Ponte - Fun and simple Great Lakes state crafts: Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota

DO YOU KNOW YOUR STATES?

Learn interesting and exciting facts about Great Lakes states while creating fun crafts!

Find out about each state's capital, motto, flower, animal, and more! Make a Hopewell Indian Clay Bird, Scrap Sculpture, Vintage Race Car, and more!

"Come and discover some curious fun facts about the Great Lakes states, and in the process make some interesting crafts. Here you'll learn about each state's history and identity, including important facts about the state's flag, motto, and economy.

About the Author

June Ponte, illustrator and fine artist, grew up surrounded by her mother's artwork. She was inspired by tales of her eccentric grandfather, who used a fountain pen to draw majestic schooners on her grandmother's linen tablecloths. This is her firstseries with Enslow Publishers, Inc.

Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota are the six states in the Great Lakes region. This area is referred to as the Great Lakes region because these states border four of the five Great Lakes of the United States. The lakes are Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Erie.

The geography of the Great Lakes states is mainly flatlands, prairies, and river valleys.

Most people think of the automobile industry when they think of Michigan. This state is also known for its 3,300 miles of shoreline, its lakes, and its many forests. Lansing is the capital of Michigan, but Detroit is the largest city in the state.

Ohio is located between Lake Erie and the Ohio River. The state has rolling hills in the southern area. The land is more level in the north. Once covered by buckeye tree forests, Ohio is now an important industrial state.

Indiana has a combination of flatlands in the north and land that is mostly hilly in the south. There are more than five hundred lakes in Indiana. Hoosier National Forest covers 200,00 square miles in the hills of southern Indiana.

Illinois is mostly flat and is known as the Prairie State. The Chicago River runs through Chicago, which is located on Lake Michigans shore. The Central Plains, the Gulf Coastal Plain, and the Shawnee Hills are Illinois three regions.

Wisconsins twenty-two Apostle Islands are in Lake Superior, at the northern part of the state. Winters are very cold in Wisconsin, and people enjoy snowmobiling and other cold-weather outdoor activities. The state covers 65,500 square miles and shares a border with Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, and Iowa.

Minnesota is hot and humid in the summertime and is cold with lots of snowfall in the winter. There are thousands of lakes in the state, which were formed by glaciers long ago. The state has many plains. The northeastern area has rocky, ridged areas. In the southeastern section of the state, near the Mississippi River, the land is mainly flat.

Origin of name	Michigan comes from the Chippewa Indian word Michigama which means great lake.
Flag	The Michigan state flag is blue. In the center of the flag is a coat of arms. The coat of arms shows a man standing on a peninsula, with the sun rising over the water. An elk and a moose are on either side of the coat of arms, and a bald eagle is on top of the crest. E Pluribus Unum, which means Out of many, one, is written on a scroll above the eagle. Tuebor, meaning I will defend, is written in the coat of arms at the top. In a scroll at the bottom of the crest are the words Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice, meaning If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look around you. Image Credit: 2001 Robesus, Inc.
Capital	Lansing
Nickname	The Wolverine State
Motto	Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice (This is a Latin phrase which means, If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look around you.)
Size (in area)	11th largest
Animal	white-tailed deer Image Credit: Corel Corporation
Bird	robin Image Credit: Shutterstock
Fish	brook trout
Flower	apple blossom
Tree	white pine
Industry	automobile manufacturing, agriculture, forestry, manufacturing, mining

Michigan is the nations top cherry-producing state. In Eau Claire, Michigan, a cherry pit spitting contest is held. The person who can spit a cherry pit the farthest wins. One person was able to spit a cherry pit more than ninety-three feet!

1. Draw a cherry shape on paper or poster board. (See for the pattern.) Cut it out, and trace twelve cherries onto the red felt. Cut out the cherries.

2. Tape the short ends of the two pieces of cream-colored felt together. Turn the taped pieces of felt over. Glue the cherries onto the cream-colored felt. Cut eight 1 1/2-inch pieces of green yarn, and glue a piece onto each cherry. Let dry.

3. Cut thirty 4-inch pieces of green yarn. Make a fringe by gluing a 1/2 inch of each piece of yarn around the back edge of the cream-colored felt. Let dry. Add two wooden beads to each piece of yarn. Knot the end of the yarn.