Design a Square Dance Outfit Coloring Page

There are a whopping 24 states that have named square dance as their official state dance (or folk dance). These include: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. The point of state symbols is supposed to be to highlight what sets one state apart from the other 49, so I'm not crazy about the fact that 24 states share a state symbol. But it's not a coincidence: starting in the 1960's, square dancers across the country petitioned to make their hobby the official national dance. Despite many attempts, it never passed (the story is fascinating) and square dancers turned their attention to state legislatures. Obviously, that was far more successful. 

Because of the popularity of square dancing throughout American history and its status as a state symbol for so many, I wanted to design a craft inspired by it. I settled on the most iconic aspect: the outfits. Students can use my coloring page to design clothing for a square dance couple standing in promenade. I opted not to add faces or hair, as if the clothes were on mannequins. Feel free to add in whatever features you'd like.  

Square Dance Outfit Coloring Page

The first thing I did before making my coloring page was to research square dance outfits. Square Up Fashions gave me a good idea of what's popular amongst square dancers. Check out some of the dresses and skirts they currently have for sale: 

I used the basic shape of the outfits to draw a very simplified couple.

I scanned and copied my drawing. I put two couples on one page (so I could try different designs) and printed it out. 

I colored in both images with my Ohuhu Honolulus, then added details with a black fineliner. The first design (purple and black) is at the top of the post. Here's one in shades of blue. 

I tried to make the two couples look as different from each other as possible, while still staying true to what square dancers might actually wear. It was a lot of fun. As is square dancing! The last time I did square dancing was at Trevor's 4th grade Gold Rush camp in 2016. I'm overdue to do some square dancing again!

The Best Tour in Every State, Part 1

Yelp recently published an article called The Best Tour in Every State. To find their winners, they identified businesses in the Tours category, then ranked them based on the total volume and ratings of reviews. The list is interesting and there are plenty of tours on it that I would enjoy. Others, not so much. (There are three alligator tours on the list and two of them mention "hold" or "hands-on" which are major red flags.) Boats are a common theme, but there are plenty of tours for those who want to stay on dry land. Almost every tour is guided, but they did include a self-guided tour on the list. A few are seasonal - you won't be taking a snowmobile tour in the summer, nor doing whitewater trips in snowy states in the winter. Anyway, it's an interesting list.

One of the neatest things about having been to all 50 states is that I can make lists like this too. But first I had to decide what the definition of a tour is. Obviously, when you get onto a bus, boat, train, wagon, etc. and someone drives you around telling you about stuff, that's a tour. If you're on a Segway (ugh), bike, scooter, or just walking and there's someone leading the way and telling you about stuff, that's a tour. If you put on headphones and move from one location to another as directed by the narration, that's a tour. It's still a tour if the narration starts when you press a button, or if you just read signs that take you from the first stop to the next. Basically, a tour involves being told where to start and where to go next, with factual information conveyed along the way. If you can wander around and look at what interests you with no obligatory path, maybe skipping some items, maybe returning to something... that's not a tour. So I don't consider most museum visits to be tours. Likewise, a bus, boat, or train ride is not a tour if there isn't a narration component along the way. 

With my definition in place, let's look at the first ten states. If you click on the name of the state at the beginning of each entry, it will take you to a list of all the activities we've done in that state. The link within the text will take you to the narrative about the specific tour I've named the best. 

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Alabama

The best tour that Steve, Trevor, and I took in Alabama was at Oak Mountain State Park. It was absolutely fantastic. Oak Mountain is gorgeous, even in the middle of the winter. I can only imagine it would be stunning in other seasons. You can find ranger-guided tours and educational programs at the Treetop Nature Trail, the Alabama Wildlife Center, the Oak Mountain Interpretative Center, and more. 

Alaska

We've done so many incredible tours in Alaska that it's really hard to pick a favorite. But I'm going to give that honor to the Musher's Camp Tour and Sled Dog Experience that we did in Skagway. It was so much fun and such an iconic Alaska experience. That was before I was blogging about travel, so there's no post to link to. But here's a picture of us with one of the dogs who pulled our sled.

Arizona

The best tour I've taken in Arizona was by Rising Phoenix Tours. I learned so much about the past and present of Phoenix and what makes it unique. In addition to seeing the sights, we also stopped at a bunch of creative businesses. (It was during an AFCI-sponsored trip, so Steve and Trevor weren't with me for this tour.)

Arkansas

The best tour we took in Arkansas was at Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site. Actually, it is one of the best tours I've taken anywhere, in my entire life. Ranger Rebecca did an amazing job bringing the history to life. This tour was one of the highlights not only of this particular trip, but of our entire time visiting all 50 states. 

California

This one is really tough. I've taken dozens, if not hundreds, of tours during my 53 years in California. I've done city tours, food tours, gold mine tours, boat tours (traveling on rivers, lakes, and the ocean, as well as tours of stationary historic boats), cave tours, redwoods tours, butterfly tours... the list goes on and on. I've toured the Jelly Belly Factory at least a dozen times. There are so many outstanding tours I could name and I hate picking one since it means leaving others out. But pick I must. Probably due to the recency effect, I'm going to select the Warner Bros Studio Tour as the best tour I've taken in California. 

Colorado

This is an easy one. The best tour I've taken in Colorado is the Celestial Seasonings Tea Tour. I've taken the tour twice and loved it both times. It is so interesting seeing all the raw ingredients and learning how they are transformed into products ready to ship. My favorite part of the tour is the Mint Room, where mint explodes at your senses in the very best of ways.

Connecticut

We spent a full day in Connecticut doing a lot of fun things... but none of them were tours. My favorite non-tour activity was going to the Pez Visitor Center. 

Delaware

The best (only) tour we took in Delaware was a docent-guided tour of the Old State House. We enjoy taking guided tours of current and former Capitol buildings when we can, but the timing doesn't always work out. Fortunately, it did in Delaware. 

Florida

I've been to Florida at least 7 times, but I can only remember a single tour I've taken there. I was about 13 when we took a bus tour at Kennedy Space Center. On account of it being the only tour I've taken in Florida, it is now officially my favorite. I don't have a photo from our visit, so I'm using one of the media photos from their website. I don't remember it looking like this in the mid-80's, but it might have. I really don't remember much about it at all. 

Georgia

My favorite tour in Georgia was the 5-hour Atlanta City Bus Tour. Our guide was fantastic and we learned so much about the history and culture of Atlanta. Highlights of the tour included Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park, the Atlanta Beltline, Ponce City Market, and much more. 

That's the end of Part 1, Alabama through Georgia. I'll be back tomorrow with Part 2, Hawaii through Maryland!

American Robin Diamond Art Ornament

I've been wanting to make a bird ornament using my copious supply of leftover drills from diamond art for a long time. I'm so happy with how this robin turned out! Don't have leftover diamonds in the correct colors? Not a problem! Substitute with what you have, buy a bunch of colors, or get just the colors that you need. Affiliate links below. 

 

American Robin Diamond Art Ornament

Materials: 

• wood slice ornament
• DOTZ Stick diamond adhesive
• pattern (below)
• diamond art drills (8001, 8318, 8356, 8443)
• dotting tools
• cornstarch / baby powder

Steps: 

Paint a thin coat of DOTZ Stick onto the wood slice, following the directions on the package. If you use too much, your ornament can crack from the moisture. 

When the adhesive is ready, apply the drills. This is the pattern I made. The stars mark the center of each axis, so the plus sign is the center of the design. 

In order to center the bird on my ornament, I put the center drill onto the center of the ornament... as best I could. The wood slices I used are quite irregular. In retrospect, I could have moved my starting drill over a hair to the left to better center the design. It didn't bother me much, so I left it that way.

Fill in the rest of the drills around that central one. 

Ordinarily, I'd suggest sealing your diamond art, but not on wood like this. Instead, rub cornstarch or baby powder over the uncovered area of the wood to eliminate the tackiness of any extra adhesive not covered by drills. 

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The American Robin is the state bird of Connecticut, Michigan, and Wisconsin, making this a great activity for kids (or adults!) in those states. But it's equally great no matter where you live. This interesting songbird is one of the most recognized and most widespread in North America. Pair your craft project with a shaped puzzle featuring the American Robin, then check out these fun facts about this beloved bird. 

50 State Quarters Coloring Pages Featuring Ink and Prismacolor Colored Pencils

Remember the state quarters coloring pages I shared back in July? I colored those with my Ohuhu Kaalas. I chose four more states and challenged myself to color them using something different. Can you tell what I used? 

It's a bit of a trick question, because I actually used two different art supplies to color these. First, I used blending brushes to cover the large areas with dye-based ink (affiliate links here and below). 

Then I used Prismacolor colored pencils to blend colors over the ink base. That part was the most fun. My least favorite part was adding all of the leaves on Connecticut's Charter Oak. 

I love these coloring pages and am eager to keep going with more states. I'm going to color the next batch with a different medium, but I'm not sure what that will be yet. Stay tuned!

Salt Dough States

When I made the state flag heart magnets, I saved some of the salt dough to make another state-themed project. I just finished painting them and I'm really happy with how they turned out. 

Here's Missouri and Nevada. I was planning to paint them with their respective state colors, but Missouri doesn't have state colors. So instead, I used the red, white, and blue of the Missouri state flag, then added a silver Gateway Arch. For Nevada (the Silver State), I did use the state colors of blue and silver. 

  

Neither Connecticut nor Iowa has state colors, so I used their flags as inspiration for the background colors. I replaced Connecticut's grape-themed Coat of Arms and Iowa's bird-and-banner with hearts.

  

For Pennsylvania and Georgia (no state colors for either) I took inspiration from their nicknames. For the Keystone State, I used the blue background of their flag, then replaced Pennsylvania's overly complicated seal with a keystone. For the Peach State, I ignored the flag altogether and painted an ombre peach background, then drew a peach.  

  

Now that I've shown you what I did, it's time to tell you how I did it! Affiliate links below. 

Salt Dough States

Materials:

• salt dough
• Silpat
• rolling pin
• printed outline of state(s), cut with scissors
• sharp knife
• Folk Art paint
• Apple Barrel paint pens
• silver Sharpie

Steps:

Roll out the salt dough a Silpat so that it is 1/4-1/2" thick. Place the cut-out state shapes onto the dough. 

Use a sharp knife to carefully cut around the edges of the states. 

Remove the paper templates. Do not try to move the cut-out shapes. You can dry them in a low oven by simply putting the Silpat on a baking sheet, but I just air-dried mine for four days. If you choose to air-dry, let them sit on the Silpat for a day without moving them until they are crusted over and pale. The following day, carefully flip them over. After another day, when the second side is crusted and pale, remove the Silpat and let the states dry completely on a cooling rack for two days. Obviously, drying time will vary significantly depending on your temperature and humidity. Make sure they are completely dry before you paint them. 

I started by painting the backgrounds for each state. When those were dry, I used the silver Sharpie and the paint pens to add the details. 

So what do you do with these? I see a lot of possibilities. If you poke a hole in them before the salt dough is dry, you can turn them into keychains. If you press an ornament hanger into them immediately after flipping them on Day 2, you can hang these on the tree. You could add a magnet to the back to put it on the fridge, or you could even use a Sharpie to write the name and capital city on the back and use them like flash cards. Lots of possibilities!

Our Most Short-Changed States

When you attempt to visit all 50 states, there are bound to be some states that get short-changed. In our family, Maine tops that list. We have spent only a single day in Maine. It was a great day, full of neat experiences, but there's obviously a lot of things we missed. Just like anywhere, you could spend months and not see everything. I'd love to return to Maine and see some of what we've missed. Just look at the beauty of the Pine Tree State.

 

Delaware is our second most short-changed state. We spent a full day in Delaware in October 2017 and had a lot of fun, but there's a lot we didn't see. It's a small state (the second smallest) and we drove through about half of it, but didn't visit the more touristy area in the south. Someday! Look at all that the First State has to offer.

When planning our June 2023 New England trip, I really wanted to spend two days in Connecticut. But the timing just didn't work out with what days of the week certain things in other states were available, and I had to cut it down to a single day. Thus, Connecticut is our third most short-changed state. We packed in a lot of really fun things, but we'll be back to see more of the Constitution State - tentatively in the fall of 2026!

Our July 2019 trip to Missouri and Kansas was split into 6 days in Missouri and one day in Kansas. This was more a reflection of how easy it was for us to get to and from Missouri than it was to Kansas. We were able to take a nonstop flight to St. Louis from Sacramento, then another nonstop flight from Kansas City to Boise to visit my family. Flying in or out of any city in Kansas would have involved layovers. Not only would it have taken a lot longer, but the flights were more expensive. So Kansas became a day trip from Missouri. Here's some of what we saw, and some of what we missed, in the Sunflower State.  

Of our most short-changed states, the one that makes me the saddest is Wyoming. We had to cancel a 2020 family reunion in Yellowstone and Grand Teton because of the pandemic. That was so disappointing. We had been to Wyoming already, but had only spent one day visiting in June 2015. So Wyoming comes in at #5 on our most short-changed state. 

Our family has spent the least amount of time in Maine, Delaware, Connecticut, Kansas, and Wyoming, in that order. But there are two other states that need an asterisk:

• New York: As a family of three, we have spent only a few hours there. We sailed into New York harbor aboard a cruise ship, then had a brief city tour on the way to the airport to fly home. However, each of us has been to New York separately for multiple-day trips. Trevor visited without us on a school trip in March 2019. 

• Virginia: This is the only state we have not visited as a family of three. However, we've each been there separately (another stop during Trevor's school trip) and spent a decent amount of time. 

Any thoughts on don't-miss places to go when we eventually make it back to our most short-changed states? Let me know in the comments!

Connecticut 2023

We've been traveling a lot (obviously) which means that I have a lot of trips to get into the scrapbook albums. Here is the page from our time in Connecticut in June. 

Connecticut 2023 (affiliate link)

I tried to get as much onto the page as possible. You'll see photos of the places we went (the Pez Visitor Center was our favorite), the food we tried (steamers and apizza - yum!), and the symbols of Connecticut that you see all over. There is their flag, of course, as well as the Charter Oak. And I couldn't forget Nathan Hale who is Connecticut's official State Hero. As far as I know, no other state has an official State Hero... but apparently not everyone thinks the legislature got it right. The governor would have voted differently. Nevertheless, I put him (Hale, not the governor) onto the layout. 

The title was really easy. The word and the leaf came from this sticker sheet (affiliate link). 

We really enjoyed our time in Connecticut and I'm happy to have the page in the album. 

Trevor's 50 State Album - Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, and New Hampshire

I just realized that I never shared the pages Trevor added to his 50 State Album following our New England trip. Four of the states we visited were new, so that means four more competed pages. 

I always enjoy seeing which photo Trevor chooses for the album. Early on, we established two "rules" - the photo must be horizontal and Trevor must be in it. He's almost always posing, smiling for the camera. I can only think of one state's page where he isn't looking at the camera. But he does have a big smile. That was a fun (busy!) day. 

I'll share the last two pages tomorrow, and tell you about my plans for the now-finished album. 

Family Fun in New England, Part 5: Connecticut

This is my fifth post about our family's visit to New England. I suggest starting with the first, second, third, and fourth posts from the trip. Because I blog about educational travel, I received admission tickets, media rates, discounts, and other benefits for some of the places we visited during our trip. A few places we went are free for everyone, while we paid full price for the rest. This has no bearing on my reviews. Everything I'm sharing is something that I recommend without hesitation. If you see any gaps in my narrative, it is because I didn't love that particular attraction, restaurant, or hotel enough to recommend it to you, regardless of how much I paid or didn't pay.

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Connecticut

We checked out of our Providence hotel on Friday, June 16 and drove 102 miles to Orange, Connecticut. Why Orange? It's home to the Pez Visitor Center. 

I've always loved Pez. I mean, doesn't everyone? Pez dispensers are cute and fun, plus the candy itself is tasty. Trevor dressed as a Pez dispenser for Halloween in 2019, and two years before that, our family visited the Pez Museum in Burlingame (sadly, now permanently closed). So it was non-negotiable that when we made it to Connecticut, we would go to the Pez Visitor Center. It was awesome. 

  

That enormous Pez dispenser is 14 feet tall. With a push of a button, the head tilts back and the orange candy comes forward. Sadly, it is not actually candy, but it is still really cool. As was everything else at the Pez Visitor Center. 

Visitors can access two floors of displays, games, and trivia about Pez. 

You can also peek into the factory. I wish we could have seen more. 

Display cases show Pez dispensers by theme. That part of the Pez Visitor Center reminded me a lot of the Bobblehead Museum. Just like at the Bobblehead Museum, you can opt to complete a challenge at Pez. We worked together to find the dates specific dispensers premiered, which was quite difficult but a lot of fun. 

Any other 1970's kids remember Barbapapa? I hadn't until I saw these. 

It was particularly neat seeing the special Pez sets. This one features Pixar characters voiced by John Ratzenberger. 

Admission to the Pez Visitor Center comes with a credit for the gift shop, so it'd be silly not to get something with your credit. We filled a tin with all the flavors of Pez (affiliate link) and have been thoroughly enjoying them. 

  

As they say, you're not famous until they put your head on a Pez dispenser. 

  

We had so much fun at the Pez Visitor Center, but that was just the start of our day. Our next stop was 21 miles away in Meriden. There, we tried one of the two main foods for which Connecticut is famous: steamers. If you're thinking clams, think again. These are steamed cheeseburgers. 

If you believe that steaming a cheeseburger instead of grilling it sounds like a questionable idea at best, you haven't been to Ted's Restaurant. And if you haven't been to Ted's Restaurant, you must. 

It's small and unassuming, but absolutely worth the visit. None of us were quite sure what to expect of a steamed cheeseburger, but let me assure you - they are the juiciest burgers you'll ever have and absolutely delicious. Make sure to get Foxon Park to enjoy with your burger. They're made in nearby East Haven, CT. Gassosa is my favorite. 

After our excellent lunch, we continued north to Hartford, which is the capital of Connecticut. First, we visited the Museum of Connecticut History. 

The museum has a lot of interesting artifacts, like the Connecticut charter... 

... and the pie pan from Frisbie's Pies that inspired the name of the Frisbee.

This display is about Connecticut changing their state's nickname from the Nutmeg State to the Constitution State. 

I think this display is about items made in Connecticut, but I'm not sure. Unfortunately, while there is a lot of interesting content in this museum, you have to hunt for it. The museum could really use a major refresh with more modern displays and interpretive signs that are easier to find and read.

This display about Colt Manufacturing Company, headquartered in Hartford, is an excellent example. There's a lot on display, but it's just not eye-catching. There's so much more they could do with the space to really highlight their interesting artifacts.

Next, we went to the Connecticut State Capitol. Contrast the ornate building with the bland exhibit room inside the Museum of Connecticut History. 

I spy the Charter Oak!

No shortage of architectural details inside or outside the Capitol!

  

  

  

There's the Liberty Bell replica!

I don't normally take pictures inside public restrooms, but I was alone in the women's room so I did. Sinks on the left, stalls on the right... what is straight ahead and why is it carpeted??

It turns out there's a lounge, with the exact same furniture my dorm lounge had in 1990! It seems like a strange place to hang out, but I'm guessing it functions as a space for nursing moms rather than somewhere to have meetings or eat lunch or something. 

Outside the Capitol, people were working to repaint portions of the Black Lives Matter mural along Trinity Street that had been defaced. Black Lives Matter, and the fact that someone would put messages of hate on those very words prove the point. 

We strolled through Bushnell Park on the way to our next destination. It's a nice park, with water features and a carousel, and lots of plants and green space. But that's not all. In 1854, it became America's first public park. 

Feel free to skip the Bushnell Plaza Sculpture Garden. Or see it, if you're there anyway. I like the idea behind it, but it was underwhelming. 

Our next stop was the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. We were there for their free happy hour and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. 

These porcelain flowers were stunning. 

Dinner was at Frank Pepe Pizzeria, famous for their white clam apizza. 

If any of the three of us liked clams, we would have gotten the white clam pie since it is quintessentially Connecticut. But it would have been very wasteful to order clams, then have all three of us pick them off and leave them. Instead, we got their spring special, a white pie with mozzarella, bacon, spinach, roasted tomatoes, pecorino romano, and olive oil. It was phenomenal. And, of course, we had Foxon Park soda to go with it. 

After a full day in Connecticut, it was time to say farewell to the Constitution State. We crossed into Massachusetts and stayed at the Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place. Tomorrow I'll tell you how we spent our time in Springfield.