When I began looking for a history curriculum to use with my 5th grader this year, I knew I wanted something fun for him. The past two years, I have combined history for both my boys. Our first year of homeschooling, we used Story of the World. Last year, we went through From Adam to Us by Notgrass. This year I wanted something not so formal. When I was in 5th grade, I remember learning all the states and their capitals so we talked about what he wanted to learn this year and we finally decided on a state study. I put together a hodgepodge of different books, printables, games, and videos to begin our study of each of the 50 states.
Books
These two books are the main spine of our study. I bought the National Geographic Atlas new with an order of curriculum I placed. The Time for Learning States book, I found used at a homeschool book store.
We sometimes also use these two books for even more information. Both the Scholastic and National Geographic books were found at a thrift store.
Printables
I also combined a variety of different printables to create a notebook for him to take notes in as we learned about each state. Then I put the pages together in the order in which each became a state. We began with Delaware and will end with Hawaii.
This is the cover of his notebook that I created myself. I then laminated it to help it hold up throughout the year.
The back cover is a printable chart of the state flags I found at guruparents.com and also laminated.
The state color pages on the right of the notebook are from 123homeschool4me.com. I’m not sure where I found the state fact pages on the left of the notebook. When I find them again, I will give credit and post the link. 
Here is a somewhat completed page. He is my colorer, but thinks he is getting too big for it.
Games
We used these games to help reinforce the state capitals and where the states are located. By this point in the year he already knows them all so now the games are just for fun. The Scrambled States of America Game is one of his favorites.
I found this Name that State game at a thrift store. Do you see a pattern? I love thrift stores, not only because I sell on eBay, but because I find great resources for homeschooling.
These flash cards I downloaded from Warm Hearts Publishing are also a fun way to learn the states. Each card has a specific state and also a map of the United States with the state’s location colored in. On the back is the name of the state.
Videos
We also watch videos about each state. His favorites are from Homeschool Pop. They have short and interesting YouTube videos on each state. There are also a variety of other videos that can be found.
My hodgepodge of ideas was a hit this year. The state study has become one of his favorite subjects. There are so many ideas out there if you don’t want to use a specific curriculum. Don’t be afraid to use a variety of resources to help your child learn.