As many of you know, our family loves to travel and take a several week tour every year where my musician husband books gigs, and the rest of the family hang out exploring new surroundings with hopes to take our show on the road next year as an educational vacation trip to Washington DC, stopping in Hershey, PA, so I was thrilled to get a chance to review PENNSYLVANIA ~ HERE WE COME! from By the Way Book Series, written by Joy Budensiek and illustrated by Stephanie Robledo. When I learned that the series integrates scriptures and all of the story from a biblical perspective, I was even more excited!
Other Homeschool Review Crew members got to review these titles:
Florida's Treasure Coast ~ Here We Come!
Smoky Mountains ~ Here We Come!
Ohio ~ Here We Come!
Washington ~ Here We Come!
Colorado ~ By the Way
And, there are more titles coming out soon.
What is PENNSYLVANIA - HERE WE COME! from the By the Way Book Series?
The series takes you on a journey through states. It tells a story of a boy and a girl who travel to the state and visit all of the key historical parts while learning bits of information about the state and also while weaving in scripture and a biblical worldview. The main characters in the Pennsylvania story are Alex and Lexi. Of course, Alex and Lexi have a mom and dad as well as Jim, their pilot, Hugh, the co-pilot, and Angela, the tour guide who directs them through what they refer to as celebrations.
I received a 50-page physical, hardcover book with beautiful colorful illustrations and photography, to read with my child.
I received a 50-page physical, hardcover book with beautiful colorful illustrations and photography, to read with my child.
The book begins with a page that contains pictures to encourage the kids to look for these images throughout the book as they read. It then introduces the main characters. The story continues with "visits" to:
- A ferry ride across the Susquehanna River
- The Pennsylvania State Capitol
- Harrisburg International Airport
- Appalachian Trail
- Facts about Gettysburg
- How the PA border was established
- Ground Hogs Day and Punxsutawney
- Fayette County
- Fort Necessity National Battlefield
- Jumonville and a huge cross
- Chipmunks
- Searights Tollhouse
- Underground Railroad and a Castle
- Brownsville
- Mechmenawungihilla
- Pittsburgh and many bridges
- Crickets
- Presque Isle State Park
- Brig Niagra
- Concord grapes region
- Striking oil and native Americans
- Elk, raccoons, deer facts, and grouse
- Lesson about David Brainard
- Geocaching
- Fish and Eagles
- Coal
- Bears and salamanders
- Bethlehem, PA and steel
- Philadelphia, the City of Love and birthplace of democracy
- Tent caterpillars
- Mushrooms and Kennett Square
- Amish
- Hershey and chocolate
How Did We Use It?
I presented the book to my daughter, who is 10 and in desperate need of more in-depth social studies, geography and history lessons. Part of the time, I read the book to her, part of the time we had our elephant plush mascot "teacher" read it, and part of the time, she read alone and discussed points in more detail wherever there was a deep interest. For the most part, we read one new stop a day. We took a few pages at a time and didn't read the book in one setting. I wanted to use it as more of a bit by bit study, but you could easily finish the book in a short time if preferred.
What Did We Think?
We thoroughly enjoyed the story and appreciated how PENNSYLVANIA - HERE WE COME! from the By the Way Book Series incorporated history and facts about the state with scripture and biblical principals and lessons. I'm sure, learning about the chocolate in Pennsylvania was among the favorite lessons, but there was plenty neither of us knew about the state. So, I learned as well.
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Read what other members of the Homeschool Review Crew thought by clicking on the picture below:
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