This is a really fun lesson about 12 important USA landmarks, monuments and symbols. It is fantastic! In this lesson, we will share with you the books we read about the U.S.A.
We have a wonderful printable list of United States landmarks, monuments and symbols that kids should learn about. We are also including a United States map to located these places.
We’ll share with you how we used our set of printables cards to make into a booklet or to use as flashcards and learned so much about this country that we love.
Be sure and take a look at what we did and feel free to grab the awesome free printable set, just in time for the 4th of July and any other patriotic holidays.
And don’t forget to see our book list hub! It is full of lists of books on all kinds of topics on all subjects! You will love it and find it very helpful!
Printable List of United States Landmarks, Monuments & Symbols
It is very important for kids to learn about important things in their country.
Look at the list below and give your kids a pretest. Ask them if they have heard of these places, monuments and symbols.
If they haven’t heard from them, then skip them.
If they have heard of them, ask your kids to tell you if they know where they are located and to tell you everything that they know.
This will give you a pretty good idea on how to prepare your lesson and how in-depth you need to go with each landmark, monument and symbol.
Our printable will offer you lots of help.
These are the places we have listed in our tour of the United States of America:
- Gateway Arch: a 630-foot monument in St. Louis, Missouri. It is made out of stainless steel. It is the world’s tallest arch.
- Hoover Dam: it is a concrete arch dam in the Colorado River, between the states of Arizona and Nevada. It was built between 1931 and 1936.
- Liberty Bell: it is an iconic symbol of American independence. It is found in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is cracked due to a casting flaw.
- Lincoln Memorial: a national memorial in honor of President Abraham Lincoln, the 16th American President. It is located in Washington, DC.
- Mount Rushmore: it is located in Keystone, South Dakota. It is a massive sculpture with 4 Presidential faces: Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln.
- Statue of Liberty: a colossal neoclassical sculpture. It is located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. This is in the state of New York.
- White House: it is the official home and workplace of the President of the United States. It is located in Washington, DC.
- The Alamo: located in San Antonio, Texas. It is an important building used during the pivotal Texas revolution in 1836.
- The American Flag: it is a symbol of the country of the United States of America. It has 13 stripes, red and white. They represent the 13 original colonies. It also has 50 stars, representing the 50 states in the union.
- Bald Eagle: it is a bird of prey that lives in North America. It is also a United States national emblem.
- Capitol Hill: is a government building where the Senate, Houses of Representatives and the neoclassical Supreme Court meet.
- Empire State Building: it is a 102-story building, considered a skyscraper. The style is Art Deco. It is found in Manhattan, New York City.
USA Tour
First off, I printed out our free printable set (card booklet and map) in color.
I printed ours out on cardstock. Lamination is optional. We got our U.S.A. Toob and our small American flags out.
We were so excited about taking a tour of the United States of America. It was so sweet to see them get ready mentally for this lesson.
The Books We Read
Here are some book that we read and that can be helpful about learning about the United States in general.
You can also look for books specific to the symbol or landmark that you want to study.
The 50 States: Explore the U.S.A. with 50 fact-filled maps!National Geographic Kids United States AtlasThe Scrambled States of AmericaSmart About the Fifty States: A Class Report (Smart About History)National Parks of the USANick’s Guides – 50 States for Kids: Fun Facts and Learning on Our Great 50 States
Additional Resources
If you have been interested in expanding this lesson to make it a unit, here are some fun resources that will help you do just that!
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Tour of the USA – United States Map Activities BUNDLE
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North America Countries Bundle #2 {12 Activities}
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Tour of the USA ~ Printable Presidents Bundle
$2.99 Add to cartUSA Printables Activities
As you will see in the file, you can print the cards and keep them together as a booklet.
Or you can do what I did:
I printed the cards out in color and on cardstock and used a guillotine to cut them up into individual cards. Print the U.S.A. map in color as well. Lamination is optional.
First, Brother took the stack of cards and set them out on our gym mat.
Next, Sister took the miniature replicas of each of the places in our U.S.A. tour and matched them to the cards.
As she matched the replica, we would read the information on each card.
When we were done, Brother took our U.S.A. studies books and he matched up the book with the cards.
Tracking our U.S.A. Tour
For this part, we used the United States map of America that was printed in color and some glass beads.
We took one card and the matching miniature replica and read the information on the card to find the location of that place.
Once we found it on the card, we would add the glass bead to the printable map of United States for kids to use in this lesson.
We did that with all the cards (except for American flag and bald eagle).
Lastly, I asked Brother and Sister which book was their personal favorite.
Both of them immediately reached out for The House the George Built. So we read it again.
It contains great information and humor. We all recommend it.
Free Printable Set
Time for your free printables! You have three great printables here.
The first one is the set of cards, the second printable is the U.S. map and the third printable is a lovely poster with the Pledge of Allegiance.
To get these printables, simply enter your name and email address for the printables you want.
Then, check your inbox and the PDF file will be waiting for you there!
I hope you enjoy them all and share this link with your friends!
Tour of the U.S.A. Booklet
Map of the United States of America
Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag
Interested in great educational printables for your kids? Look here!
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