Today we’d like to introduce you to Julianne DiBlasi.
Hi Julianne , thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been designing, writing, and creating art since I was a kid, but it wasn’t until I had my daughter in 2012 that I realized there was a huge gap between fun and educational activities. This led me to start creating activity books that incorporated history and vocabulary components into the coloring and puzzles, resulting in a hybrid gamification-style line of books.
Soon after that, my mother started volunteering at Honeymoon Island State Park and would come home with stories about people trying to “save” gopher tortoises by putting them back in the ocean (they live on land), taking shells with live creatures still inside, or simply leaving trash and debris behind. It was then that I pivoted again, taking the activity books to a new level, working to educate locals and visitors about our natural environment in a way that is fun and accessible for the whole family.
The books now cover Common Core and Next Generation material, as well as coloring, mazes, word searches, crossword puzzles, word scrambles, charades, jokes, crafts, science experiments, and even recipes. They are entirely designed to entertain while educating readers about our local wildlife, trees, plants, and natural environment.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Because I’m creating for specific environments (like Florida), I’ve opted to self-publish, and it’s an extremely hard road getting the word out there to teachers, homeschoolers, nature centers, and the like.
It’s taken many years of dead ends and unanswered emails. Still, I’ve finally been able to make my books, which were previously only available online, now available in state and even national park gift shops. To provide families with fun yet important information about the very place they are enjoying while they are there is a significant step toward helping preserve these areas and develop a love and respect for the natural world.
Spreading the word had definitely been the most challenging part of the journey!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve just recently released another book: Florida Ocean Creatures & More: An Activity & Science Book! for ages 5 to 12 years old. The variety of activities, including coloring, puzzles, and crafts, allows it to engage younger children, while the educational content and projects also appeal to older kids. Perfect for elementary school-aged children, with flexibility for different learning levels and interests. It covers a variety of NGSS and CCSS educational standards, including reading informational text, writing, speaking and listening, and scientific inquiry and understanding.
My other books with Tampa Bay area focus are:
Dunedin, Florida, and Honeymoon Island Gigantic Activity Book – Games, History, Wildlife, and More!
Tarpon Springs & Anclote Key Gigantic Activity Book: Games, History, Recipes & More
A Florida Pirate’s Wildlife, Skills & Activity Book: 110 Pages of Facts, Puzzles & Pirate Training Secrets
My Honeymoon Island Activity Book: Florida’s Honeymoon Island State Park in Dunedin, Florida: 2nd Edition: Hundreds of New Activities: Coloring, and More!
My Florida Shells Coloring & Activity Book – 2nd Edition: Hundreds of New Activities: Coloring, Games, Puzzles, and More!
The Ultimate Florida Beach Activity Book: Florida Shells and Ocean Life – Coloring, Games, Puzzles, and More!
All are over 100 pages and are filled with everything from survival skills (knot making, rip tides, poisonous plants, stingray shuffle, and jellyfish season) to fun facts about bark scorpions, dolphins, endangered and invasive species, spotting weather patterns, fishing, and much more.
How do you think about luck?
I’ve never really been “lucky,” but I’ve always been a sign-watcher, in that I have specific symbols I look for in my life that pop up and surprise me to let me know I’m on the right path.
If you pick a sign or symbol, it has to be something that you are not likely to stumble upon in daily life, so you are sure when you see it, it is meant for you to notice. Mine happens to be something you would only see in the Arctic, so I’m somewhat protected from it being all around me, which would give me mixed messages.
I suppose I should envision a symbol for when I’m going the wrong way, but I try to look only for the positives. Everything else is just a work in progress.
Pricing:
- Books range from $8.99 to $14.99 and are available on Amazon
Contact Info:
- Website: https://creativebrainsgrowhere.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creativebrainsgrowhere/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creativebrainsgrowhere/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliannediblasi/
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/krakenskycreative/
