Foundations of a Robot Puppet

While in my local Lakeshore Learning teacher supply store I spotted this little toy on a discount shelf and snapped it up. I "knew" I wouldn't use it (i.e. "thought" I wouldn't use it), but figured it might provide some inspiration for my own robot project.

Little did I know that it would become the basis of my show this summer!

First of all, this is a toy, and certainly NOT a robot. From an electronic standpoint it is a simple circuit with a switch, battery, and a motor; turn on the switch and it completes the circuit causing the motor to run until you turn it off.

But I liked two thing about it that I wanted to use: 1) The frame that holds the can, and 2) the gear exchange that uses the motor to drive the wheels.

But I wanted to wire it to an Arduino so that I could control various aspects of the motor. I wanted to be able to go forward AND backward. I wanted to be able to control the SPEED of the motor, and I wanted to be able to time certain things to happen (move forward for 2 seconds then stop for 5 seconds, then go backwards at half speed for 2 seconds, etc.).

Anyway, I have been playing with it. I am unsure of what I'll be able to do, but I was happy to notice that 10 oz. cans (most soup cans, Rotel tomatoes, etc) are about the same size as soda cans and will fit within the frame of this robot.

The downside is that I knew that one can would not be big enough to hold my Arduino and all the wires I might need for the LEDs, moving arms, etc. So I carefully measured the inner diameter of a 10 oz. can, got on Tinkercad and fabricated this "Tin Can Connector."

I'm not going to lie to you. This was very simple to create...and I still felt like a freaking ROCK STAR when I finished! And even MORE like a rock star when I picked it up from my local library (thank you Friendswood Public Library for being so amazing!!).

I'm even more inspired now than ever before about this summer's show. We live in an amazing time where we can sit at a computer, imagine something, design it, email that file to our local library, and for pennies per gram, pick up a perfect rendition of our imagination come to fruition.

I'm not mechanically inclined and never have been. So, when I tell you I'm nervous about finishing this project, it is true. But this first step was so surprisingly easy, that my confidence has been renewed. For a long time I kept thinking I should just BUY a robot that does what I need and be done with it. But I just couldn't bring myself to do a show about MAKING things while refusing to even TRY. So, if this doesn't end up in the show this summer, know that it wasn't for lack of TRYING!!

More Kind Words about My Winter Festivals Show

I know, I know. I started blogging in 2006 (12 years ago!). But then stopped for almost 2 full years. Now, suddenly, I'm back at it, and I'm posting like every other day. But when you are self-employed life is like a roller coaster when it comes to time and money. Some months I'm so busy I can't think, and other months I don't have enough work to buy a cup of coffee.

So, I've decided to use my free time to get back into writing more. More blogging, I'm also going to do more video, since that seems to be a popular medium. And this blog post will be using both. Here's a short clip of a teacher who saw the very last Texas school assembly show I did this year. It was a show I do called "Arctic Express" and it's about all the holidays people celebrate during the winter time.

For more videos, testimonials, funny clips of my shows, etc. be sure to visit my YouTube channel.

Kind Words about "Arctic Express" (my show about winter festivals)

Because of the way the holidays fell this year, the last day of school assembly shows for me was just 2 days before Christmas Eve. So our family was feeling a little rushed to get everything settled, bought, wrapped, etc. before our scheduled trips to see all the family.

Now, here I am, AFTER Christmas and things have settled down a little bit, so I had time to edit and post a few videos of some things clients this year had to say about my show, The Arctic Express. The show is a multicultural exploration of all the winter holidays people celebrate around the world.

Kids Say the Funniest Things!

Texas author Julian Franklin performing as a train engineer.

One of the educational school assemblies I do is a show about all the winter festivals the people celebrate around the world: Diwali, Thanksgiving, Ramadan (not always in the winter but I include it), Hanukkah, Solstice, Kwanzaa, New Year and, of course, Christmas.

At one point in the show I talk about Chris VanAllsburg's book, The Polar Express. I say, "The boy knows he can have any gift he wants. But all he wants...is a bell."

A girl on the second row yelps out "I know Isabel!"

I've been doing this show for 14 seasons now and I have to admit, this one caught me off guard. It took me until that moment in the NEXT show before I even realized what she was talking about. I totally heard it as it came out of my mouth, and now I can't NOT hear it. But I've been doing this show for so long, it is hard for me to change the script in my head.

What's all the rage about video?

Okay, listen: I'm NOT a Luddite! I'm no technophile, but I'm not a technophobe either. I'm rarely "cutting edge" or "new introducer," but I'm usually in front of the 50% curve...usually.

Or not.

Anyway, the point is that I haven't written a blog entry is almost TWO YEARS! Do you know what 2 years is? It's 14 dog years! My dog could almost be driving a car by now! My head hurts.

So people always call the office phone (next blog entry about how we're about to cut the land line once and for all) to ask questions about which of my fifteen educational school assembly shows would be best for their Texas author visit. While I love talking to my clients, I'm usually out performing assembly programs and can't answer the phone. Even when my wife is at home answering the phone and booking summer library shows or school author visits she doesn't always have the time to engage in a lengthy discussion about every single show I do.

We have a teenage daughter living at home! And your school districts are requiring ever more paperwork from us, so, please, cut us some slack, okay? I'm sorry. Did I say that out loud?

Anyway, I finally joined the 21st century and actually recorded and uploaded some YouTube videos describing my various shows. I'll be blogging (I hope) more frequently and will include links to descriptions of all the shows I do. So you can hear it straight from this horse's mouth (most folks accuse me of talking out of my...never mind, but it IS related to a horse).

Wearing Pajamas to Work

One of the best things about doing my Chris VanAllsburg tribute show is that I get to wear pajamas to work.

This picture shows how comfortable I get to dress, how much fun I have doing my version of "work," and it might hint at how much fun the students are having while we learn about author craft and style through the works of a great American artist.

Unfortunately, it also captures how much I enjoyed eating over the holidays and has inspired me to double down on my upcoming New Year's Resolutions.

Kids are Funny

Saw this book in another school and had to add it to this post!

A boy and a girl were in the library while I was setting up this AM.

Me: Do you speak any languages other than English?

Girl: English, Japanese, and a little bit of Spanish.

Boy: English...and I make cat noises.

Me: So...like 'Cat Language'?

Boy (with total sincerity): Yes.

Don't Mess with Me!!

A spy made a comment on my blog that bothered me so I put them in their place. My wife said I "ripped them a new one" but I don't think it was that bad. I'll ask you what you think, but first, here's the basic scoop:

In addition to being a motivational speaker for children, I'm also a professional speaker for adults. In fact, many of you are aware that I offer Teacher In-Service and Staff Development programs that are as fun for adults as my Texas reading school assembly programs are for children.

So I have this blog where I write about things related to school shows and summer library programs and I have another blog (JulianSpeaks.com/blog) that is directed more at the clients who hire me for my speaking engagements. So I wrote a blog entry and this guy made a rather snarky comment about it.

But the guy isn't a client, he's a spy. He's another performer using an assumed name and he's no doubt bothered by the fact that my business continues to grow even though we are in a really bad recession.

Enough chatter, here's the link to the other blog entry: CLICK HERE

Scroll down to read what he wrote and then you can read my lengthy response. Feel free to comment either there or here (or both) about whether or not you think I was too hard on the guy. I promise that no matter what you comment, I will NOT be in the least bit mean to you.

Just don't mess with me...

Earliest Snow Ever!

So it's snowing now, like it has been all day. Several districts cancelled classes and even more had early release in an attempt to get the kids home before the streets got icy.

Library Rat productions was at two schools today (we have four performers so this is not impossible to be in two places at once). Both of our schools decided on an unscheduled early dismissal due to the snow. In Wharton ISD we were able to group everyone into 3 shows and finished up in the nick of time. In Spring ISD we were not so lucky and so one of us will be going back next Friday to finish up for the students who missed the show today.

But I feel partially responsible for this whole thing.

Back in 2004 I debuted a show called "Arctic Express" and that year it snowed on Christmas Day from Dallas all the way down to the Rio Grande Valley. It happened again the year before last with some snow down south and now it has happened again with the earliest snow ever recorded in this area.

I wrote a blog entry about this back in 2006 but it deserves being re-addressed.

As the world gathers this week to discuss global warming I'm actually out there DOING something about it! You can help by doing your part. While it is probably too late to book us for this winter season, it is definitely NOT to early to start booking for NEXT winter.

Contact the Library Rat for all your school assembly needs.

And let your PTA know about us. They have money to spend and need to know good places to invest it.

The Dot

Yesterday I was at Saegert Elementary in Killeen ISD. I was doing a school assembly program teaching the scientific process / scientific method and the kids were loving the puppets and magic so much they had no idea they were learning all sorts of new vocabulary and important curriculum-based concepts.

Of course, because all my shows are reading motivation programs encouraging children to read, I usually perform in the library. And Jennifer Brown, the librarian at Saegert does a great job of creating an environment rich in reading possibility. Her displays of books were simple, but quite effective. Between shows I wound up reading several short books, as frequently happens when I am in the library.

On this particular morning I picked up The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds.

What an amazing book! During my lunch break I skipped lunch to run to Barnes and Noble to buy my own copy of the book. When I got back to my hotel room that evening I got on-line and ordered another copy to give to my daughter's art teacher. It is such a profound book and really quite moving.

People look at children's literature and see that there are not many words and think "Oh, I could write a book like that!" But the truth is that it is MUCH harder to convey important messages with few words than it is with many words.

Peter Reynolds did a MASTERFUL job and this book is a great addition to any library. It is a perfect gift for any teacher, but if you have an art teacher you love, you are obligated to get this book for him or her. I can't believe it's been around since 2003 and won awards and I hadn't heard of it until yesterday.

Thank you Ms. Brown for having me educate, entertain and inspire your students yesterday. But I thank you even more for educating, entertaining, and inspiring me by introducing me to this book. I owe you.

After School Magic Workshops

Yesterday I wrote about the value of After School Magic Workshops and this morning I wanted to continue on that thread for just a quick moment before I go to the gym.



I'm not sure if I want to offer these programs or not, but I am considering it. There are pros and cons. I'll do the old "Bad News, Good News" routine and I'll start with the bad news:



Because magic workshops are held on a regular basis like a class, it would be difficult for me to perform my normal educational school assembly programs in Texas if I was booked out of town. I am usually booked a week at a time and stay in a hotel in cities like Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, Beaumont, Austin, Mission, Del Rio, and so on. If I were booked in one of these cities for a week I wouldn't be able to provide the after school magic workshop.



That conflict of interest bothers me and is the only thing holding me back at this point.