Cherry Craft for Kids - Practicing Shadows and Highlights

The United States is the second-largest producer of cherries in the world (Turkiye is #1). We grow two main types: sweet cherries and tart cherries. The top cherry-producing states for sweet cherries are Washington, California, and Oregon (in that order). Michigan dominates tart cherry production; Traverse City is called The Cherry Capital of the World and home to the National Cherry Festival. Interestingly, only one state has named the cherry as its state fruit and it's not any of those four. It's Utah, which is the only state in the top 5 producers of both sweet and tart cherries. Cherry proponents in Michigan have attempted to name the cherry their state fruit, but the powerful blueberry lobby has thwarted their efforts. 

Today's project allows young creators to practice adding shadows and highlights to their artwork. It starts with a basic pair of cherries cut from cardstock and uses student-grade Crayola colored pencils. Affiliate links below. 

 

Cherry Craft: Practicing Shadows and Highlights

Materials:

• cardstock (red, green, white)
• scissors
• craft glue
• colored pencils (grey, brown, black)

Steps: 

Cut two cherries from red cardstock. Start with rounded shapes, then add a dimple on one side. Cut two skinny green stems and a green leaf. Finally, cut a tiny green square shape that connects the two stems. Glue everything to a piece of white cardstock. 

Find a reference photo of cherries and look closely at the shadows and highlights on them. Cherries are quite reflective, so you'll see shiny white highlights on them. Notice the shadows as well. Drawing in a tiny circular motion, use a white colored pencil to add the highlights to your cherries. Then use a grey pencil to add shadows, using the same circular motion. 

Don't forget the stems and the leaves! Draw veins on the leaf, then shade the lower half with grey and the upper half with white. Add a shadow to each stem. Finally, color the little rectangle brown. 

It only takes a few minutes to add so much dimension to your project. For additional practice, you can choose another reference image with the light source coming from a different direction and repeat this activity. Or, switch to a coloring an apple. Like cherries, apples are glossy and provide great practice for highlights and shadows. 

The City I Most Want to Visit in Each State, Part 5: Massachusetts to Missouri

This is the fifth post in a series. I recommend reading the first, second, third, and fourth posts before this one. Today I'll be picking the city in Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, and Missouri that I most want to visit, then listing my top 2 attractions in each location. 

---------

The City I Most Want to Visit in Each State, Part 5: Massachusetts to Missouri

 

 

The city I most want to visit in Massachusetts is Provincetown. While I've been to Cape Cod, we didn't make it all the way to the tip where Provincetown is located. This town is most famous for being the landing site for the Mayflower in 1620. I would most like to visit the Province Lands Visitor Center at Cape Cod National Seashore. The other attraction that interests me the most is the Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum. 

I am most interested in seeing Grand Rapids during my next visit to Michigan. Grand Rapids is home to the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum (although not the Presidential Library; they're typically colocated, but in this case the Library is 130 miles away in Ann Arbor, another city I'd like to visit). The other attraction I'd like to see is the Grand Rapids Public Museum. 

The city I'd most like to visit in Minnesota is Duluth. Duluth is a port city located on Lake Superior, and is the largest and busiest port on the Great Lakes. Fun fact: The Port of Duluth is the world's farthest inland port accessible to oceangoing ships. When I make it to Duluth, I want to take a narrated boat tour of Lake Superior and the Duluth Harbor, then visit the Lake Superior Zoo. 

Natchez is the oldest continuous settlement on the Mississippi River and also is the city in Mississippi I'd most like to visit. The top two attractions I want to see are Natchez National Historical Park and the Natchez Museum of African American Culture. 

Independence is the city I most want to visit in Missouri. It is best known as the main starting point for the hundreds of thousands of pioneers who traveled west on covered wagons along the Oregon, California, and Santa Fe Trails. I would love to learn more about this history at the National Frontier Trails Museum. Independence was also home to President Harry Truman; the Truman Presidential Library and Museum is my other priority when I visit. 

-------

Have you visited any of these cities? What else do you recommend I do there? Leave any suggestions you have in the comments!

Perler Bead Lighthouse

My latest internet rabbit hole led me to lighthouses. I learned that there are 750+ standing lighthouses in the US, of which approximately 450 work. All are fully automated. There are lighthouses in 31 states; Michigan has the most by far. There is some debate about how to define what exactly a lighthouse is, but most experts agree that Michigan has around 129. Maine and New York each have around 65, followed by Massachusetts (52), California (45), Wisconsin (43), Washington (30), Florida (30), North Carolina (29), and Ohio (26). 

The vast majority of lighthouses are white for easy visibility. Some have colored patterns (usually black, red, or unpainted brick) called "daymarks" that provide a contrast with the sky and water for easy identification during daylight. Lighthouses come in a wide variety of shapes and styles. Rather than design a craft for one specific lighthouse, I decided to make a generic design that represents the hundreds of lighthouses in our country. Affiliate links below. 

Perler Bead Lighthouse

Materials:

• large square pegboard
• Perler fuse beads
• iron

Steps: 

Start by placing three black beads at the bottom center of the pegboard. Add five white beads on either side of the black beads. Repeat this same pattern for the next three rows up. Then add four rows of 13 white beads, then one row of 13 grey beads. 

Add two rows of 11 white beads centered over the grey row. Then make three rows with two white, two black, three white, two black, and two white. Add two more rows of 11 white beads, then 11 grey beads, then 11 black beads.

The next row up has 9 black beads. Then add three rows with one black, three yellow, one black, three yellow, and one black. The next row has 11 black beads. Add two rows of 7 black beads, then one row with 5 black beads, one row with 3 black beads, and a single black bead at the top. 

My pattern is easy to alter if you want to make a lighthouse that looks different. Just change out the colors to add daymarks, make it wider, make it taller (you'll need to use a second board), move the windows, etc. You can base your project on an existing lighthouse or design your own like I did!

Common Loon Craft

The common loon is a beautiful and distinctive bird that lives primarily on lakes in the northern US and Canada. An expert diver, 80% of its diet is fish. The loon is the state bird of Minnesota (and the provincial bird of Ontario, Canada) and is also found in abundance in Wisconsin, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, and Alaska. Make a loon of your own by following this easy tutorial. Affiliate links below. 

Common Loon Craft

Materials: 

• cardstock (black, two shades of blue)
• scissors
• colored pencils
• white Posca pen
• craft glue

Steps: 

Cut out the basic shape of the loon from black cardstock. Draw your own on scratch paper first or print my shape below in the correct size to use as a template. 

Shade the loon's beak with a grey colored pencil. Use a black colored pencil to add a line to define the upper and bottom mandible. 

Color the eye orange, then add a black pupil in the center. Use an extra-fine Posca marker to add a white catchlight at the top of the eye. 

Draw a series of vertical lines along the throat and the back of the neck to make the distinctive bands. 

Use a Posca pen to make the rest of the markings on the loon: white hatch marks on its breast, curved white lines on its shoulders, and blocks of white on the wing that are bigger at the top and center than lower and on the sides. Finally, use the grey colored pencil to define the tail feathers. 

The underside of the loon is white like its chest, but I didn't bother coloring it since I knew it would be covered by the water. Also, I trimmed the loon to give it a more rounded bottom. Here's my finished loon. 

Cut three (or more) strips of cardstock to make the lake water. You want them to be a little wavy. Glue one piece to your background paper, then glue the loon on top of that. Glue the next strip so that it covers the underside of the loon, then glue the final strip over that. 

I'm glad to have made this project and learned more about this super cool bird!

Deer Easter Egg

For my next state symbol Easter egg, I chose a deer. The white-tailed deer is the state animal of Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina, the state game animal of Oklahoma, and the wildlife symbol of Wisconsin. Affiliate links below.

  

Deer Easter Egg

Materials:

• egg (raw, hardboiled, or empty)
• acrylic paint (brown)
• brown cardstock
• scissors
• colored pencil (white)
• black paint pen
• craft glue

Steps: 

Paint the brown. While the paint is drying, cut out a pair of antlers, a pair of ears, and a tail. Make each a little longer than needed; fold back a small tab at the base. (This is where you'll be putting glue.) Use a white colored pencil to color the inside of the deer's ears. Color the edges and the underside of the tail white. 

Use the paint pen to add a nose to the pointed end of the egg. Add eyes and a mouth. Glue the ears,  antlers, and tail in place. 

The Best and the Worst of the 50 State Seals, Part 3

This is the third post (of five) rating the designs of each of the 50 state seals. I suggest starting with the first post, which gives the background and explains the criteria I'm using for grading. 

---------

Rating the State Seals: Massachusetts through New Jersey

The Massachusetts state seal was modified most recently in 1900. It includes the coat of arms of Massachusetts, which depicts a Native man holding a bow and an arrow pointing down. Above his head is the state crest, a disembodied arm holding a sword; this is controversial and is the primary reason Massachusetts is developing a new seal, flag, and motto. The banner below the coat of arms loosely translates to "By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty," which is the state motto. The text around the seal translates to "The Seal of the Republic of Massachusetts." I am very glad to see that Massachusetts will have a new state seal. All of the choices are much better than this existing one, which depicts two weapons and little else. 

Design: 1.5, Representation: 1.5 = 3

The state seal of Michigan includes the state's coat of arms. On a dark blue shield, there is an image of a man standing by a lake with the sun rising behind him. His raised hand represents peace and the gun the ability to defend his rights. Tuebor translates to "I will defend." Around the shield are a moose, an elk, and a bald eagle. The other banners include the US motto ("Out of many, one") and the state motto ("If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you." The date at the bottom (1835) is the year the seal and coat of arms were adopted, two years before statehood in 1837. I'd prefer that the date referenced statehood, but using the coat of arms for the seal is not a bad choice. It's too busy for my taste and there's a lot of Latin going on, but now that I've taken a careful look at 21 other state seals, I can say with confidence that I've seen a lot worse. 

Design: 2.5, Representation: 3 = 5.5

Minnesota's state seal is the newest among the 50 states, adopted in 2024. It features a loon (the state bird), wild rice (the state grain), pines (the state tree), the North Star (representing the state motto, "The Star of the North"), and water representing the many lakes and rivers in the state. The phrase above the loon comes from the Dakota people and means "Land where the water reflects the sky" and is the origin of the name Minnesota. There are 98 golden bars around the outside edge, representing the 87 counties and 11 federally-recognized tribes of Minnesota. I love everything about this seal. The design is near perfection, as is the symbolism. This is the gold standard of state seals.  

Design 5, Representation 5 = 10

The state seal of Mississippi was adopted in 2014 and features a bald eagle holding an olive branch (representing a desire for peace) and arrows (representing the power to wage war). A shield with 11 stars and stripes is on its chest. "In God We Trust" appears under the eagle. While this is an aesthetically pleasing design, it's hard to ignore the similarities between it and the US Great Seal. Other than the word "Mississippi" there is literally nothing about this seal that represents the state in any way. They could have included their own state motto instead of the national one, or put their own flag on the eagle's shield, or put the date of statehood - anything. 

Design 2, Representation 0 = 2

Missouri's state seal was adopted in 1822. In the center is the Missouri coat of arms and the US coat of arms, surrounded by "United We Stand, Divided We Fall" on a belt. The crescent represents how Missouri grows in population and wealth over time, and its status as the second state formed from the Louisiana Territory (since the crescent moon is the second phase after a new moon). The grizzly (and the two on either side of the shield) represent the strength and bravery of Missourians. The helmet signifies state sovereignty and the 24 stars the fact that Missouri is the 24th state. The state motto ("The welfare of the people shall be the supreme law") appears on a banner above the date 1820, when Missouri adopted its constitution (actual statehood was 1821). Fun fact: Grizzly bears don't live in Missouri. While this isn't the most attractive design, there are a lot of elements representing the state. 

Design 2.5, Representation 4 = 6.5

The current design for the state seal of Montana was adopted in 1893. It highlights the beauty and natural resources of the Treasure State, including the mountains that led to the state's name and the stunning Great Falls of the Missouri. The plow, miner's pick, and shovel above the state motto ("Gold and Silver") symbolize the agricultural and mineral wealth of Montana. Lawmakers debated adding people, animals, and transportation to the seal but ultimately decided that it would be too cluttered. Good decision. This is among the best of the 100+ year old state seals. 

Design 4, Representation 4 = 8

Nebraska's state seal was adopted in 1867. It shows a blacksmith at work, a settler's cabin with corn and wheat nearby, a steamboat on the Missouri river, and a train headed to the Rocky Mountains, pictured on the left. A banner displays the state motto. The date of statehood is at the bottom of the seal. Overall, this is an attractive design. It represents the state's role in western expansion, but I'm not crazy about the Rockies appearing on Nebraska's seal, since they aren't within the borders. I'd rather see Nebraska's prairie represented.  

Design 3.5, Representation 3.5 = 7

The current version of the state seal of Nevada was adopted in 1866. The main image includes mountains (with snow and without), a quartz mill, a silver mine and miner, a plow, sheaf, and sickle, a wagon, a train, a telegraph line, and a rising sun. There are 36 stars for the 36th state and the state motto sits right above the state name. While there is a lot going on here, it is well-balanced and attractive and doesn't feel too cluttered. It represents many facets of historical Nevada. 

Design 4, Representation 3.5 = 7.5

The state seal of New Hampshire was modified most recently in 1931. At the center is the frigate USS Raleigh in the harbor of Portsmouth. It is surrounded by a laurel wreath. There is a granite boulder in the foreground and a rising sun in the background. 1776 represents the date it ratified the state constitution; statehood came in 1788. I'd say this seal is solidly OK. It's not the most attractive or the most representative of its state, but there's nothing inherently wrong with it. I would have done 9 yellow rays on the sun instead of 7 to represent New Hampshire's status as the 9th state. 

Design 3, Representation 3.5 = 6.5

New Jersey's state seal was modified in 1928. In the center is a shield with three plows, representing agriculture. A helmet and horse's head represent sovereignty, speed, and strength. On either side stand Libertas (goddess of liberty, holding a Liberty Cap) and Ceres (goddess of agriculture). Below them is the state motto and the date 1776, representing the first state constitution. This is another seal that is... fine. Three identical plows seems like overkill. While the goddesses don't represent New Jersey specifically, I do appreciate the tie-in to the state motto. 

Design 2.5, Representation 2.5 = 5

---------

So far, we have Arizona (10), Minnesota (10), California (9.5), Kansas (8.5), Alaska (8), Idaho (8), Montana (8), Delaware (7.5), Hawaii (7.5), Nevada (7.5), Colorado (7), Nebraska (7), Florida (6.5), New Hampshire (6.5), Missouri (6.5), Maine (6), Maryland (6), Iowa (5.5), Michigan (5.5), New Jersey (5), Kentucky (4), Louisiana (4), Indiana (4), Alabama (3), Georgia (3), Massachusetts (3), Illinois (2.5), Mississippi (2), Arkansas (1.5), and Connecticut (1). Let me know your thoughts in the comments. On Monday I'll look at the next ten seals.

Football Helmet Christmas Tree Ornaments (or Refrigerator Magnets)

Ever since making the NFL helmet refrigerator magnets, I've been paying attention to helmet designs. I had extra wooden shapes, so I decided to paint some college teams. I turned some into Christmas tree ornaments and others into magnets. Affiliate links below.  

Football Helmet Ornaments (or Magnets)

Materials: 

• wooden football helmets
• Folk Art acrylic paint
• paintbrushes - flat and liner
• hand drill 
• Mod Podge Sealer 
• decorative cord 
• self-adhesive magnets

Steps: 

Use a flat brush to paint the base coat for each helmet you are making. When the paint is dry, you can draw your design freehand. Or, if you need a little help getting the proportions of the logo just right, print out an image of the actual helmet that is the same size as the wooden helmet. Cut around the edges, then use this transfer technique to get the design onto your wooden piece. 

Use the liner brush to paint the logo onto the helmet, then paint the facemask in the appropriate color. The facemask continues onto the body of the helmet. I painted freehand, but you can sketch it out first or use the transfer technique again. 

If you are making ornaments, use a hand drill to put holes into the top of the helmet. If you are making magnets, you don't need a hole. Seal the helmet with Mod Podge. 

Add a piece of decorative cord to hang your ornament or apply a magnet to the back of the helmet. 

Here's a closer look at each of the helmets I made (before I decided which would be magnets and which would be ornaments, which is why you don't see the holes yet): 

Indiana University Hoosiers

University of Oregon Ducks

University of Nebraska Cornhuskers

University of Michigan Wolverines

University of Georgia Bulldogs

I like the versatility of this craft. You could easily have a room full of people working on the same basic craft, but each could choose their own team and whether they want it to be an ornament or a magnet. 

State Seal Glass Magnets

Today's project is a state-themed twist on a classic Mod Podge craft: glass magnets. Instead of using photos, magazine images, or ephemera for the design, use your state seal. Affiliate links below.  

State Seal Glass Magnets

Materials: 

• unfinished wood circles
• Folk Art acrylic paint - black
• flat-backed glass gems*
• state seal stickers
• Mod Podge
• self-adhesive magnets

Steps: 

Paint the wood circles black, then set them aside to dry. Center the sticker on the wood circle. Add a coat of Mod Podge to the back of a glass gem, then position it onto the sticker. Let the Mod Podge dry completely. Adhere a magnet to the back. 

When you use the magnet, pull it by the wooden part and not by the glass gem. 

*Learn from my mistake: Use slightly more expensive glass gems that are specifically made for crafting. I used the cheap ones I had on hand. Not only were they very irregular, but many of them were not crystal-clear. I tried to pick out the best ones for the project, but it's easier to use the better-quality gems to begin with. 

It's really interesting to me what each state has on their seal. Other than those states who have put their seal on their flag (ugh), I wasn't really aware of the details on most state seals. I don't think I have it in me to color all 50 state seals like I did with the state quarters, but I might pick a few of the more interesting ones and color those. 

Standing White-Tailed Deer

Native to North, Central, and South America, the white-tailed deer is one of the most widely distributed land mammals in the world. They are crepuscular, consume a wide variety of plant materials, and are highly adaptable to different habitats. White-tailed deer can sprint at speeds of 40 miles per hour, sustain speeds up to 30 miles an hour, and jump 9 feet high and 30 feet forward. 

The white-tailed deer is culturally important in the US (and beyond). It is the state animal of Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina, the state game animal of Oklahoma, and the wildlife symbol of Wisconsin. It appears on the flag of Vermont and is the mascot of the Milwaukee Bucks. Bambi is a white-tailed deer (in the Disney movie - in the Austrian book that inspired the film, Bambi is a roe deer.)

Read on to learn how to make a family of white-tailed deer that stand on their own. Affiliate links below. 

 

Standing White-Tailed Deer

Materials:

• cardstock (tan, cream)
• microtip scissors
• colored pencils (I used Ohuhu)
• craft glue

Steps:

You will need four basic shapes to make an adult male white-tailed deer: a body, legs (2), ears (2), and antlers (2). If you want to make an adult female or a baby, you don't need the antlers. Cut the body parts from cardstock, then use colored pencil to add details: a black nose, a black eye, black hooves, black shading on one ear, and white shading around the nose, under the belly, under the tail, and inside the ear. If you are making a fawn, add white dots all over its back. 

For the adult make, fold the legs in half, then glue them to the back of the deer's body. Adjust them until the deer can stand on its own. Glue one ear to the front of the deer and one to the back, then glue the antlers in place. Use the same steps, minus the antlers, for an adult female or a fawn. 

The Best Tour in Every State, Part 3

This is the third part in my series about the best tour I've taken in every state. I recommend reading the first post (Alabama through Georgia) and the second post (Hawaii through Maryland) before this one. 

-------

Massachusetts

I think we've taken more tours in Massachusetts than in any other state besides our home state of California. It was really difficult to pick a favorite, but I'm going to have to go with the Cranberry Bog Tour at the Ward family farm. It was fascinating learning about the stages in growing and harvesting cranberries and trying some of the traditional equipment in the Education Barn. 

Michigan

The best tour I've taken in Michigan was the Ford Rouge Factory Tour at the Henry Ford near Detroit. It's one of the best factory tours I've ever done... and I've done a lot of factory tours. The size and efficiency of the assembly line was amazing. This photo is from the lobby; as with many factory tours, photography of the factory floor is not allowed. 

Minnesota

The Flour Tower at Mill City Museum is the best tour I've done in Minnesota. The tour takes place in a giant elevator with stadium seats. At each floor, you see artifacts overlaid with historic film. Special effects make it feel like you're really there. It's incredible. 

Mississippi

The only tour I've taken in Mississippi was the self-guided tour of the State Capitol. It's done very well, with interesting and challenging activities to do that help teach you about the architecture and history of the building and its occupants. 

Missouri

The best tour I've taken in Missouri was the Gateway Arch Riverboat Cruise. The narrated journey along the Mississippi River provides a great view of St. Louis. We learned all about the history of the city and the importance of the river in the past and now.  

Montana

The best tour we took in Montana was the Last Chance Train Tour in Helena. The open-air, trackless train took us past historic buildings in Montana, as well as a restored miners' village, Last Chance Gulch, and more. It was a great introduction to Montana's capital city. 

Nebraska

The best tour we took in Nebraska was the Bite of Omaha culinary tour. We learned so much about the Omaha food scene and stuffed ourselves with fantastic food. 

Nevada

I've taken several great tours in Nevada, but the best was the tour of the Hoover Dam that Steve and I did in 2003, during our first-ever vacation together. 

New Hampshire

The best tour I've taken in New Hampshire was the Portsmouth Harbor Cruise. Our captain taught us so much about Portsmouth, past and present, as he took us down the Piscataqua River to where it meets the Atlantic Ocean. It was a great tour. 

New Jersey

The best tour I've taken in New Jersey was a guided tour of the Capitol building. In addition to covering the history, our guide provided a detailed look at the art and architecture of the stunning building. The photo below shows my favorite piece of artwork on display. 

If you have any tours you recommend, tell me about them in the comments. I'll be back tomorrow with the next ten states.