Alaska and Hawaii Books for Kids

Lesson 12: Alaska and Hawaii

This is the last lesson in our United States study. Earlier lessons can be found on the Geography Page.

America is a country filled with variation and uniqueness. Although differences can be seen between all the states, they are much easier to see on a regional basis. While learning more about the states, I wanted my daughter to gain an understanding of the overall geography of the United States and learn how the differences in climate effect the region. 

Studying all of the United States in a 12 week time frame is very short. Therefore, this study serves as a basic introduction. Before the US study, we learned about Native American. Because we studied Native Americans by concentrating on the region of the country where they were/are located, the two studies complimented each other in many ways.

For example, the plains Indians and the states of Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota occupy the same territory. With the same resources available, it was interesting to learn about both the pains Indians and the states of Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. Before colonization the Natives hunted buffalo, rode horse back and made clothes out of animal skins. Now the people of the plains are primarily farmers. So how did we go from then to now? The answers are not always happy, but hopefully I have raised some questions in my daughter's mind.

Next on our learning list is The Little House (9 Volumes Set) and a study of United States History. But first, a quick study of Alaska and Hawaii.

Alaska and Hawaii are probably our two most unique states. They are not part of the continental United States and therefore, much more remote than the others. Fortunately, there are lots of books available on these two states. Here are some that we read.

Hawaii

Luka's Quilt - When Luka doesn't appreciate the traditional quilt her grandmother makes their relationship suffers. Fortunately, they find a way to put aside their differences and both be happy.

The Island-below-the-Star - In 1947, Thor Heyerdahl of Norway journeyed across the Pacific Ocean on a raft in his Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific in a Raft expedition. His exploration changed the way the world believed the Hawaiian Islands were populated. The book Island-Below the Star is a picture book that retells what the journey may have been like from the native perspective.


Alaska

Baby in a Basket - Pictured Above - This book tells and amazing, true-life story of a baby lost and then later found from a sleigh in Alaska.

Akiak: A Tale From the Iditarod - When a lead dog is taken out of the Iditarod, he isn't ready to be done racing, and finishes the race on his own. We loved this excited true stroy.

The Bravest Dog Ever: The True Story of Balto (Step-Into-Reading) is another exciting, but very different story about a lead sled dog in Alaska. Balto a true hero, is instrumental in getting medicine to sick children in Alaska during a snowstorm.

How Alaska Got Its Flag
Through a statewide competition, the big dipper ended up on the Alaska flag. This is an inspiring, non-fiction story.

The Great Alaska Pipeline is a very detailed book suitable for adults interested in the Alaska pipeline. It is interesting, but I would only recommend it for older children who are interested in engineering and big science projects.

A Child's Alaska is the perfect introduction to Alaska for young children as it highlights many Alaska uniquenesses such as the Northern Lights, sled dogs and the midnight sun.


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Southwest and Pacific Coast States

Lesson 10: Southwest States
Arizona, New Mexico, Texas

The Grand Canyon, and the Petrified Forest are two national parks that make good topics for a southwest state study. Here are some picture books to introduce children to the southwestern states.

The Armadillo from Amarillo
Fish Fry
Armadillo Rodeo
Grandmother's Adobe Dollhouse

Lesson 11: Pacific Coast States
Washington, Oregon, California

Smoky Night
Tree in the Trail
Condor's Egg
Squirrel and John Muir
Quake!: Disaster in San Francisco, 1906



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Grant Wood Art Activity

My daughter created a portrait painting inspired by Grant Wood.

In the course of studying the American Plain States, we looked at artwork depicting the plains and studied the artist Grant Wood. The above painting from the book Can You Find It America? was by the artist Paul Sample.

Grant Wood was born in Iowa and studied in Chicago. After traveling to Europe to study the masters, he returned to America to paint in a style entirely his own. We read the book Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists: Grant Wood to learn more about him.

One of Grant's most famous painting, American Gothic, shows a farming couple standing before a house. Since Grant Wood painted a portrait of people he was familiar with in the style of the Renaissance Artists, I asked my daughter to do the same thing.

In the past, she watched the youtube video How to Draw a Face - Basic Proportions, which really helped her to create this painting.

She worked on the image of the face adding shading and features.

Once she was finished with the face, she added her background which shows sand, water and the horizon. There is a boat, sea gull and sun in the background as well as a sunbather.




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US States Unit Study: Heartland and Mountain States

Lesson 8: Heartland States
Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, and Oklahoma.

With fields covered in grain, this is Little House Country. Small towns and farmland cover the center of the United States. For us, these are the states we drive through to reach skiing in the west, but I wanted my daughter to gain an appreciation for the heartland states; The Bread Basket of America.

We read the following books to learn about the Great Plains.

Climbing Kansas Mountains - In Kansas the grain elevators are the mountains.
Eve and Smithy: An Iowa Tale - Gardens, gifts and neighborly love are celebrated in this picture book.
The Huckabuck Family: and How They Raised Popcorn in Nebraska and Quit and Came Back - Can you grow popcorn? This is a funny tale of the Huckabuck family experience.

Lesson 9:  Mountain States
Colorado, Utah, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, and Wyoming.

Wild horses, and ranching have long histories in these states which are also popular destinations for outdoor enthusiasts. Some of the nations best known national parks lie in these states including Yellowstone, Moab, and Glacier.

Learning about the mountain states we found three delightful books on cowboys. Jack Creek Cowboy gave a thorough picture of the life of a cowboy. It was quite a long picture book and good for children who are beginning to read chapter books to read on their own.

Once We Had a Horse was a simple story about two kids and their horse.

Tyler's New Boots tells the story of a boy going on a cattle drive. He doesn't want to get his new boots dirty.

A study of the mountain states wouldn't be complete without touching on Yellowstone National Park. The amazing land actually sits on top of a caldera volcano which is scary to think about. Here's an activity for kids to learn more about caldera volcanoes.- Yellowstone Caldera Volcano Activity

Once A Wolf: How Wildlife Biologists Fought to Bring Back the Gray Wolf is a great book for the animal loving child. Another book good for children beginning to read chapter books on their own, this book tells an amazing story of the history of wolves in Yellowstone. The video above goes well with the book.



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US State Unit Study - Lesson 7: Midwestern States

Lesson 7: We read books about the mid-western states including; Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio and Missouri.

Settled by French fur traders, the mid-western states have a long history fur trading, fishing, shipping, and logging on the Great Lakes.

The book Paddle-to-the-Sea was an excellent spine books for this region as it was about a carved wooden canoe which floated with the current through each of the great lakes and to the Atlantic Ocean. Along the way, the canoe encountered ships, saw mills, animals and people each important in the Great Lakes region.

When we were finished with the book my daughter created a glitter map of the region.

First she hand drew an outline of the region on a white piece of cardboard.

Then she added the names of important cities and waterways including the major cities at each end of every great lake.

Next glitter glue was added covering each of the three different regions.

Finally permanent marker was used to outline the regions.

In addition to Paddle to the Sea the following books are fun to read with a mid-western state introduction.

Michigan is one of the top Christmas Tree producing states. One story of trees is told in The Christmas Tree Ship.

Near Traverse City Michigan lies a National Park consisting of huge sand dunes. The Legend of Sleeping Bear tells how the sand dunes and two islands in Lake Michigan came into being. The same author also wrote The Legend of Mackinac Island and The Legend of Leelanau, both of which we greatly enjoyed.

Older children can read Shipwrecks & Rescues: Forgotten Great Lakes History and younger children will enjoy listening to the stories. Some are tragic, so please pre-read this one if you have sensitive children.



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