Since Childhood have had a love of maps. Since we were an Army family and changed schools freq. (11 times in 12 years of school)my mother would get books and maps about where we were going next and we would pour over the maps and check out info. about the place and people.Some time we know more about the place we were stationed than the locals. I always did great in naming states and capitals, what the area was known for,etc.Over the years it has become a hobby to me,and I am amazed how little young people today know about our country and the different states. Some high schooler can't even name their capital or where it is located from their town.I don't know why but it seem to be a problem with learning about this great country we have and the various people that are in it. You can't have pride in something that you know nothing about. So get those google and mapquest going and get the atlas out and show the kids where something is located and learn what is produced there and what kind of people are there.You can goggle or bing( I prefer bing) any state or town and get tons of info from their web page. Even if you can't visit in person, you can have a pretend trip by just going online and getting all the infor. needed for a trip. I can't afford a cruise right now, but I went into that ship page and planed my perfect cruise to Alaska,or Europe. Hey, teach your kids to dream outside the box so they can put down the ipod or phone some day and see what a great place we have here in the USA.
No matter what the political climate or the jobs are doing, We have the option to move where we can enjoy a better life and it is still in the good old USA. There are no other countrys where you can do that.