Hey, it's me, Mr. J, and welcome to today's drawing challenge. Do you have a couple minutes? Because today's challenge is to draw a royal insect, so grab something to draw on and something to draw with, and let's do this.

[bright upbeat music] [pencil scratching]

(Describer) Lines on top of its head.

(Describer) A title: Drawing with Mr. J. He sits at a table with pieces of paper and pens.

A royal insect. I think the first thing I need to think about is, which insect am I gonna draw? I could draw an ant, a bee, a grasshopper. How about a ladybug or a noisy cicada? I'm gonna draw a lightning bug. Now let's see. What simple shapes can I use to draw a lightning bug? I'm gonna start with the head, a circle. And then a little oval body.

(Describer) Attached to the circle.

And then that, like, lightning part of the lightning bug.

(Describer) A small circle at the bottom.

Okay, and then wings. Big teardrops.

(Describer) Two teardrops on each side.

[gentle music]

All right, and legs, we definitely need legs.

(Describer) Three short lines on each side.

There they are. And a face.

(Describer) Two dots and a smile.

Antennas; can't forget those. And we've gotta light up; it's a lightning bug.

(Describer) Little lines for illumination.

There we go! Now the royal part. I could add a royal scepter or a long robe. Definitely a crown.

(Describer) On top of its head.

There it is! A royal lightning bug. Yeah.

[pencil scratching]

So let's check in. What does it mean to be royal? Maybe it's feeling confident or feeling proud. Have you ever felt proud, like someone royal? But what does pride look like? Do we square our shoulders? Do we stick our nose in the air? Do we make eye contact, or do we look away from our friends? Sometimes pride is nice, like when we did our best and we feel happy. But sometimes pride is different, like when we've done something wrong and we don't wanna apologize. Both kinds of pride can look like we're royalty, even if we really aren't. There was a time recently when I had left someone out. It wasn't on purpose, I just wasn't thinking things through. This friend was so sad and mad that they weren't included in my fun, and when I found out they were upset, I made every excuse I could come up with. "Well, I didn't mean for you to be upset," and, "You don't understand! I was really busy!" I puffed up my chest, set my shoulders, and my eyes looked past them. It looked like I was proud and confident, but I didn't feel that way inside. My tummy was all knotted up, and I was upset. I didn't mean to hurt anybody and I was embarrassed, because I just wasn't paying attention. It's not easy to apologize, but if you take time to think about it, like a true royal would, you'll see that an apology is like a gift. All of those feelings of sadness or anger or your tummy tied in knots might not go away right away. It might happen slowly, but you will feel better over time. When we feel pride, like someone who is royal would, but our tummies are tight and we're upset, that's a good clue something's not right. Share those feelings with someone else. Are you having a hard time getting that conversation started? Use your drawing to talk with a parent, trusted adult, or even your friends. Royal insects might seem like a silly place to start, but remember, we all make mistakes, no matter who we are. There are so many ways to draw a royal insect. Did you make the Queen Bee, or the Lady Ladybug, or perhaps the Duke of Ants? Well, here's my royal insect.

[bright upbeat music]

Well, thanks for joining me today as we drew a royal insect. I look forward to seeing you next time for another drawing challenge.

(Describer) Accessibility provided by the US Department of Education.

[bright upbeat music continues]

Accessibility provided by the U.S. Department of Education.