United States

Wow....I don't know exactly when or how it began, but Connor started learning the American states. When he was an infant, I bought a placemat featuring a map of the U.S., thinking he might one day like it. (In Japan I used it almost daily to show how large the U.S. actually is and where Joe and I were from.)
After we got back, it went back to life as an actual placemat, used to make clean-up after mealtime quick and easy. I probably made small talk with Connor about the various states where people he knows reside. Connor's little brain sucked it up like a vacuum cleaner; he was so interested. He knew Danielle is from Minnesota; Maria lives in New York State; Miss Laura lives in California; Grandpa and Monnie stopped by Ohio on their way back to Michigan, where Alex and Grandma Sweeney live; Mary lives in Florida; Uncle Wally lives in South Carolina, Carlos and Sofia live in Texas; and so on.
A couple of weeks ago we happened upon a giant children's atlas -- perfect for him.

I wondered how he would handle a different map of the same thing. He got it. Since then, almost every night before bed, we study the United States. I estimate he can locate and identify about 2/3 of them now. Since he can't read, it's kind of freaky sometimes.

Yesterday after school we stopped by the library, and he found a DVD featuring the book The Scrambled States of America. It's a story of what happens when the states all decide to switch places in order to see other parts of the country (Mississippi and Nevada even fall in love). Connor loves it, and it is uncanny how he recognizes the states out of their context -- New Mexico will be dancing across the screen, and he knows it. I guess his little brain stores the shapes and associates the name with the shape.
This past week, just for fun, we started talking about the state capitals. He knows a few (Jackson, MS; Austin, TX; Atlanta, Georgia; Tallahassee, FL; and sometimes Lansing, MI).

Since we got the atlas, he says his favorite state is Wyoming. ??? He's sticking with that.