@homeroomeducation.com

If one of your goals for your child's education is for him to learn all about the 50 States, then you'll definitely want to check out this Star-Spangled Combo Package. The author and my good friend, Joel King, a homeschool dad has created something that will get both children and parents excited about learning the 50 states!

With 3 boys ages 5-14, I've seen plenty of curriculum over the years, but this is truly the first that I've seen to take such a thorough approach to teaching the 50 states. It is just packed with information! For each state, your child will learn the capital, recall basic state facts, identify the state by it's shape, locate it on a US map, and even learn the border states to give them a solid geographical framework.

The combo priced at $49.90 includes both The Star -Spangled State Book ($19.95) and The Star- Spangled Workbook ($34.95). The State Book itself makes a great stand alone book. My family absolutely loves the colorful pages with clip art and quick facts. I've never had a book that was such a complete resource. The Star-Spangled State Book gives the capital, the date the state entered the Union, the state's population and population ranking, the state's land area and land area ranking, the names of the 3 most populated cities, a picture of the state, the state flag, and then some other quick facts. That's a lot to learn, but this book will make it fun!

At the bottom of the each page, you can quiz your child or your child can quiz himself using the self-checking Geoquiz. Need to know even more? You can check the different maps of the 13 colonies and the Civil War states, review the order our states joined the Union, check the abbreviations for each state, memorize the list of Presidents, find out which states have the most people, see how fast the states are growing, check out which states are biggest, and then review it all with the Where Did I See That? quiz, the Where Did I Read That? quiz, the What's Wrong With This? test, and the blank US map. See what I mean? This book has it all!

Well almost all of it! If you want a workbook that your child can write in which will provide you with a full year of lessons, you'll want to order The Star-Spangled Workbook as well or the combo package. You need both  The Star-Spangled State Book and The Star-Spangled Workbook to complete the 36 week program so your best value is to buy the combo and save $5. The course is set up so that you'll do three short 15 minute lessons each week and then the 4^th day will be a quiz to review what the student has learned. Various lessons will have the student filling in the blanks, answering True or False questions, writing important facts and definitions, drawing a picture of the state, connecting the names of states to their pictures, finding the state on a blank map, unscrambling important words, writing the abbreviations and capitals, and listing various border states. That last one is really tough for me so I'm definitely learning right along with my kids on this one.

Whether your child is just beginning to learn the states or just needs to review them, you'll love this program! You won't find a more well-organized, thorough, or colorful resource anywhere. Joel's love for history and geography, passion for learning, enthusiasm for games, and experience as a homeschool dad all work together to make this the best US geography curriculum on the market. Every homeschool family should make sure to have one on their shelf!

-Product Review by Nancy Carter, Public Relations Manager for The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine