Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Geography Fun!

Alright, I am calling on all my bloggy friends to help homeschool my kids. Hey, we moms need to help each other out. And, today, I need helping out (could be my insane idea to give up Dr. Pepper AGAIN).

My kids love geography, they have one of those cool globes that talk to you and even let's you play a game to see how many places you can find in 30 seconds. I must admit Big Buckaroo and I have had some intense battles after the kids go to bed. Hey, at least I know where Timbuktu is and all the "stan" countries. That is going to take me far in life I am sure.

Here is how you can join the geography fun. Where do you live? Tell us something fun, interesting and cool about your town. You never know, we might buy an RV and visit all these places, well, that probably won't happen, but it would be fun....for about 3 days, then I would want my own bed.

Thanks in advance for molding my children into geography geniuses, well, in reality I am just hoping for some interesting fun learning.

Better go learn about the Congo, or maybe I might just go start a congo line, I need some exercise,
The Park Wife

26 comments:

Sallye said...

We live in Amarillo, Texas, home of the world's largest helium well, the Cadillac Ranch, and Palo Duro Canyon State Park (reportedly the second largest Canyon in the United States).

A little extra bang for your buck: However, we are from Kerrville, Texas, the Heart of the Hill Country. Kerrville was named after James Kerr, a friend of founder Joshua Brown. Kerr never saw the town that was named after him.
***Disclaimer: Palo Duro Canyon is actually in Canyon, TX, but it's VERY close to Amarillo and thought you would be interested since it's a State Park. :)

Amanda said...

Oh this is fun. It made me google my hometown(s) and see if there are any interesting facts about them. I didn't find much, so here's just a few random facts:

I live just outside of Columbus, OH. Columbus is the capital of Ohio. Nearby is a town (Reynolsburg) that claims it's the home of the tomato. (It's where the man who created the different varieties lived and worked). My town of Canal Winchester had the Erie Canal running through it. And John Glen was from my college town of New Concord, Oh (and he went to my college - Muskingum College.) Oh, and New Concord has the only two S bridges that I know of. (stone bridges in the shape of an s) And that makes me think of the Y bridge in nearby Zanesville, OH.

Random, but interesting I hope. :)

Melissa said...

We live in Kingsville, Texas...named after the King Ranch which is still the largest operating ranch in the United States. The story behind the ranch is actually quite fascinating and a great history lesson. :) http://www.king-ranch.com/legacy_overview.html

Viki said...

I live close to Cleveland, Ohio. President James A. Garfield was from this area and is buried here. Cleveland was an industrial city but over the years, jobs have been shipped overseas. It is a depressed area now. Years ago, the Cuyahoga River caught on fire because of pollution in the water. Cleveland is also known as the home of Rock and Roll and we have the Rock and Roll museum. We have a World Class Orchestra, Playhouse Square (Broadway shows), and Wonderful Museums. We have the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals with a terrific Rainbow and Babies Children s Hospital. We also have Lake Erie for swimming, boating and fishing. A Christmas Story was made here. In fact, some guy bought it and restored it and he has tours that people can go and see it.

Jenna said...

Oh FUn!! I'm from Nashville, Arkansas. Nashville is home of Dillards Department store. Mr. Dillard opened it in Nashville in 1938. Also, the largest Dinosar footprints were found in Nashville near the gypsum mine that are now on display at the park. Nashville was also once a HUGE center for peach trade.
Now I live in Benton, AR. Home of Pitcher and Cy young award winner Cliff Lee who I saw at the gym last night and was so star struck that I tripped and he laughed at me :)

Flying Squirrel Fan said...

Ok, so I didnt know anything interesting about Raymore, MO so I looked it up and the most interesting thing I found was that we are getting 2 miles of new sidewalk....then eventually I found that Luke Snyder, a professional bull rider, is from here. But Cass County was once the scene of some of the most horrific guerrilla fighting during the Civil War and Order Number 11 forced residents from Cass and several nearby counties to leave their homes or prove loyalty to the union. The plan was to stop Quantrill and his guerillas, but it didnt work. If you'd like more on this, I did a 45 minute livign history presentation on it at Burr Oak Woods. I could go on for days about interesting facts of my last place I lived, however you probably already know all of them...

Missy said...

Like you guys we live and homeschool in a park. Our park is a little larger than yours though. Our family lives in the Grand Canyon National Park. Yes, we live IN the park (and you understand how all this works). Our home is 90 miles from the nearest real town but only about .5 miles from the edge of the Canyon.

My husband is one of the shuttle drivers for the park bus system. We are originally from Texas but have been here for 3 years now.

There is only one other family here who home schools but they live on the forest, not in the park. We don't know them well. Things can be really fun here or really boring with not much in between. Sometimes we love being here and sometimes we hate it.

The best part: a lovely back yard. The worst part: Bad(really bad)food

Julie said...

ha ha - I live in a tiny town called Plantersville TX. where the best place to eat is also the only gas station in town!

Julie
www.ridingaside.blogspot.com

Andrea said...

We live in Kingwood, TX, also named after King Ranch. It is a master planned community, so there is very little history here. We lived in Danbury, CT from 2002002-2007. It is called the Hat City because at one time in produced over 25% of the countries hats...including all of the Stetson hats. Now that's history.

The Retired Mama said...

I grew up in El Paso, Texas which is the 6th largest city in Texas and the 22nd largest in the USA. It was a wonderful place to be a kid with the Hueco Tanks close by for rock climbing and the Franklin mountains for picnics. The best unique aspect of El Paso is the star on the mountain. It is lit every night and is seen up to 100 miles away. Every time I go home and see it my heart smiles.

MrsMama said...

Lawrence, Kansas was home to the inventor of basketball and the discoverer of Pluto.

Both the Oregon and Santa Fe trails run though Lawrence and the surrounding county.

Our college town is very artsy with a fun downtown and is in a beautiful part of Kansas. If you come during June, you can see huge fields of sunflowers blooming.

JW said...

We live in Danville, Illinois, home of Dick VanDyke, Jerry VanDyke, Gene Hackman,Donald O'Connor, Bobby Short and Joe Tanner (NASA astronaut).

Jennifer said...

We live in eastern Ohio near the tiny town of Augusta. My family has operated a fruit and vegetable market here since the 1800s - seven generations! We have a growing Amish community here, also. There are many historical places in our county. I thought you might be interested to read about some of the Civil War, Revolutionary War and Native American points of interest. Here's a link! http://www.carrollcountyohio.com/history/Historical%20sites/McCooks/McCooks.htm

Have fun learning about the world!

Martha said...

Torrance, California - you can call it LA. We live 5 miles from the Pacific, 30 minutes from Disneyland and palm trees are all around.

Keep blogging! love reading about your family.

Osage Bluff Quilter said...

I live in Osage Bluff Missouri, it's a part of Jefferson City. Here are some facts about my town . . .

The first Capitol in Jefferson City burned in 1837 and a second structure completed in 1840 burned when the dome was struck by lightning on February 5, 1911.

Anheuser-Busch brewery in St. Louis, Missouri is the largest beer producing plant in the nation.

Missouri was named after a tribe called Missouri Indians; meaning "town of the large canoes"

Jefferson City, Missouri, the state's capital, was named for Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States.

In 1865 Missouri became the first slave state to free its slaves.

State musical instrument: fiddle State bird: blue bird Population is 40, 771

Come anytime for a visit!

Marge said...

I live in Mankato, Minnesota, and I'm afraid we have a black mark on our past. Our town hung 38 Sioux Indians in the middle of what is now our downtown. This was all during the Sioux Uprising where the white man and the native Americans took part in horrible things. A lot of the battles of this uprising took place within 50 miles of Mankato.

And, probably more important to a lot of folks, Mankato is mentioned many times in the Little House on the Prairie TV series as the town where Pa took the grain. We aren't far from Walnut Grove where the Ingalls family spent time on the Banks of Plum Creek.

And now we are the home of the summer training camp for the Minnesota Vikings football team.

However, we are spending a couple of months in Texas, and just yesterday toured the King ranch that commenters Melissa and Andrea spoke of! It's a small world!

Anonymous said...

eHow Fun! Greg and I did have fun playing with the globe when we were in last...let's see...Shreveport, La...(heading to Google)...home to many recently filmed movies (Mr. Brooks, The Guardian, Premonition (which was actually filmed in my landlords house..neato!), Disaster Movie, W.,etc.)...home of "Louisiana Hayride" at the Municipal Auditorium where Elvis got his start..Home of the Shreveport Mudbugs (Hockey team) and BattleWings (arena football team)...ok...how's that?

Anonymous said...

Well, I live in Rocket City USA - otherwise known as Huntsville, Alabama (but I have relatives in Arkansas!) Huntsville is the home of the Space and Rocket Camp where people from all over the world come to get a taste of the exploration of space. Here is also displayed in its own building a Saturn V rocket, the rocket that boosted all the astronauts into space who landed on the moon.

Joan
(Had to go anonymous - Google says I gave it an incorrect password - and I've been on Google for years with the same password!)

Life with the Akin Clan said...

We live in Longview, TX. We are not an exciting town by any means but there are a few neat things. Our town holds the Great Texas Balloon Race every year in July. Balloonist come from all over to participate. Matthew Mcconaughey (the actor) is from here, along with David Wesley, a basketball player and Neal McCoy, a country singer. Robert Newhouse, a retired Dallas Cowboy, and Bobby Taylor, a former Philadelphia Eagle, also are from Longview. We are the home of 4 colleges, the most notable being LeTournea University. They are known for their aeronautical & engineering programs. The famous Dalton Gang rode through here and robbed the bank in the late 1800's. You can read about it here:http://www.texasescapes.com/AllThingsHistorical/BankRobberyDaltonGangBB502.htm

Another great geography lesson comes from the Highlight magazine. They mail you, for a small fee, an adventure each month in a different country. There is always a mystery to solve. My kids love it!

Unknown said...

Well, I live in a very small town- Winder, Georgia. I don't know a great deal of our history except that we were named "Jug Tavern" and we are in named in the book To Kill a Mockingbird. My family, most all of us were born and raised here. My grandfather started the first AA group here uh-oh, maybe you don't want to explain AA to the buckaroos just yet ;-). We are 30 minutes from Athens (home of the Georgia Bulldogs) and only 45 minutes from Stone Mountain (a must see if you get to Georgia). I absolutely love living in a small town where everbody knows all about you and sometimes know too much about you!! Come see us some time. Our State Park is Fort Yargo if you are interested in looking it up.

Memaw's memories said...

I live in Lake City, Arkansas. There is no lake near our city, it was named for a dance hall that was built out over the river prior to prohibition.

Lake City has a popultion of about 1500. We are primarily a farming community raising cotton, soybeans, corn, milo and rice.

Until we consolidated with another school, we had one of two of the most unusual mascots in the US. We were the Lake City Catfish.

Our small town is about 20 minutes from Jonesboro, where Arkansas State University is located.

mimis kitchen52 said...

I live in Trego, Wisconsin. Loggers would use the local river to float logs down to St. Croix Falls, Wis. which would lead to the Mississippi River in Minnesota. Come and camp along the Namekagon River and float it or canoe it!

Kelly said...

We live in Baltimore, MD. Home of the Ravens and Orioles. The Chesapeake Bay the home of great fishing and blue crabs. We are 2 hrs from the atlantic ocean and 3 hrs from the snow resorts. The best of both close by.

Andi said...

I live near Oklahoma City, OK. We have lots of tornadoes, and yet nobody seems to react unless Gary England, our most trusted meteorologist says we should take cover. We are home to the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. We have an NBA team, the Thunder. I really don't know a lot about Oklahoma City. I'm fairly new to the City, as we call it. But it has a river walk and the downtown area is known as Bricktown, and is designed to draw lots of tourists...which I guess it does.

Are you looking into ways to travel to my Pre-Season Premiere of Survivor party/Super Bowl Party?

Don't think I forgot that challenge!

Basketwebb said...

We live just a few miles south of Akron, Ohio. I was amazed at how many of your readers are from OH! The Goodyear Blimp flies over our backyard several times a week. It is really cool to see it!

For over 80 years, Goodyear blimps have adorned the skies as very visible corporate symbols of the tire and rubber company that began operations in 1898.

Today, these graceful giants travel more than 100,000 miles across the United States per year as Goodyear's "Aerial Ambassadors."

The blimp tradition began in 1925 when Goodyear built its first helium-filled public relations airship, the Pilgrim. The tire company painted its name on the side and began barnstorming the United States. Humble beginnings to an illustrious history.

Over the years, Goodyear built more than 300 airships, more than any other company in the world. Akron, Ohio, the company's world headquarters, was the center of blimp manufacturing for several decades.

During World War II many of the Goodyear-built airships provided the U.S. Navy with a unique aerial surveillance capability. Often used as convoy escorts, the blimps were able to look down on the ocean surface and spot a rising submarine and radio its position to the convoy's surface ships. . . in essence acting as an early warning system. Modern surveillance technology eventually eclipsed the advantages of the airship fleet, and in 1962 the Navy discontinued the program.

Today, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company no longer mass-produces airships. In the United States it operates three well-recognized blimps: the Spirit of Goodyear, based in Akron, Ohio; the Spirit of America, based in Carson, California; and the Spirit of Innovation, in Pompano Beach, Florida.

Hope the buckaroos enjoy reading about a great advertising ikon the Goodyear Blimp from Akron, OH.

The Howes Family said...

Boys get your globe and spin it around to find us.
We live in Okinawa, Japan.
Our island is in the ocean south of Japan.
Our island is 67 miles long and 2-14 miles wide. Your park must be MUCH larger!
It is so beautiful and there are lots of fun things to do.
We are getting ready to go see cherry blossoms!
Naha (the capital) is the largest city.
There are 1.3 million people living on Okinawa. There are 100,000 people that live on the other inhabited islands of the Ryukyu Island chain.

1% of the population of Japan lives on Okinawa.

There is one vending machine for EVERY SEVEN PEOPLE.

You can go out on a boat and see blue whales as they migrate south.

If you ever do a unit study on Japan or Asia let me know. I can send you guys a box of Japanese goodies if you want. They have the coolest/strangest snacks!
(we used to home school and loved it)

On our blog we have lots of pictures of Okinawa.