of america!

A few months ago, I bought this 45-piece puzzle of the 50 states for Maya. My original intent for it was simply to use it as a visual aide when we talked about grandma and grandpa. "This is Virginia, this is Washington... this is Texas, this is California..." It was to be the means by which she could visualize the places to which we planned to travel this summer and conceptualize the distance between our home and each destination.

To our absolute shock, Maya figured out how to put the thing together! She has become a master geographer! Our little girl has fallen in love with our country, and she can pick out a map of the continental U.S. ANYWHERE.

"Momma, the United States of America... of AMERICA!!!" she squeals in delight whenever she sees a map - in books, on the computer and even checking-out at the grocery store.

Over the last few months, the U.S. map has become a center of entertainment in our home. In addition to the puzzle, we found a game on her Leap Pad called Eureka, which has anything and everything one would want to know about the 50 states. We play this game incessantly.

"The United States of America," the Leap Pad declares when powered on.

"... of AMERICA!!" she enthusiastically responds.

I was one of those children who never mastered the 50 states (especially everything east of the Mississippi). I cheated (I know) on the U.S. capitals exam in 7th grade and sold myself short in my subsequent understanding of our country's geography. Since I've become an adult, I have tried (to little avail) to relearn the U.S. capitals and the geography of the eastern United States. Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusettes, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware, Maryland... they are all so little... which one is which?!?!

Just shy of 30, I can say that I finally get it. I learned from a two-year old!! Florida: Tallahassee, Vermont: Montpelier, New Hampshire: Concord, Delaware: Dover, Texas: Austin (not, Dallas)...

My daughter has been my teacher and my inspiration.