Celebrate the Love You Have for Your Pets

Posted by Barbara Techel

One the beautiful things about following my heart in the work I have been doing with Frankie is the chance to meet others I may have never met.

Take Lisa Taron, Founding Director of Heritage Makers, for example.  Her bio says, “I am a kid-at-heart business woman who loves to see people celebrate the love for their pets (and family and friends) through Heritage Makers.”


We have followed each other on Facebook for quite sometime.  We are the same ag (our birthdays are 24 days apart), she loves animals and she loves seniors.  Hmmm, I’d say we have a bit in common, wouldn’t you?

She recently contacted me and said she’d like to gift me with a bracelet of Frankie for all the work we do.  There are some very kind people in the world, and Lisa is one of them!  I was so touched when I got my “Frankie bracelet.”  I wear it to every presentation I do!  I can hardly wait to wear it to our next visit to Libby’s House, Senior Assisted Living.  The residents will love it!

So here are the photos she used (which I sent her):


And here is a photo of a finished bracelet (it was hard to take a photo of my completed bracelet because of the glare, but you will get the idea):


Heritage Makers is an online publishing system that helps you capture your stories and love of family, friends and pets in various ways.  To learn more about them please do visit Lisa’s blog.  Note:  Lisa was so inspired by “Be the Change” movement started by Blogpaws at their 1st annual conference recently, that she will be donating all her commission sales from the sale of bracelets for the month of April to an animal rescue in British Columbia where she lives.

My Frankie bracelet is something I will treasure forever.  What a beautiful keepsake for me to wear now to share with others, and a keepsake that will help me keep Frankie’s memory alive when she is someday no longer with me. Thank you so much, Lisa for your kindness and generous heart.

Using Skype in Classrooms

Posted by Barbara Techel

Skype visit with students in western Canada

Having just finished up a Skype visit with Firefighter Dayna Hilton and her dog, Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog with a school in western canada, I wanted to share the experience because there are so many wonderful benefits.  This particular Skype visit was done at my home in Wisconsin so Dayna and I and the dogs were together for this session.  Future visits will have us using Skype from our own homes and hope to set up a 3-way Skype visit with classrooms across the US.  Having done Skype visits with Frankie before, I will continue to offer our presentation as well on a separate basis.

Karen Keys is the Digital Digital Literacy Teacher in western Canada. She involved her 4th grade students in the whole process so they could understand and learn about technology.  She had them as co-hosts of the special event, which I thought was a way for them to feel important, and helpful.  They were able to learn how Skype works in setting it up, being available during the call, and then signing off.

The co-hosts, which were four students, each welcomed us with a special message before we did our presentation.  Dayna and I then shared the fire safety message with them, along with helping those with special needs to make sure they have a plan to get out safe.  Interacting with the students via Skype helps them be a part of the presentation.  Dayna had two fire safety songs which we had the kids sing with us.

Karen also arranged for a fireman to be in the classroom during our presentation.  He stayed once we signed off of Skype to further educate the kids about fire safety.

There were select students who prepared questions ahead of time. Each approached the webcam one by one to ask their question after our presentation.  What a wonderful way for them to get comfortable with being on Skype, as well as conversing with authors!

After the questions were answered the co-hosts each had a thank you message for us before we signed off.  I was so impressed with how Karen involved her students with the whole process of using Skype.  So many valuable lessons in using technology, to meeting authors, to learning to be safe, to learning to stay positive, and helping others with special needs.

In a follow up to Karen to find out her thoughts about the experience she had this to say, “The Frankie and Sparkles buzz was everywhere at lunch! I got a great response from the teachers involved who thought it was a wonderful presentation! The kids LOVED IT!! My principal was very impressed with the whole event and so was Matthew the Fireman…. he couldn’t wait to go back to the firehall to tell all the other firemen about it.”

For me personally, I think using the internet and Skype is a win-win situation for all involved.  As we continue to face economic challenges it helps us to look for creative ways in which we can still reach out to others with our messages.  The ultimate winners in this case are the children.  Technology is our future, so what better way for kids to learn?  And they benefit from also learning positive and inspirational messages which instills in them that they can do anything they set their minds to do.

For further information on a Skype visit with Frankie or Frankie and Sparkles please feel free to visit my website or Frankie and Sparkles blog. Special pages on my website are set up for teachers and librarians to learn more about a Skype visit.

Related Links:

Dayna Hilton (Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog) talking about the experience on Firehouse.com

USA Today article on Sparkles and Frankie visiting via Skype with school in Canada

Frankie and Sparkles Skyping for the first time!