Category:

DUO Education Presents Clarinda Cloud Name Tags

8/6/2014

Hello everyone. It is getting close to the beginning of school. So, I created name tags. Clarinda Cloud has her name tag. She is ready for school.
This is perfect for all the elementary teachers and guidance counselors out there as well as preschool teachers and daycare providers.
However, this is not just a regular name tag. If you have read the book, "Clarinda Cloud," you can also ask children to point to the cloud that shows how they are feeling at any particular moment in the day. It is a great way for a student to be able to show you that he or she is happy, angry, scared, shy, sorry, sad…etc… through out the day in an inconspicuous way.
Never heard of Clarinda Cloud or her books? That is okay. You can find out more information on her website at www.ClarindaCloud.com.
Want to buy one or both of the Clarinda Cloud books?

Available on:
CreateSpace
Amazon.com
BarnesandNoble.com

Available on:
CreateSpace
Amazon.com

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Okay, here is the good news! I will give you a sheet of eight blank name tags for you to download, copy, print, and use for you students as a thank you gift. All you have to do is buy a book, share this post, or help me promote these books, my author site, or DUO Education. Yes, just for sharing, you can get a sheet of eight 3"x2.5" blank Clarinda Cloud name tags. Or, all you have to do is subscribe to this blog by email above. Which ever action you choose to get your thank you gift is fine with me. Just email me, comment below, or contact me in some way to show me proof that you did it. It will be my pleasure to email to get you the free download. (Offer ends December 31, 2014.)

2 Comments

Sandra Portman Shares her Interactive Ebooks on "Learning the Numbers" and "Learning the Alphabet" as well as Her Thoughts on Learning Those Things When She Was Younger

11/27/2013

2 Comments

Hello everyone! Today, I have a guest blogger. Please give a warm welcome to children's author, Sandra Portman! She is here to tell us about her educational children's books! And...what caught my eye is that they are interactive! Sandra, please tell us a little about yourself and your books.

Now that I am retired, I get to play and do things I couldn't do while I was raising a family and working. I guess it's not so much that I couldn't do them, but there never seemed to be enough time and I really wanted to concentrate on my children and my husband. I worked long hours and I spent most of my free time cooking and baking fresh food for the family.

Now that I have "all the time in the world," I wanted to explore my childhood love of reading and writing. Back then, I spent a lot of time with friends making up stories and games for our never-ending list of clubs. I don't remember why this was so important to us, but we always had a new club for some new adventure or hobby. We even made invitations for the new club and went through the neighborhood inviting other kids to join.

LOL! That sounds like fun! I wish I was in your neighborhood back then.LOL!

Children love colorful, fun, and silly books. Funny rhymes, silly situations, and the stories that make them laugh need to be in a child's little reading library. With the emphasis on early learning and the fierce competition to succeed today, digital books are an excellent choice for parents who want to introduce concepts to their children.

Children are curious and with the levels included in these books, many children will want to read further. Some will find the buttons and have fun with them, just to see the page move. Other children will be happy to look at the same pictures until they have matured to the cognitive level to learn more. I encourage parents to help their children to learn the joy of reading by interacting with the books they have. At the same time, their children will become curious to learn more, ask questions, and be open critical thinking as they grow and mature.

My second venture into writing for children came with a new series for pre-school children. I wanted to explore the use of interactive functions within digital books. I could just imagine the fun kids would have choosing the correct answer and clicking on a button. All I needed was bright, colorful pictures ad buttons. Starting from birth, these books could start out with just the pictures from which the kids would learn subliminally.

This would have been a nice series of books for each stage of learning up to kindergarten, but I thought it would be much more fun to have all the books in one volume. Each of my children had a favorite book during those years that they wanted to read all the time. As parents, we quickly become bored and tired of the favorite book, but they don't.

To take advantage of this favorite reading habit of young children, all I did was extend the early concepts to take advantage of the levels of learning from birth to age four. This meant children would have their favorite book with all their favorite pictures that grows with them.

There are two books in the series to learn the numbers and the alphabet. Each book has four levels of learning:

Birth to age one: The goal is to respond to pictures by copying sounds and pointing and patting the pictures.
Up to age three: Answer questions, identify pictures, and attempt to read with "pretend reading."
At age three, children are ready to read by themselves, and perform activities for longer periods of time.
Age four is when children begin to recognize familiar signs and labels, and make up silly phrases and rhymes. At this age, most children can count to ten

Developing the Books

I don't use fancy software or tools when writing my books. All my books are written using Microsoft Word. In this series, the first two levels mainly use pictures and pointing to introduce children to the concept of numbers and the alphabet. In "Learn the Numbers," level 3 is used to teach children to point to each number in a collage of numbers and say the number.

In level 4, children are introduced to counting. They are presented with multiple pictures on a page and given a multiple choice answer. To answer the question, they press the correct button that corresponds to the number of pictures. If the correct button is pressed to answer the question, they proceed to the next question. If the answer is not correct, they are given the opportunity to answer the question again.

In my "Learn the Numbers" book, each multiple choice answer must lead the reader to a function; either the answer is correct or it is not. One answer will take the reader to a new section for the next question; the other two buttons will take the reader to the error message section.

Interactive Fiction Books

My new series, "Nathan, Family & Friends" are fiction stories around 2K words. In 2014 I am going to explore the use of interaction to have the reader decide where the story should go. For example, what happens to a character when different choices are made? This simulates real life and will help children learn to think before taking actions which could negatively affect their life.

I have one quick question for you before we reveal your books and sites to people, Sandra. Do you remember what it was like to learn the alphabets and numbers when you were young?

When I was in school, the process of learning the numbers and the alphabet was so tedious. There wasn't much time spent on these concepts before first grade. Once we started learning about them in school, it was very academic, repetitive, and I thought - very boring. I remember using flashcards; they were black and white and strictly used to test our ability to identify what was on the card. I also remember being very shy as a child and how embarrassing it was for me when I couldn't keep up with the flashcards.

Yes, there were quite few flashcards around when I was growing up today. There are still some today and at times, I think they have their place. I think they are better for self-study than group study though. And, I think they are probably better for learners who are older than the little ones who are learning the alphabet and numbers for the first time. But... I agree, I believe that there are far more fun and exciting ways to learn things besides using flashcards! I am all about the fun in learning here! And, I think interactive books are a great way to make learning fun!

Sandra's blog: www.sandralportman.com

You can also find Sandra on her social media sites:
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
Pinterest

Here are Sandra's two educational books. Please push the book cover images for the direct links on Amazon:

Notes and Announcements:

*My character, Clarinda Cloud, has her own blog now! She will be blogging on Wednesdays, just like me. Her blog is mainly about feelings! Please feel free to explore her site at www.ClarindaCloud.com and also visit her "Clarinda Cloud's Feelings Blog."

*There is still time to win a free copy of the "Clarinda Cloud Activity Book." You can find out more information on the contest on this post. Also, there is a list of names of waterfalls that gives you a hint to the answer. And, Clarinda Cloud gives a couple of new hints in her blog post this week. Good luck!

*I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Hanukkah this week!

2 Comments

Exciting Writing!

11/20/2013

13 Comments

Hello everyone! Many of you know that I am an author and I enjoy writing. Also, many of my author friends are busy writing this month, because November is National Novel Writing Month; or Nanowrimo for short and Nano for even shorter! Novice and experienced writers alike are trying to write at least 50,000 words of a novel this month. More than likely, there isn't much editing going on... just writing, writing, writing!
So, I thought I would write a post that features writing. I actually hope to be able to offer writing classes and workshops, here at DUO Education! Maybe this will end up being a great way to build interest and promote the idea. If you have any interest, ideas, questions, comments, etc. about me offering a writing class or workshop; please feel free to contact me! What kind of a writing class or workshop would you like? What would you like included? How would you like it delivered?
As a writer, sometimes the ideas just flow right out of me. There are days when I have no trouble coming up with ideas. Sometimes, I sit at the computer in front of the blank screen and don't know what to write. Writer's block hits us all!
Writers get over writer's block using various techniques. I will mention two of them here. The first one is what is called free writing. You just write. Even if you don't know what to write about, you write. Even if you have to write that you don't know what to write about, you write. The idea, is that eventually you will hit on something that will spark an idea. You might write something like:

"Ugh! I don't know what to write about. Why does the teacher make us do this? I don't understand how someone can tell us to write even if we don't have anything to write about. I don't feel like writing. This is stupid. Uh. I was called stupid once. I didn't like it at all. You see, it was..."

See? Even if you start not having anything to write about, sometimes you can write and write...and something touches in your mind that creates a seed of a wonderful writing idea; a story just waiting to be told. No, it doesn't always happen that fast. Although, sometimes it does!
The second way of getting over writer's block is to start with a writing prompt. That is when someone or something gives you a topic, a beginning, or an idea...and you run with it to see where it takes you. So, true to the poster at the top of the blog: It is writing prompt time!

Here is your prompt:

You went to bed last night thinking about Thanksgiving. And, you know that dreams can take you into some very strange places. During the night, you do dream. You find yourself in a new land. No... it isn't where you live now...somewhere completely different. It can be a real place, another country maybe, or a fantasy land. It may be a different time maybe... maybe in the past or in the future.... or in the present. Write about where you are. Name the place and describe it. What is the climate like? What do you see? What are the people like? What do you hear? What do you smell? They are getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving there...but it is different. They have different traditions...different ways to show thankfulness. What is it like?

I would be happy to see parts or all of what you come up with in trying these writing strategies. If you would like to show me, please contact me to make arrangements. You can also connect with me (Jodi Desautels) on Facebook and make arrangements there. (Did you know that DUO Education is on Facebook too?

Notes and Announcements

*Speaking of writing and writers: My friend, Author Rhonda Patton, is running a Facebook event for me. It is to get more awareness for DUO Education, my books, me, and the rest of my work. Please feel free to pop in. It will be going until November 23rd. (She has a new release out, which I formatted, titled: "Dylan and the Croak Orleans Gang." It is about a frog who follows his dream. It also teaches the names of a few musical instruments.)

*Please remember to comment for your chance to win a copy of "Clarinda Cloud Activity Book" or suggest a place for me to donate a copy. Oh...and here is a hint. The waterfall is in my home state of Vermont and it is on this list. Please go to this blog post for more information and to comment!

*I am always looking for new people who share my passion in education. I look for people who want to network and share in teaching and learning! I have a new friend, who I think, also shares my passion in education. It is Fran of Fran's World of Discovery. You may see us promoting each other's work. It is all about fun in education! And... she and I both feel that is important! If you have an educational site, educational ideas, educational books, educational products, educational classes....and you are interested in cross promoting or sharing, please contact me. If it is something I feel I can stand behind, I am happy to chat or help share the cause.

*DUO Education does offer writing tutoring as well. Please visit the online tutoring services page and feel free to contact me for more information. Thank you!

13 Comments

Rhyming Word Search, Giveaway Contest, and More

11/13/2013

5 Comments

Hi everyone! Today I am featuring a word search. This one is a rhyming word search. There are many "make your own word search" programs out there. I did this one using Microsoft Word and Photoshop. I also put a prompt to write a sentence using one of the set of rhyming words at the bottom.
I think word searches are fun teaching tools to help with reading and spelling. Word recognition and recognizing the correct spelling of a word are helpful reading skills.
Feel free to use this one. Also, if you have any ideas or requests for any other word searches, please feel free to comment or contact me. Thank you!

Giveaway Contest

Everyone likes a chance for a free book, right? Do you know the name of the waterfall pictured here? Do you know where in the world is Clarinda Cloud? If so, comment your answer for a chance to win the book. I will give you a hint. It is in my home state of Vermont! If you don't know.... that is okay. Please comment your suggestion of an elementary school, library, daycare, or children's counselor where I should donate the book if nobody guesses the correct answer. (U.S. addresses only at this time, please.) A free "Clarinda Cloud Activity Book" will be given away at the beginning of next month either way. Thank you!

Please Explore the Site

I just want to remind everyone that it is a good idea to explore the site on a regular basis. I try to add things often. There is much more to this site than the blog. (Although, I try to make the DUO Education Learning Blog fun and informative as well.)
Speaking of adding things regularly, I am thinking about making the picture to the left DUO Education's new logo. What do you think?
Anyway, there are many helpful pages on DUO Education. Do you or do you know anyone who needs help in math, reading, writing, or study skills? DUO Education offers online tutoring services. It is affordable, individualized, and friendly. How about having an author or illustrator guest speak in your class or library with The Storyteller's Tale Webinar series via the internet? I also have pages with books, activities, and posters that I have created. And... don't forget the game room, where you can play non-violent, educational and strategic games.
I constantly try to make DUO Education: new, fun, appealing, educational, insightful, inspiring, and different. I try to make it a community of learning. Please, let me be a resource for you... and if there is anything you want to share, promote, ask, or whatever... please feel free to contact me.

5 Comments

Another Book Giveaway Contest and Fill in the Silly Nouns Sheet

11/6/2013

7 Comments

Hi everyone! Last month I started a monthly giveaway from now until the end of the year. Nobody guessed where Clarinda Cloud was, so I will be donating a copy of "Clarinda Cloud" to a library. By the way, she was at Hartman's Farm Stand in Sheldon, Vermont. (Please stop in, if you are in the area. They have great produce. And, no, I am not related nor do I get paid in anyway for saying that.)
Time for another book giveaway contest! As you can see the "Clarinda Cloud Activity Book" is Photoshopped into a picture of a waterfall. Which waterfall is it? Do you know? Where in the world is Clarinda Cloud? Please comment your answer for a chance to get a free copy and if you don't know, please just comment the name of the elementary school, daycare, library, or children's counselor in the U.S. where you would want me to donate it if nobody guesses. (U.S. addresses only at this time, please.) Good luck!

Now, for the educational news of the day: LOL! (I can't say that... a chance to win a wonderful activity book focused on identifying and sharing feelings as well as other basic skills is fantastic educational news as well!) I have been creating educational materials and activities lately. Here is one on nouns.
Many times children will enjoy learning if you make it fun or silly! I know I enjoy learning if it is fun... not always when it is silly, but sometimes. This activity is based upon the old "Madlibs" game. It just prompts the child to fill in a noun. The answer is correct if there is a noun on the line. But... you can challenge the student to fill in the silliest noun for the sentence.
The great thing about a sheet like this is that you can use it for multiple purposes. It can be used simply as a language arts lesson. But.... you can also use it as a bunch of writing prompts for silly and imaginative stories. You can use it as a lesson in description. You can also have students draw a picture depicting each sentence. There are man possibilities!
Please feel free to use me as a resource. If there is a particular activity or skill that you want addressed, feel free to comment below or contact me. Thank you!

7 Comments

Clarinda Cloud Joins the Bullying Awareness/Anti-bullying Campaign

10/16/2013

4 Comments

Hi everyone! How are you? October is violence awareness month. (I hope I have that title correct.) Anyway, bullying behavior is a growing form of violence. It is one that has touched my community lately. We had a girl take her own life not long ago because of the bullying with which she was tormented. It is sad.
Bullying takes place at school, at home, in the neighborhood, and over the internet. There are even sites that seem to promote bullying behaviors.
So, I have decided to do my part to try to stop the bullying and the torment that comes from the bullying behaviors. Here is one of my posters on bullying awareness/antibullying/bullying prevention.
Clarinda Cloud is a character in two of my currently published children's books. I am hoping she is headed towards stardom and hope she will make a great anti-bullying spokescloud. Her message is always that the healthy sharing of feelings is so important. She always shares her feelings and wants to encourage others to share their feelings as well. For those of you who don't know the books featuring Clarinda Cloud and who would like to see these books focusing on feelings, here they are:

Do you know any programs that could use Clarinda Cloud as spokescloud or a Clarinda Cloud poster on bullying awareness or bullying prevention? If so, please contact me. If you want to know more about Clarinda Cloud and her message, please go to her website at www.ClarindaCloud.com. Thank you!

Notes and Notices:

There is still time to guess where this photo was taken in order to win a free copy of Clarinda Cloud or an educational school, daycare, library, or children's counselor of your choosing. (Please, only US addresses at this time.) If you want to win it for yourself, please make your comment at my author blog.
I will give you a hint. This is taken in my home state. I am not looking for a country or a state though. For this photo, I am looking for either town/city or a specific place. And, no, it is not in my back yard. It is in someone's or some business' back yard though.
Don't know where it is? That is okay! Please comment with the name of an elementary school, daycare, library, or children's counselor where you think I should send it anyway. I will still give a copy to an elementary school, library, daycare, or children's counselor in the US. Good luck!

Please take the time to explore the site. I am creating customized header pictures for some pages of DUO Education and doing what I can to make the site more effective, more efficient, and more appealing! I want it to have a professional and appealing look, as well as have the individualized and unique feel.
Just a reminder, I update the site often, so please check back and explore often. Also, if you have an educational need, concern, tip, strategy, post, etc.... that you would like to share, please feel free to contact me. Thank you!

4 Comments

Where in the World is Clarinda Cloud?

10/9/2013

4 Comments

Hi everyone! I am going to do something a little bit different today! Everyone likes a contest, right? And, everyone likes to get something for free, right? Well, I am going to try this contest monthly for the rest of the year and see what happens. I know what you are saying, "but this isn't educational and you only write about educational things." Right? Well, this is educational!
Treasure hunts and asking probing questions about text or images are effective ways of educating people. Also, they are fun strategies to use in education. I am just modeling this technique. LOL! Also, the books that I am featuring ARE EDUCATIONAL! So, there is education all over this blog post! LOL!
Okay. Here is how it works. I will post pictures each month of a book featuring Clarinda Cloud and ask "Where in the World is Clarinda Cloud?" (That is the name of the contest.) For the first person who comments where it is, I will send a copy of the book featured to the elementary school, library, daycare, or child counselor of your choice. (Only U.S. addresses at this time.)
Want to win the book yourself, that is fine too! Please make your comment on my author blog here! Yes, DUO Education will be competing with my author site, located at www.authorjodidesautels.weebly.com.
Don't know the answer? Comment anyway! If nobody guesses the correct answer, I will put all the suggestions from DUO Education and from my author site in a hat and send it to the elementary school, library, daycare, or children's counselor of your choice. When you make the comments here, please also tell me one thing you think I could do to make this site more effective. Thank you!
I think this is a great educational activity and a great way to get some awareness for Clarinda Cloud and the books in which she is featured. Speaking of Clarinda Cloud, have you gone over to check out her new site yet at www.ClarindaCloud.com?

4 Comments

Education Isn't My Only Passion and Giveaway

9/4/2013

2 Comments

Hi everyone! As some of you may know, education is not my only passion. I also enjoy writing and illustrating children's books.
The picture on the left is a poster of my current published books. All of them are educational in nature. Two of them, "Clarinda Cloud" and "Johnny's Adventure Makes Reading Fun," are free on Kindle September 3rd and 4th.
I write books that are educational, wholesome, relatable, age appropriate, and fun! I want children to be able to get involved, to explore, to get excited about reading and learning!
I believe that reading and education is so important, especially at an early age. I have seen so many studies that say, that most of our foundation is built before kindergarten. Often that foundation effects the directions our paths will take us.
I used to teach kindergarten and enjoyed it! My students were so young and full of awe! They taught me as much as I taught them. They enjoyed learning and I did everything I could to continue that legacy! Maybe that is why I enjoy writing children's books the most.
Please take a moment to check out my books! You can find links for them on the top of the page. Just press on the book icons. Or, you can press the links here for "Clarinda Cloud" and "Johnny's Adventure Makes Reading Fun." Thank you!
This current give away is turning out to be my most successful one thus far! I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to share my posts, download my books, write reviews, etc. You have all been so helpful!
I would like to feature one of my reviews here. This is a review by Author Lorieen D. Henry:
5.0 out of 5 stars Identifying Feelings September 3, 2013
By Author Lorieen D. Henry
Format:Kindle Edition
Great Book! My daughter really enjoyed the book. I appreciated the way the author helped to address feelings. I'd recommend this book for 2-6 year olds.
Thank you Lorieen. I like to reward those who are helpful, so to visit her site, please press the link here. She doesn't know I am doing this, so please tell her that I sent you. Thank you.

Submit

2 Comments

Be Great!!!

7/17/2013

2 Comments

I often talk about great teachers! So, I decided to create a few posters on the subject. They will be free for a limited time! Feel free to use and distribute as is. I would ask that if you have a website or use the poster online, that you please give DUO Education creative credit and link to this site at www.DUOEducation.com. I am happy to get the DUO Education name out there! Thank you.
The "Be Great!" concept will also be one that is used often in conjunction with DUO Education. The attitude of the teacher often makes a huge difference in how well students learn.

Both posters can be found on our new page, "educational posters." They are both 8.5"x11" in size; easy to print off on regular paper or card stock to be laminated.
I look forward to hearing your feedback and ideas about the posters and the "Be Great!" concept.

I Have a Little "Be Great!" News of My Own:

Review of Clarinda Cloud by Jodi Desautelsby Author Ingrid Hall

Jodi Desautels is the author of several educational children's books. She has created an amazing resourceful website which is an absolute must visit for parents with young children and in addition to her writing Jodi also offers an excellent online tutoring service. You can find out more at www.DUOEducation.com.

When asked to review this book I was instantly struck by how beautiful the title is. Clarina Cloud is memorable and instantly rolls off your tongue. The book is instantly engaging and is written in a clear, concise and easily accessible style with gorgeous illustrations and I could see how it would be attractive to young children.

I like the fact that each page only contains a couple of sentences and think that the manner in which the author encourages young children to think about how they express their feelings is very clever.

My only tiny niggle with the book is that I wouldn't instantly associate the colour black with pride. I am however nit picking here and all of the other colours work beautifully for me!

In short, this book is beautifully written, well thought out and if it had been available when my children were younger then I would definitely have bought it for them. There is also now an activity book which you can either purchase with your copy of Clarinda Cloud or as a stand alone product.

Thank you, Ingrid! I also see she put in a great plug for DUO Education! Woohoo! I hope all of you will visit Ingrid's site at ingridhall.wordpress.com. She does great reviews and she calls them as she sees them. She doesn't mince words.

2 Comments

Introducing the Publication of "Clarinda Cloud Activity Book"

6/19/2013

2 Comments

Hi. Since, I am on vacation this week, I am going to make this short. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer vacation so far!
I would like to announce the publication of my newest work, "Clarinda Cloud Activity Book." It is now available on Amazon.com. "Clarinda Cloud Activity Book" is based upon my storybook titled "Clarinda Cloud." However, they work separately from each other. You do not need the book in order to have the activity book.
The activity book has basic skills practice such as: coloring, drawing, counting, mazes, letter finds, etc. It is great for ages two to six, depending on the child and ability. The activity book, like the storybook, focuses on colors and feelings.

If you haven't yet, please go check out my new author website titled Author Jodi Desautels. I have some interesting pages there. Of course I have a page about me as an author. Yet, I also have a page for "The Story Behind the Story" and for "Products That Have Caught My Eye."
For the latter, I currently only have books posted. However, I intend to have more things that would benefit readers, writers, and illustrators. I am a member of the Amazon Associates and get a small stipend when you buy things off my site. So, I encourage you to buy them from my site and to tell me the types of products you would like to see. I am thinking about having a similar page here for educational products.

I just want to remind people of the importance of summertime learning. Please take a minute to check out the site, particularly the blog and the online tutoring page.

2 Comments

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DUO Education Presents Clarinda Cloud Name Tags

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Sandra Portman Shares her Interactive Ebooks on "Learning the Numbers" and "Learning the Alphabet" as well as Her Thoughts on Learning Those Things When She Was Younger

Notes and Announcements:

Exciting Writing!

Notes and Announcements

Rhyming Word Search, Giveaway Contest, and More

Giveaway Contest

Please Explore the Site

Another Book Giveaway Contest and Fill in the Silly Nouns Sheet

Clarinda Cloud Joins the Bullying Awareness/Anti-bullying Campaign

Notes and Notices:

Where in the World is Clarinda Cloud?

Education Isn't My Only Passion and Giveaway

I am constantly trying new things and finding ways to make the site better. I look forward to being able to better help you. Please take a minute to fill out the following survey. If you have other thoughts, please feel free to use the contact me page. Thank you.

Be Great!!!

I Have a Little "Be Great!" News of My Own:

Introducing the Publication of "Clarinda Cloud Activity Book"

Jodi Desautels

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