Write a Thank You letter (and actually deliver it)!

Filed under: Uncategorized • August 2, 2022

The fine art of letter writing is in danger of becoming a lost art!

True story: In the middle of making the illustrations for this book, I asked my 11-year-old to write a letter (an apology for being rude to a friend of mine … ah preteens), but I was taken back when she handed me a printout of a note typed and printed from her phone. All the text was squished to the top of the paper and the words strung in long horizontal lines. No breaks, no paragraphs, no formatting, not even a signature or name. My daughter saw nothing wrong with her letter.

It dawned on me that my girl hadn’t really been taught proper paper formatting. I guess it’s similar to the now rare skill of writing/reading cursive. Regardless, my middle school daughter certainly didn’t know how to format a letter, story, report, or a printed paper of any kind. LITTLE RED AND THE BIG BAD EDITOR is aimed at early elementary students, but I think older kids would enjoy/benefit as well. Big kid story time for the win! Letter formatting aside, anyone is sure to get a kick out of Little Red’s street smarts as she dodges the Big Bad Wolf and takes advantage of his editorial side!

One way to teach your students how to properly write a letter is to read them LITTLE RED AND THE BIG BAD EDITOR and then let them practice writing a thank you letter of their own with the printable below (and actually deliver it)!

Handwriting and Cursive Practice (Printable)

Filed under: For Teachers, Free Stuff, Growing Up Writing, Printable Activities • August 2, 2022

Legible handwriting is a basic communication tool. Cursive handwriting is also (and a signature can come in handy as well as the ability to read old letters and the Declaration of Independence). Practice writing in print and cursive with the printables below!

Critique Sandwich Graphic Organizer for Students (Printable)

Filed under: For Teachers, Free Stuff, Printable Activities • August 2, 2022

Read LITTLE RED AND THE BIG BAD WOLF to your class, then challenge students to write their own versions of a fractured fairy tale! Afterward, have students trade stories and read them. Last, students can be much better editors than Wolf by making their peers a “critique sandwich”!

How To Draw A Pencil

Filed under: A Picture Book & A Project, Art Lessons, For Teachers, Free Stuff, Printable Activities • July 22, 2022

Learn to draw Wolf’s pencil from LITTLE RED AND THE BIG BAD EDITOR by following these 5 simple steps!

LITTLE RED AND THE BIG BAD EDITOR coloring sheets and comics!

Filed under: A Picture Book & A Project, For Teachers, Free Stuff, Printable Activities • July 21, 2022

Have fun coloring and creating your own dialogue for the comics with these printable pages…

Educator’s Guide for LITTLE RED AND THE BIG BAD EDITOR!!

Filed under: For Teachers, Free Stuff, Printable Activities • July 19, 2022

Thanks for using LITTLE RED AND THE BIG BAD EDITOR in your classroom. Rebecca Kraft Rector and I (Shanda McCloskey) hope you will find something useful inside these activities to enrich learning for your students. This GUIDE includes …

Reading & Writing Activities (with Printables!!)

1, 2, 3! Sequencing!

Similes, Cool as Cucumbers

Story Predictions

Write a Thank You Letter

Fractured Fairy Tales – Compare & Contrast

Finish the Twisted Tale of “Slipping Beauty”

Write Your Own Fractured Fairy Tale

The Critique Sandwich

Complete the Comic (your way)

Artful Activities (with Printables!)

How To Draw a Pencil

Draw a Delicious Writing Snack

Handwriting Practice

Cursive Handwriting Practice

Make a Map of Red’s Journey

Coloring Pages

My Daughter Did Something Brave

Filed under: Art Lessons, Coolness, Growing Up Artsy, HJ's Draw Show, Illustration, Lessons of an Artist, Parenting • July 11, 2022
Art by Harvey McCloskey
Today, my 12 year old opened her first online business with RedBubble to sell her art designs on various merch! She has one design so far, but buyers can get it on shirts, bags, pillows, phone cases, etc. She hopes the sales will help her to start saving for a car (which she will need in 5 years).

But as any creative soul knows all too well, putting your art (aka your heart) out there in the world is a very vulnerable and brave thing to do. And the very first response she got from a friend this morning was, “why is everything so expensive?”. That little comment from a particularly close friend crushed her. She immediately felt dumb for even trying.

Man, it flew all over me as a parent and an artist. No wonder living a creative life is so hard. You have to believe in yourself. Be near others that believe in you too. Hugs, my creative friends!Check out her store for yourself and feel free to comment and send some words of encouragement for her. I’ll read her every one!
Check out Harvey’s Store!

A Robot Changed My Life

Filed under: Coolness, Doll-E, Shanda's Journey • July 11, 2022
Because DOLL-E 1.0 fits with STEM/STEAM education like a nut fits with a bolt, I’ve been blessed with opportunities to interact with kids from all over the world!Doll-E has taken me from Georgia to Texas, Connecticut, Arizona, and Arkansas (and many more states virtually) in the USA and over the ocean to Ireland (virtually), Saudi Arabia (virtually), and the United Arab Emirates!













Verdict: At the core, kids are cool all over the world! Traveling to these places has taught me in a big way that we are all not so different from one another. Kids in Dubai and Texas laugh at my same dorky jokes 😎

Graphic Novels: A Brain Workout

Filed under: Book Reviews, For Teachers, Growing Up Reading, On My Mind • July 1, 2022

I didn’t grow up reading comics. I am a new lover of the comic medium. When I found stories AND informational books in comic form, I fell in love.

But it wasn’t super easy to read at first. My brain was used to reading prose, so it took me a minute each time I opened a graphic novel to recalibrate to this form of reading. Kids seem to read comics so effortlessly, but my adult brain can tell you that there’s a lot going on up there when you read a graphic novel!

Have you (grown ups) tried one yet? I’m telling you – it’s a great brain workout!

And I’m not just making this stuff up…

“Traditional text is limited to presenting the same information sequentially. But when we read comics, we simultaneously interpret a multitude of visual information such as setting, mood, time, emotion, dialogue, and action.” (Read the full article here.)

My Favorite Informational Comics:

My Favorite Story Comics:

Grownups, I hope you’ll try a graphic a graphic novel THIS summer! If you do, you’ll appear much cooler (than you already are) to the kids in your life!

If you are already a reader of graphic novels, what’s YOUR favorite one to date? Comment below! I’d love to know.

Join me for a special story time at the Computer Museum of America
July 1st, 1PM

Filed under: Doll-E, Events, Free Stuff, Growing Up Reading • June 27, 2022

Computer Museum of America
5000 Commerce Pkwy
Roswell, GA 30076

Tech Tales – Storytime for Young Explorers.

Each week, children will hear stories about computing, technology, creative problem solving, space, robots or famous people in tech. Following the story, children will dive into a fun (and shhhh…educational) hands-on activity. Plan to arrive earlier or stay later and visit the museum exhibits. Consider a membership and bring the kids for multiple Fridays. For group reservations from daycare centers, please email info@computermuseumofamerica.org in advance. Tech Tales, free with admission, starts at 1 PM and runs from June 17th through July 30th. Recommended for ages 5 – 10.

July 1, 2022
Doll-E 1.0 and T-Bone the Drone
Guest Reader: Shanda McCloskey, Author of Doll-E 1.0 and T-Bone the Drone
Author and illustrator of Doll-E 1.0 and T-Bone the Drone Shanda McCloskey will read her books and lead the activity this week. Problem-solving and technology go hand-in-hand as these protagonists save the day. This is Shanda’s second year reading at Tech Tales. She will teach youngsters how to draw her characters and then fly a drone. Participants will also fly mini indoor drones. (Shanda will have books available for sale.)

July 8, 2022
Computer Decoders
This week we are learning about ‘Hidden Figure,’ Dorothy Vaughn, who loved all things numbers! Computer Decoders delves into the life of a fascinating woman who was a highly respected mathematician. This story describes how Dorothy had to overcome many challenges with grace and perseverance. After the story, Children will learn how to convert a special date into binary code.

July 15, 2022
What Do You Do with A Problem?
Today’s book is What Do You Do With a Problem? This story is a heartwarming tale for anyone who has ever dealt with a problem. No one is too young to learn the importance of courage and persistence. Children will put on their engineering hats after the story and solve for how to grab something just out of reach.

July 22, 2022
One Giant Leap
One Giant Leap is this week’s selection and we’ll be reading near the Lunar Module replica in the Tribute to Apollo exhibit on the moon floor. Children will learn more about the 1969 moon landing by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. After the story, participants will create their very own moon rover.

July 29, 2022
Rosie Revere Engineer
We are wrapping up this summer series reading Rosie Revere Engineer. This story follows a young girl who has aspirations to one day become an engineer. Where some see rubbish, Rosie sees inspiration to create something great. After the story, children will become engineers for the day by building and then testing their own structures. Just how much weight can their creations bear?

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Shanda McCloskey, Children's Illustrator & Author