Let’s Explore Colorado!

October 18, 2026

The Colorado state study page is found in the Learn + PLAY USA resource.

You can find it here:

This week our state study had us exploring Colorado! This state has an extra special place in our heart because we have family who lives there! While we haven’t visited in person (yet) we enjoyed learning about it, watching videos of special places, and of course if you’ve been following along our journey across the US states, learning about the football teams of Colorado. :)

We started by grabbing all our non-fiction books from our local library. We took a picture walk through all of them and stopped on interesting pages and collected information for Rut’s information sheet.

Nat Geo kids is our go-to for online information so we used that to learn a little too!

I noticed an interesting book at the library when I was checking out state books last time. It was a How to Draw Colorado Sights and Symbols. I checked it out and it was definitely a hit! We used it to collect information AND to practice drawing a state symbol (the Blue Spruce)

In addition to our state information sheet, we like to expand learning with a hands on activity, game, or project. This week we did a multi step watercolor torn paper picture. It was a process but we think it turned out pretty cool!

You start by coloring sweeps of paint onto watercolor paper

After the paper is dry, tear each color into strips making sure you give some of the strips the shape of a mountain peak. We did a sweep of green to be the grass lands in the foreground of the picture.

Then sweep a grayish, blue over a full sheet of watercolor paper. Next, stack the strips of color on top of each other on the base full page and glue them down. Be sure to arrange them so the mountains appear higher in the background. It’s ok if the strips of paper come off the sides. You’ll trim it down after the glue dries.

When the page is completely dry, trim the torn strips down to line up with the full sheet. We used a half sheet size (4.25x5.5) of watercolor for the “full sheet” size.

We think it turned out pretty cool!

After we collected facts and information about Colorado we took our learning to the digital realm with lots of YouTube videos! If you need a little guidance on places to “visit” or learn more about I made a list for you here:

Here are the top ten most visited, family friendly places in Colorado.

We looked them up on YouTube for little tours and reviews from travelers.

Rocky Mountain National Park has easy trails, ranger programs, and lots of wildlife. Bear Lake and Trail Ridge Road are the classic stops. In summer you need a timed-entry reservation.

Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs has giant red rocks, paved paths, and kids' programs, and it's free.

Great Sand Dunes National Park has North America's tallest dunes. Kids can sand-sled, splash in Medano Creek, and earn a Junior Ranger badge.
Mesa Verde National Park has Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings and Junior Ranger booklets. Tours need reservations.

Pikes Peak is a 14,115-foot summit you can reach by car or cog railway. It's where "America the Beautiful" was inspired, and the summit donuts are famous.

Royal Gorge Bridge & Park lets you walk a bridge 956 feet above the Arkansas River, and there's a gondola and a playground.
Glenwood Springs has the world's largest hot springs pool. Hanging Lake is nearby, but its trail is steep, and the official page says it's hard for small kids.
Estes Park is the mountain base-camp town for Rocky Mountain National Park, with wildlife and Lake Estes.