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United States Geography and LEGO Bricks

For many years of our homeschool journey, I saw learning through the lens of a LEGO lover.

This is NOT an exaggeration.

We integrated LEGO bricks with nearly every subject. We built LEGO animal cells, LEGO landmarks, LEGO continents. My son spent several years building simple (and more complex!) machines with LEGO. We learned about rhythms in music with LEGO. Multiplication was learned with LEGO.

You get the picture. (And, you can see the journey for yourself at the LEGO Learning page!)

When I received this United States Geography/LEGO Brick building kit in the mail, I knew I had to share it with you… we received it on our doorstep at 6:30 p.m. and it was built by 9 p.m. (That’s how much my 15 year-old loved it!)

Learn About United States Geography with LEGO Bricks

(I received this product in exchange for my honest review. There has been no other compensation provided. I am simply sharing this with you because we loved it and think your LEGO lover will, too!)


United States Map Building Kit

Designed by Paul Bacio Custom Brick Sculptures, this kit comes with the following:

  • 1,395 new LEGO bricks to build the US Map (and yes, they are LEGO bricks, not an off-brand)

  • Digital Download (175 pg. PDF) with the building instructions AND facts about each state

  • Finished creation is 32x17 inches

The box is very well organized. The bricks for each state come in a labeled bag (see the video I made below).

The directions for me to access the instructions were in the box and I quickly downloaded the PDF and sent it to my son so he could access it on his Chromebook.

As you can see, my son squirreled the set up to his room and laid everything out on his desk.

I did not hear from him for the next few hours!

A few quick checks allowed me to see that he put the map together exactly as shown in the instructions. He would find the labeled bag, and complete the state.

He did keep telling me, “What a cool idea this guy has!”.

We also remarked that our friends in Classical Conversations Cycle 3 (American History) and Challenge A (drawing the continents) would really like this resource.

Here is the finished product. It’s impressive when you look at it.


Our Thoughts About the United States Map Building Kit

My son and I are very impressed with Paul Bacio’s creativity and think there is a much-needed place for this type of LEGO learning product.

I encourage you to check out his entire site for even more ideas and resources.

My wheels are still turning with ideas on how you could use this with younger children - focusing on just a specific geographic region at a time and going deeper with individual state studies.

The price is $175, but with the code HGL10OFF, you receive 10% off this kit, which makes it comparable to any LEGO kit out there. This code is good for anything on the site, too.

Offer expires 12/31/20.


Leave a comment below if your child adores creating with LEGO bricks.

Have you discovered any fun ways to learn with them recently?

October 2020 Reading Recap

October was a month of highs and low in my reading.

There were a couple of absolutely wonderful books, and then there was actually one book that I wrote “NO” by in my reading journal!

My son and I finished a classic together (big win!), and I also read a take-off on that classic that infuriated me!

My faith grew, as did my passion for homeschooling.

I’m extremely thankful for time to read, and an Instagram community where I can share and learn about books.

Reading Recap/October 2020 - Homegrown Learners

All of the reading recaps for this year can be found here.

A well read mother brings depth and knowledge to her homeschool. She also prepares herself for beautiful conversations, a broader world, and creativity that comes from immersing herself in other worlds.

I hope you can find a recommendation or two from my October booklist.


Best Books of October 2020

In my book journal I give books a star rating. I like to keep track of the five star books so that when people ask me for a recommendation I can easily give them one. Here are my five star recommendations for you from October:

  • Awaking Wonder - this beautiful book from Sally Clarkson had me in tears in so many spots. No matter where you are on your homeschool journey, Sally will have encouragement and inspiration for you. Go get this book - take notes in it and love it. Then, buy a copy for a friend and give them an unexpected gift.

  • Pride & Prejudice - need I say more? My son and I read this aloud and while I’m not sure he would give it five stars, it definitely is one of my all time favorite books. I purchased a box set of Jane Austen books and lots of people on Instagram wondered where I got the cute book… so here is the link.

  • Sky Full of Stars - This book is the story of a mom (who also happens to be a homeschooling mom) with a medically fragile child - and how she ultimately learned to surrender all of her children to God’s will - and not her own. This is another one that will require a box of tissues.

  • Classic Christianity - Recommended by dear friends to my husband and me, this will be a book I recommend to anyone who will listen. It gives you a different and beautiful take on Christianity - that I’m pretty sure you haven’t thought of before.

  • Everything Beautiful in Its Time - Jenna Bush Hager writes about losing three of her grandparents in a very short period of time. I listened to the audio, and she’s a fantastic narrator! She also reflects a lot on the beauty and fragility of life. She shares her family’s tradition of letter writing with us, too. This is another moving book.

Skip These Two Books!

The Heiress: The Revelation of Anne de Bourgh (A Pride & Prejudice Novel) - this book (which will not be published until Jan. 2021, tells the story of Lady Katherine de Bourgh’s feeble daughter, Anne.

In this story Anne has been addicted to laudanum for most of her life, and when she comes of age she gains the courage to break her addiction and flee to London. Through her growing independence, she discovers a lot about herself, including her attraction to other women. I understand what the author was trying to do, but it just didn’t deserve the title “A Pride & Prejudice Novel” in my opinion!

Leave The World Behind - This book has been raved about by many respected book critics. It is a dystopian novel - where the entire world is collapsing. We see this collapse through two families just outside of New York City who don’t know what is happening. They just know there are many strange things occurring. The book fell completely flat for me and I gave it two stars.

The other books read this month received four stars from me, so I would recommend them to you. Scroll down and click on the book cover to find out more about the books.


I always want to know what YOU are reading.

Leave me a comment below and tell me your favorite book from October!

October 2020 Reading Recap @ Homegrown Learners