State the Facts {Laurelwood Books Review}

Something we have been lacking in our homeschool is a solid resource for learning about our state – Ohio. The resources I find are either geared for younger children or are too complicated. Recently, though, our daughter has been learning about Ohio with State the Facts: a Guide to Studying Your State from Laurelwood Books.

For our Laurelwood Books review we received the State the Facts: a Guide to Studying Your State workbook. It is a 58 page workbook designed to guide children to learn about their specific state. It can be used for any U.S. state. It’s not a book full of facts or even questions or answers about your state. Instead, it is just as it notes – a guide to studying your state.
I was actually surprised by the type of information it covers. It covers topics I expected like government, state history, facts about your state, etc. It really goes into great detail, though, to not only include questions about your state but to also know where to find resources to learn about your state. It even includes conversation scripts for talking to the librarian as well as your Congressman and Senator.

Laurelwood Books Review

Our daughter (age 8) has been working her way through State the Facts. It is recommended for ages 8 and older, but I did find it to be too much information to take in on her own, and I gladly helped her through it. I love that she’s not only learning about Ohio, but she is also learning how to research and obtain this information for herself.
State the Facts has also opened the door to numerous conversations that have allowed us to dig deeper. She has not only been learning about Ohio but government as well. It opens up the door to discuss our government – who each person is, how they represent us, etc. Of course, I also appreciate that they encourage them to learn about how to contact them as well! It opened up the door to explain instances where you may need to contact them in addition to obtaining information.

Another thing I found unique is that it provides scripts for contacting people to get more information. As she worked through it, we used the internet as our guide for finding information mostly, but I explained how I used to use the library. It has a script to call the Librarian to ask questions as well as government officials. So it goes beyond just looking up information to encouraging them to go straight to the source!

Learning About Ohio

Of course, she has been learning more about Ohio in general. She has learned how and when it became a state, how it got its name, the Ohio (and US) flag, important people in Ohio history, and more. We haven’t finished yet, so there is still so much more to learn! It encourages reading books and learning about laws and not only learning these things but forming an opinion on them. I really find it’s a thorough resource!
State the Facts includes unique information like local nature, weather, resources and travel. Throughout it encourages hands-on and in-person activities to gather information. Sure we could continue to just look things up online, but it’s not the same as getting out there! So this is definitely something I appreciate!
State the Facts does provide some key information in the back of the workbook including the list of presidents and a map of the United States. It also encourages them to draw (or trace) their own map and mark various items. It has definitely filled that gap in our state history and so much more!

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Fellow members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew reviewed a variety of curriculum from Laurelwood Books including Latin and Penmanship. Learn more and check out their Laurelwood Books review by clicking on the banner below!