Anna Crowley Redding's Blog

Happy Book Birthday to THE DANGER FILES: DISASTERS!

by Anna Crowley Redding

Today’s a big day! My latest middle-grade nonfiction  STEM adventure, THE DANGER FILES: DISASTERS, officially celebrates its book birthday!

This series is designed for readers who love heart-racing, real-life stories — the kind that make you gasp, “Wait… this really happened?”  and “What would I have done?” In DISASTERS, we journey into the world’s most jaw-dropping natural catastrophes — from the sinking of Titanic to the Great Chicago Fire to the Boston Molasses Flood and more. Each story brings readers into the moment, showing what happens when catastrophe, science, courage, and quick thinking collide.

What’s Inside

Each chapter of THE DANGER FILES: DISASTERS drops you into the middle of the action — fires, cold ocean water, coughing crowds, and a tank explosion — all told through the lens of people who faced the impossible and fought to survive. THE DANGER FILES is nonfiction that reads like a blockbuster movie, packed with powerful facts, survivor stories, and the science that helps explain it all.

And best of all, young readers get to put on their detective hats and investigate these disasters with clues, fact files, and science experiments.

As Kirkus Reviews put it, “catastrophically engrossing” — and I couldn’t agree more.

Why You’ll Love It

This book is perfect for:

•    Curious minds who love thrilling, true stories.

•    Teachers and parents looking for STEM-driven nonfiction that engages readers.

•    Young scientists and adventurers who want to understand the power (and resilience) of our fight to survive when disaster strikes. And is there a scientific reason why things are going wrong?

These stories are  fast-paced, fact-filledl, and full of hope — a reminder that even in the face of disaster. . .  innovation and courage can save lives.

Join the Adventure

You can find THE DANGER FILES: DISASTERS wherever books are sold — online, at your favorite indie bookstore, or at your local library. If you’ve got a young reader who loves I Survived or Who Would Win?, this one belongs on their shelf.

Buy your copy today and step into the story where danger, discovery, and survival meet.

Happy reading — and happy book birthday, DISASTERS!

— Anna Crowley Redding

The post True Survival Stories for Curious Kids: Why The Danger Files Belongs on Every Shelf appeared first on Anna Crowley Redding.

The Best Question I’ve Ever Been Asked by a Kid (or Adult)And Why You Need to Hear the Answer

Arookstook County, Maine –  I was standing in front of a crowd of young writers, talking to them about the writing process, what a career as an author is really like, and what it was like to win an Emmy Award–when a young hand shot up.

“How do you,” he started. “How do you learn to believe in yourself?”

I mean THAT is a powerful question… from a middle schooler. I knew immediately what he was asking: what are the steps? What can be done? How do you start believing in yourself? How do you arrive at a place where you believe in yourself and can chase your dreams and ACCOMPLISH them? It was a brave question because he was ackowledging his own challenge to believe in himself. Boy, am I glad he asked!

And I want to share my answer with you… because if you are chasing a dream, if you are stretching yourself beyond your comfort zone, if you are taking risks, if you are dedicating a precious part of yourself to doing something that feels a little bit daring and even scary, then you have probably asked yourself the same question: what steps do I need to take to believe in myself.

So here they are . . .

How to Believe in Yourself:STEP ONE:

Believing in yourself is actually NOT the first step. I mean it. If you think that published authors, famous politicians, accomplished academics, wealthy entrepreneurs began thier journey by believeing in themselves or that their bodies were just naturally filled with belief in themselves… I want to tell you the truth… that didn’t happen. But here’s what did.

STEP TWO:

The first step is giving your permission to dream. What would you like to do? What would you like to try? How would you like to leave your mark on this unebelievably rare and special lifetime? What would bring you joy? What would be a challenge? Dream. Dream. Dream.

STEP THREE:

Next, pick something and take step towards it. Maybe that means taking a class. Maybe that means going to a workshop or a conference. Or reading a book that could help by offering insight, ideas, or knowledge on a topic, etc.

STEP FOUR:

Find someone who is already doing what you want to do… or something similar enough…a mentor you can learn from. Send them an e-mail, call them, send a letter… reach out and ask them this question: “What do you wish you had known at my stage in the journey?” or “What is a good next step for me? What’s the one thing I should focus on?”

STEP FIVE:

Build your team of supporters. Following a dream is exhilirating when you get there. But the road to success can be scary, filled with moments where you want to quit. You are going to need a team who can encourage you when things go south. You need people who will brainstorm solutions with you when you hit a road block. Maybe that person is a friend, a teacher, a neighbor, a calssmate, or a family member. Remember, this is YOUR team. You get to decide who’s on it.

STEP SIX:

Now, take another step. And another. Keep learning, reaching out, trying, and practicing. And get feedback from someone who’s better at it than you are–someone who’s already solved the very problem you are trying to solve. What feedback do they have for you? What can you improve?

STEP SEVEN:

Improve it. Work at it. Keep going. It takes courage.

STEP EIGHT:

And here it is… notice how you are growing. Notice how you are not at the beginning any more. Notice how…actually… you are on your way. Notice how that observation fills your belly wiht a zip, with a zing, with a thrill. Notice how a smile is starting to spread on your face. Maybe your eyes are lighting up? That’s BELIEF in yourself. You have it. Hey, you’ve come this far, you can probably go a little farther. So repeat the steps.

STEP NINE:

And lastly, go look yourself in the eye, in a mirror and say this, “You are doing a great job! It’s not always easy, but look how far you’ve come. I beleive in you. Keep going!”

How Do I Know This? From Personal Experience of Learning, Failing and (eventual) Success  Progress:

How do I know this is true? Because no matter what I’ve attempted, becoming a journalist and TV personlity, a published author, public speaker, small business owner, mom—no matter what it was, I found that it was easy to come up with a long list of reasons of why I couldn’t succeed or why I shouldn’t try. Not old enough, not young enough, not tall enough, skinny enough, big enough, smart enough, wealthy enough, talented enough…I could go on and on and on until it chokes me.

That producer was talking to a future Emmy Award Winner : )

But, instead of listening to all of those reasons, why not just give it a shot, make a truly serious effort and see what happens, maybe even learn something along the way?

When I was in journalism school in Boston, I had the chance to ask a well respected (national television) producer questions about the business. And I did. His response? He ignored my question and said,

“With a voice like that, you’ll never make it in television.”

He had honed in on my Southern accent… instead of my potential. I was furious, at first. I was also embarassed because he said it in front of a crowd.

Friends, I could have given up right then and there. An expert had just told me that I had no future. But what might have felt like a door closing in my face had a window I could climb through.

I decided to take the part I could use. At the time, journalists used non regional accents so that viewers could focus on the stories they were telling and not how they spoke. Whether or not I agreed with it, that was the reality. I practiced and practiced speaking without an accent. I sought out voice coaching. And little by little, I learned how to speak and tell stories without it.

I could have quit. Instead, I mined that conversation for constructive feedback, used it, and took another step forward. It wasn’t that I belived in myself. It was that I was willing to try. And if I could overcome that obstacle by educating myself and gaining experience, I knew I could overcome others. Belief in myself emmerged as a result of the process. (FYI-later in my career, I broke that rule and spoke with my accent whenever I felt like it!)

When I visit schools to work with students, I often bring my Emmy Award with me and hold it up… because that award is the result of not giving up. I didn’t win an Emmy for the first story I ever told. I won an Emmy after overcoming countless obstacles and learning as much as I could along the way.

And the same was true of becoming an author. The very first book that I wrote wasn’t great. But it served such a great purpose. I did the work and improved. I didn’t give up even when people pointed out what was not working. As I improved and learned the craft, a belief in myself emmerged. When I wanted to quit, my team cheered me on.

So, my answer to such an awesome question boils down to this…

Belief in yourself is not where you start, it’s where you end up!

This is why most of the books I write really center around themes of courage. This is why I love to talk about your potential and how we can all surprise ourselves with what we are truly capable of.

Which leads me to this request. Friends, will you allow me this honor… to be a part of your team because no matter what your dream is, no matter what your goal is, allow me this chance to tell you that I believe in you! I’m part of your team, cheering you on.

Now, get busy dreaming and chasing those dreams.

P.S. Want to support Anna’s work, subscribe to her newsletter or share her books with young readers in your life!

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The post How to Believe in Yourself: Step-by-Step appeared first on Anna Crowley Redding.

 

It happened several years ago. I woke up from the only surgery I’d ever had… a mastectomy. As soon as I emerged from the fog, realized where I was and that I had survived, I grabbed at my surgical gown. Pulling at that fist full of cloth, I opened my gown and looked down at my chest. There were no bandages. Just a clear strip of surgical glue over the inches long scar where my left breast used to be.

If you were a fiction writer, writing this moment for me, imagining what a cancer patient might feel as they have their first look at what’s left… you might describe sadness, devastation, tears, and anger.

But here’s the truth of it.

In that moment, the biggest of smiles spread across my face–because I have never felt more beautiful in my entire life. Ever.

There in my hospital room, beauty wasn’t based on other people’s definitions. It wasn’t based on how the world expects me (or any of us) to show up. It wasn’t about attracting or managing a man’s gaze. It wasn’t about living up to anyone’s ideal. And it wasn’t about making myself small.

In that moment, I understood the gift of a human body. And it should be so basic–this idea that your body makes all the living possible. But we get so far away from that. We get so caught up in how the world defines us, our internal critics just as punishing. But in this moment? The cancer was removed. The healing happening. Beauty was bonus moments with my children. A bonus life. An un-promised breath, full and life giving. I felt beautiful. And I also felt deeply, truly proud of myself—tougher than I ever imagined, more grateful than I can put into words. Beauty was joyous. Beauty was life.

We all have scars. Some are on the inside and some are on the outside. Some of us are just waking up from a very serious thing that just happened, but is over now. Some of us are still in ‘surgery’ with the hope of a ‘morning after’ glistening on the horizon.

No matter where you are right now in your journey, let me be the first to tell you, I see your scars. And my dear friends, you are have never been more beautiful.

With hope and gratitude for a beautiful 2023,

P.S. Know someone who could use these words of encouragement? Feel free to forward this post!

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The post Hey, You. FYI…You’ve Never Been More Beautiful appeared first on Anna Crowley Redding.

Oh, friends!

It happened in the middle of the night. Around 3am. I couldn’t sleep and turned to my phone to read news headlines. I spent years as a reporter and one of your primary responsibilities is to read as much as possible as often as possible. And what can I say? Old habits die hard.

But it was in that middle-of-the-night moment that I spotted a story I couldn’t believe. It was an Associated Press headline about a new U.S. Coast Guard ship naming. They chose to honor a little known hero named Kathleen Andre Moore. That’s her full name but she preferred to go by Kate.

Her story went like this. She lived in the 1800’s – a terrible time for women – and her father was the lighthouse keeper. He had been a mariner but a fall from atop a load of hay left him with severe injuries. The lighthouse job was a no brainer… until those long ago injuries began to take their toll. Someone had to takeover.

Kate had the courage. She quickly traded in her skirt for a pair of pants and got to work despite the danger, despite the terror, despite having to risk her life again and again night after night year after year.

I had chills and tears in my eyes.

I knew I wanted to write her story. I wondered. If I had known when I was a little girl that a TWELVE year old was capable of such bravery, what might I have imagined for myself? I knew I wanted our younger girls to know about Kate!

I read news articles written about her at the time, her interviews were extraordinary. She talked about sleet stinging her face and she held her lantern out walking on two boards out to the light. She often spent entire nights in the lantern room, re-kindling the flame after every gust of wind blew it out. Even on the best of nights, she traveled to the tower to pour more oil into the lanterns every four hours.

I found an 1872 map of Fayerweather island and spotted the very boards she was talking about.

 

Then I traveled to Bridgeport, only a few miles from Kate’s light and read her lighthouse log.

Anna Crowley Redding examining Lighthouse Log kept by Kate Moore at Bridgeport Library, CT

I met with local community leaders who work tirelessly to keep her light in good shape and keep her legacy alive. The Black Rock Community Council was an invaluable resource throughout the project. They supplied images of the keeper’s house, knowledge of important details and where to find more information.

Then I climbed the rocky breakwater to get to Kate’s island and see her light for myself.

Looking at the marsh between where the Keeper’s house once stood and her lighthouse, I could imagine the winter flooding and how extreme the danger truly was. I could imagine what it must have been like to climb icy rocks and push your boat out into the blackest night water.

As I explored, osprey flew overhead with their daily catch clutched in crushing talons. It helped me imagine the sights and sounds of Kate’s daily life. I marveled at trees that descended from those she planted to stop erosion.

And as I dug into the details and scoured every pieces of paper from census records, to newspaper articles, to her last will and testament, genealogy records, congressional lighthouse records, maps, photos, paintings, journal entries, ANYTHING I could find… I realized that years after she told reporters she’d saved 21 lives… she rescued two more. that brought the known total of lives saved to 23. I was floored.

Lighthouse Log kept by Kate Moore at Bridgeport Library, CT

And what was so striking is that while Kate was doing her dad’s job, the checks were made out to him. Only after he died in his late nineties, after Kate had been doing his job for nearly FIFTY years… only then did she become the official lighthouse keeper at age 59. Unbelievable.

Kate Moore at the end of her life

What came through loud and clear more than a hundred and twenty years after Kate’s death was that she was dedicated to her community like no one else. And that dedication continues today.

She still has something to say… to all of us about courage, how to find our own and how to show up for our community.

Courage Like Kate is on sale now. Our book is illustrated by the super talented Emily Sutton. I hope you’ll buy a copy for every girl you know so they can imagine their own incredible possibilities.

The post The Story Behind “Courage Like Kate: The True Story Of A Girl Lighthouse Keeper” appeared first on Anna Crowley Redding.

Hello, Friends!

When you think about time spent by a bright blue sea, you might daydream about a cool ocean breeze, playtime in the surf, tide pools exploration, or sand castles! But that vast expanse of water is also filled with shapes and numbers. Here are THREE fun and easy ways to bring those math concepts into our gorgeous ocean mural. This all part of our celebration of this year’s summer reading theme: Oceans of Possibilities! Let’s dive in!

Shell Counting for Preschoolers

Grab a box of small pasta shells.

Next, write each number 0-10 on the beach. We used gold glitter glue for a glistening sand look!

Finally, have your preschooler count out how many shells go with each number and glue them to the beach. Later, preschools can use their fingers to trace the puffy paint outline of the number as a pre-writing activity!

Another fun way to add depth to this project is looking at real seas shells and talking about their different shapes and hunting for patterns like spirals. If you live near a shell strewn beach, going on a shell hunt and sorting shells by size or type is another way to enrich beach math! Also, take me with you : )

Octopus Math

SUPPLIES:

Construction paper, Glue Stick, Finger or other non toxic paint, markers, and paper plate.

INSTRUCTIONS!

First, take your paper plate and cut it in half. This is such a great time to talk about things like symmetry, halves and wholes, circles, etc. It doesn’t have to be a lesson, but working these concepts into casual crafting conversation builds math vocabulary and a foundation for more concrete concepts as those brains develop and grow.

Next, paint the plate halves to make the body of the jelly fish. To celebrate and learn about jellyfish while painting, have a jelly fish cam on in the background!

Now, it’s time to make the tentacles. Cut long strips out of your construction paper. Double or triple their length by pasting strips together. Then, once the glue dries, fold them like an accordion.

This is great for little’s hand eye coordination and fine motor control.

Next we added a shape to the bottom of each tentacle and numbered them one through eight. This offered a great chance to talk about shapes and numbers in nature.

Lastly, glue the paper  tentacles to body, then glue the plate halves together to make a paper plate sandwich. This makes your art 3-dimensional and hides where the tentacles attach to the body. To display, either glue this to your ocean or hang it from ceiling. Fun!

Shape Puzzle Challenge

Learning to look for geometry in art can help with geometry concepts, but ALSO with how to draw. Just like our submarine is made up of three ovals, we can break down an object that we are trying to draw into a series of workable shapes.  To bring home this STEAM concept, try a shape challenge for your young readers!

INSTRUCTIONS: Pre-determine what you are making. Ideas: anchor, sand castle, lighthouse, beach ball, sail boat, surf board, etc. Grownups or older children cut out the shapes that will become the puzzle pieces. Example. A crescent, rectangle and circle are puzzle pieces that come together to make an anchor. Squares, triangles, arches, rectangles can become sand castles, etc.

Once you’ve cut your puzzle pieces together, set them out for your littles to work with. Give fun hints. The point is not that they solve it, but just that they see that shapes can come together to make something new!

This develops early problem solving skills. Once the puzzle is complete, add it to the mural.

For our sand castle, we added a tactile sensory dimension by using sand paper. For ocean themed books that directly weave math into narrative, check out our summer reading recommendations here. Don’t forget to add the books you are reading to our bookish sea snake!

Before we go, I’m so EXCITED to remind you that I have a book coming out in just one month…an absolutely stunning tale of a little girls quest to keep a lighthouse and save lives. The best part is… it’s a TRUE STORY! COURAGE LIKE KATE: The True Story of a Girl Lighthouse Keeper is available for pre-order right now and will be in your mailbox on August 16th! This is the book of my heart and you’ll discover why when you find out about courage it took a young girl to become a lighthouse keeper in the 1800’s. Plus, Emily Sutton’s illustrations are to die for!

NEXT iN this series, we’ll focus our crafty skills on whales and sea turtles!

Happy Crafting and Reading!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anna Crowley Redding is a mom and stepmom to FIVE wonderful kids and the author of six books for young readers with four more on the way! You can check out more information on her books and support her writing by clicking here.

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Oh, Friends!

Things are about to get really special.

Today’s installment of our ocean-themed, summer reading project has it all! Think picture books + miniature book covers + art + story time for the win.

(If this is your first visit here, Welcome! And it’s not too late to dive in. I’ve got all the links you need to get going

Now  that you’ve created your ocean mural and added a gorgeous yellow submarine, what you need is a bookish sea snake to celebrate all of that summer reading.

In fact, think of that mural as set decoration to immerse your littles in story, as told in words, art, and activities! This makes story time and read-alouds so much fun. Have your littles grab their beach towels and spread them out right by the ocean mural and start your reading.

I mean, the truth is we grown-ups often light candles when setting the perfect bookish mood to read our favorite book club fiction… so why not make a whole ocean to set the stage for summer reading?!

Which gets me to today’s craft! What better way to celebrate, commemorate, and punctuate your summer reading adventure than by turning your favorite titles into a slithery sea snake!  The  body  segments  are  made  out  of  printed  miniature  book covers.

For preschoolers who can’t actually read yet, seeing the book cover offers an instant visual reminder of their reading adventures. They may not be able to read a title but they can sure recognize the book cover and remember that gushy feeling of gazing at that gorgeous art while you read to them. So, After each new book is read,  your readers can proudly attach another segment to the ever growing reading snake. This is the perfect activity for home, schools, libraries, and after school clubs!

INSTRUCTIONS:

I made snake’s head out of green construction paper. You can keep it simple like me or make it as artistic and complex as you like. My little reader added the forked tongue!Now grab your computer.Open a Word document. Locate the book on the Internet.Drag the cover art over to your Word document, resize it and print! Save paper by putting several covers on a page. Our snake segments were about three inches square-ish but make as small or as large as you need.Cut out each cover a.k.a. snake segment. After the book is read, attach!

Easy. Fun. And a guaranteed memory maker. And it is so fun to look at and remember favorite books as you look at your sea snake.

Need some reading recommendations? I put a list together here. Please let me know if you have a favorite we need to check out!

In this books + crafts post, we are making a sea snake out of printed book covers!

 

Before we go, I’m so EXCITED to remind you that I have a book coming out in just one month…an absolutely stunning tale of a little girls quest to keep a lighthouse and save lives. The best part is… it’s a TRUE STORY! COURAGE LIKE KATE: The True Story of a Girl Lighthouse Keeper is available for pre-order right now and will be in your mailbox on August 16th! This is the book of my heart and you’ll discover why when you find out about courage it took a young girl to become a lighthouse keeper in the 1800’s. Plus, Emily Sutton’s illustrations are to die for!

NEXT is this series, I’ll give you step by step instructions for adding a sea full of craft creatures to your ocean.

Happy Crafting and Reading!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anna Crowley Redding is a mom and stepmom to FIVE wonderful kids and the author of six books for young readers with four more on the way! You can check out more information on her books and support her writing by clicking here.

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In this books + crafts post, we are making a sea snake out of printed book covers!

The post Make This! A Growing, Slithering Sea Snake of Book Covers (perfect for visually punctuating your reading adventures!) appeared first on Anna Crowley Redding.

Want a summer project that’s steeped in books and crafts? One that creates memories of a lifetime for your own kiddos, your students, or the tiniest library patrons… I have got you SO covered! In celebrating Summer Reading’s 2022 theme of Oceans of Possibilities, I’m giving the step-by-step on how to make the world’s most vibrant and busy ocean right in your home, school, or library. You can tweak to make it all your own. The best part is… it’s super easy and truly fun.

Step one was making our ocean(click here for instructions)  and now our job is to fill with it with LOTS of sea life. And it looks like we’re going to need a way to motor around and see it all. Let’s make a submarine complete with portholes.

SUPPLY LIST:Large Cardboard box (we used a wardrobe size)Yellow non-toxic washable paintWhite non-toxic washable paint for the look out bubbleMetallic craft paint for propellor and portholes6 paper plates24 Cheerios (or similar)Goldfish… the snack version  (and any other stickers or sea life decorations for your sea scene)Sand (you can grab it a craft store)Elmer’s gluePrinter paper or construction paper for sea grass in porthole sceneBlue cellophane (a.k.a. blue packing material – seriously, that’s what they call it at Michael’s)INSTRUCTIONS:

STEP ONE:

Freehand the submarine shape. Keep it simple and easy. Oval for the body. Semi-oval for look out glass up top. And you need a rather well-rounded rectangle for the propeller. My motto when making kid’s stuff applies: it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to get done.

 

STEP TWO:

Paint the submarine. Yellow for the body. White for lookout bubble. Metallic for propeller. Or whatever colors speak to you and your artists!

STEP THREE:

Attach dry submarine to the ocean mural. We found a hot glue gun works best.

STEP FOUR:

Now you are ready to make your portholes. I followed the easy instructions from this site.

What’s great about making the portholes, is no matter how young or old the creator, no matter what they put inside, no matter their ability, missteps or home runs… everyone’s porthole will look awesome.

The more fish and chaos in your underwater sea scape the better!

LAST STEP:

Once your portholes are complete, simply attach them to the submarine, using painter’s tape or a hot glue gun. Sit back and enjoy the view! And maybe celebrate with a loud group performance of “We All Live In A Yellow Submarine“!

 

Don’t forget as you are taking on this craft project, breaks for story time, add more depth and context. I love this book about ALVIN – a real underwater research submersible craft that’s helped scientists make big discoveries. Want even more ocean related book ideas, check out my list here.

And I’m so EXCITED to remind you that I have a book coming out in just one month…an absolutely stunning tale of a little girls quest to keep a lighthouse and save lives. The best part is… it’s a TRUE STORY! COURAGE LIKE KATE: The True Story of a Girl Lighthouse Keeper is available for pre-order right now and will be in your mailbox on August 16th! This is the book of my heart and you’ll discover why when you find out about courage it took a young girl to become a lighthouse keeper in the 1800’s. Plus, Emily Sutton’s illustrations are to die for!

Happy Crafting and Reading! Later this week, I’ll show you a fun and visual way to keep track of your summer reading by creating book sea snake! Until Then!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anna Crowley Redding is a mom and stepmom to FIVE wonderful kids and the author of six books for young readers with four more on the way! You can check out more information on her books and support her writing by clicking here.

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Our Ocean Mural… this is where we are headed. A cool background for a summer full of crafts and activities and BOOKS!

What is it about the ocean that brings calm, inspires us to dream, oh… and is filled with so many stories and so much science to keep our brains well fed? This summer librarians across the country are celebrating all things oceans with a cool summer reading theme: Ocean of Possibilities. I am so here for that!

I have the perfect activity to marry that dreamy Ocean theme with craft and literacy. And today is step number one… making your very own sea. This can be scaled down or scaled up depending on how much space you have and whether you are doing this at home or at your local library.

This is one my favorite projects I have EVER done with my kiddos and I know you’ll love it too..

The first step is making the ocean, our beautiful blue backdrop that will serve as our canvas for all of our sea related crafts and story time.

Ocean Mural (Supplies & Step-by-Step)

I am making a 15 foot mural that will set the mood and create a natural home for our crafts and adventures, hanging it on the rather short and mostly unused wall in our bonus room. But don’t forget this could be tucked into a corner of a bedroom, down a hallway, lengthwise in the kitchen or across a wall… you decide what works best for you! Any shape and size will do.

Supplies:

To do this, you’ll need a roll of paper. We used brown resin paper (contractors use it all the time and you can find at hardware stores and home improvement stores) because it’s a little weightier and stronger than the paper roll for children’s art easels, but I do think that type of paper could work as well. You also need:

Blue Painter’s tapea variety of non-toxic washable paints in ocean colorspaint brush and painting sponges (available at craft stores)paper plates (they will serve as paint palettes)scissors

STEP ONE:

UNLEASH the kiddos. Get out the measuring tape and measure how much wall you are devoting to ocean. You can do this with measuring tape, but it’s also a great curriculum/math tie-in opportunity… example: our mural is how many kiddos long? How many pencils tall? Etc.

STEP TWO:

Take your paper roll and measuring tape outside and roll the paper out alongside your measuring tape. Once you’ve reached the desired length, tape your paper down to the driveway or whatever surface you are painting on.

STEP THREE:

Have kiddos squeeze as many colors and as much paint as he/she wants onto the paper plate.

The Palette

STEP FOUR:

Cover the entire paper surface with paint. There is no right way to paint the ocean, imaginations can run free here!

TIP: the painting sponges create a frothier looking sea. Let the kids go crazy with this. You can really set them loose with this one : )

STEP FIVE:

After the mural is dry, take your sponge dip it into white paint and ever so lightly, dab the top of your mural, to create white sea foam.

Don’t worry if edges curl as the mural dries. They will flatten out easily when you attach the mural to your wall.

STEP SIX:

Take scissors and trim the top of the mural lengthwise to create a wavy border.

OPTIONAL STEP:

SAND – repeat above steps with sand colors if you want to add a beach to your mural. or use the brown resin paper in its present form.

Now you are ready to hang the mural. We used blue painter’s tape to attach it to the wall. This tape should come off the wall easily without damaging the paint on your walls. I taped the side and bottom edges to the wall and made sticky bunches of blue tape for the back of the mural. Now that your mural is in place, you are ready to make a month’s worth of crafts to place in your sea or on your beach!

What’s even better than making a super fun ocean? Reading by it! Grab a beach towel and this list of books to get your started!

Next up… I’ll show you how to make a yellow submarine fit for the seas!

Don’t forget to order my new release… Think lighthouse, remote island, and a little girl hero that is going to inspire you. Best part is–this story is completely true! COURAGE LIKE KATE is the picture book of my heart because it is such a special story of heroism. Meet Kate Moore, she’s the lighthouse hero who started keeping the light and saving lives at age twelve back in the 1800’s! Her story COURAGE LIKE KATE: THE TRUE STORY OF A GIRL LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER is available for pre-order right now.

 

Here’s to Oceans of Possibilities!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The post Why You Need Your Own Personal Ocean (and How to Get one!) appeared first on Anna Crowley Redding.

There is nothing more exciting than scientific discovery! Nothing! And about space? Black Holes? In our Milky Way Galaxy? All the Better! Meet our very own Milky Way black hole! It’s called Sagittarius A* (pronounced Sagittarius A Star). And today The Event Horizon Telescope Team revealed the first image of our own black hole, at the heart of the Milky Way!

Meet the Milky Way’s Black Hole! Sagittarius A* Photo Credit: Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration

So how do you bring this break through to young readers and young thinkers in a way that’s active, fun, and involves the senses!? Keep Reading. I’ve got you covered!

I’ve been writing and researching about the team that made today’s discovery since their first announcement in 2019. It’s the subject of my new book BLACK HOLE CHASERS.

There is so much good stuff in there: problem solving, getting up from crushing failure, the thrill of discovery, teamwork, all of it taking place in a riveting story! I hope you love it.

Here are some easy resources for bringing today’s discovery to young readers and to make it a fun, active process.

Check out my Black Hole Chasers Educator Guide. What do dominoes have to do with science? You’ll have fun finding out!

Also, what does a black hole sound like? Scientists recently found out! And it’s just as creepy as I hoped for! Want to understand how much data was involved in today’s discovery? Scientists say it’s equivalent to 100-million TikTok videos!

Another cool headline from today’s discovery? Albert Einstein’s predictions hold up!

Scientists often use radio astronomy to study black holes. What even is that? Find out here from one of the most important radio astronomy sites in the world!

Today’s discovery would NOT have been possible without the watchful eye at the bottom of the world, the South Pole telescope that gazes into the heart of our galaxy. Show the kids a LIVE web cam of this telescope (often the borealis are visible)!

Here’s to scientific breakthroughs!

The post How to Tell the Kids! Today’s Groundbreaking Milky Way Discovery appeared first on Anna Crowley Redding.

Calling all Black Hole Fans. Head’s up, Milky Way Fans. This is not a drill! I am officially FREAKING out, I am so excited.

Mark your calendars! On May 12, 2022, an epic announcement is headed our way.
The Event Horizon Telescope team – – that global team of researchers who captured the first EVER image of a black hole (from a far away galaxy)– they are at it again. And this time they are promising groundbreaking news about the center of our very own Milky Way. Want to know what’s in the center of our Milky Way Galaxy? A black hole! And this one, we have NEVER seen before.

Maybe… just maybe… I am hoping that we might get to see it with our own eyes! BUT we won’t know exactly what will be revealed until the May 12th press conference at 9 am EST. All lips are sealed and this team knows how to keep a secret. So we’ve got to bide our time until May 12th.  You can watch the big announcement LIVE here.

In the meantime, get up to speed! You can read all about the unbelievable journey of the this global science and research team in my book BLACK HOLE CHASERS.

Not only does Black Hole Chasers detail the team’s riveting quest to see something no one had ever seen before… it’s full of all the
information you need to study up on black holes in a super fun and accessible way.
You will be in the KNOW before the 12th of May. This book captures how this team set about trying to see the unseeable, how they weathered crushing failure, how they found the funding necessary to pull off this breakthrough, and what it was like to be among the first human beings to ever see a black hole. Their story is brave and poignant and fascinating and an awesome vehicle for learning all about that region of space where gravity is so strong, not even light can escape.

Okay, enough fawning over black holes for now. Though, is that even possible?

I am flying to D.C. for the big event and will blog, gram, and tweet all along the way!

Counting down the days! Are you with me?!

The post A COSMIC Announcement of MASSIVE Proportions is coming! Mark your Calendars appeared first on Anna Crowley Redding.