I recently had the opportunity to present Little Miss HISTORY  in animation. Thanks to Silas Merlin, who created the avatar, the character has come to life.

• Little Miss HISTORY insists, “If you don’t know your history, you don’t know what you’re talking about.” On the day of our birth, we become a character in history because each of us has an opportunity to create our story and place our mark on history.

• As we stand here in the twenty-first century, technology allows us to immerse ourselves in history. In 2003, Linden Lab launched a program called Second Life. Its users, who are called residents, use this technology to create virtual representations of themselves. These avatars can explore the virtual world, socialize and participate with other residents in a group or individual activities. Second Life has its own virtual currency that allows residents to create, shop, and trade virtual property with one another.

• In 2014, Linden Lab announced a plan to develop a new virtual world. Content creators began working on the program named Project Sansar. The platform was released in “creator beta” to the public in July 2017. Users create 3D spaces where people can create and share social experiences such as watching videos, playing games, and having conversations. Participants are represented by avatars they create. These avatars contain speech-driven facial animations and motion driven body animations.

• Sansar supports virtual reality headsets but can also be accessed with Windows computers. The program is free to use, but like Second Life Sansar has its own economy. Users can buy and sell their virtual creations with the Sansar dollar.

• HOW DID LITTLE MISS HISTORY GET INVOLVED IN VIRTUAL REALITY? A few months ago, I was approached by Bernhard Drax to appear on his Book Club Radio podcast. When I heard that Little Miss HISTORY would have an opportunity to appear in virtual reality, I jumped at the opportunity.

• Via “draxtor”..and media for all! Drax and his team now offer audio-visual storytelling for many media platforms. Bernhard Drax studied audio engineering at the University of California at Los Angeles and music at the Hochschule fur Musik and Theater Munchen. He is an expert in user-created content in Virtual Reality. His award-winning mixed reality documentary series “The Drax Files: World Makers” is just one of his many video series featured on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/user/draxtordespres

I invite you to join us in a discussion about books, education, and history, past, present, and future!

Check out Little Miss HISTORY’s journey into virtual reality!

If you would like to read the entire interview on the podcast, please go here:

https://wp.me/p485L9-1N9

Want to help your child learn about history? Then follow Little Miss History on her explorations.

Little Miss HISTORY Travels to MOUNT RUSHMORE is her first stop. In her second journey, she sails to The STATUE of LIBERTY. Little Miss HISTORY’S third adventure to SEQUOIA National Park finds her skydiving into the park to explore its history. This book recently received honorable mention in the Children’s Literature Independently Published Principal’s Awards (CLIPPA), and runner-up in nature/wildlife category of the 2015 Great Northwest Book Festival. In her fourth adventure, Little Miss HISTORY arrives at FORD’S THEATER in her horse and buggy just in time for the 150th Anniversary to witness an event that changed history. This book won the 2015 IAN Award for Outstanding Children’s Nonfiction Book.

Awards for books in this series include seven B.R.A.G. MEDALLIONS, Eric Hoffer Award, Book Excellence Awards, International Reader’s Favorite Awards, Independent Author Network Awards, Global E-Book Award, and CLIPPA Principal’s Award.

https://www.amazon.com/Barbara-Ann-Mojica/e/B00B9DOVKC

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Barbara+Ann+Mojica?_requestid=786603

About the Author

Barbara Ann Mojica is a historian and retired educator living in New York State. She holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in History. Barbara spent more than 40 years teaching in NYC and holds New York State teacher certifications in Elementary, Special Education, and Administration. She also spent several years as a Special Education Administrator and principal of a special education preschool for developmentally delayed children. Barbara, although retired from teaching, is staying busy: along with her series of Little Miss History travel books she writes historical pieces for The Columbia Insider, Pat Fisher, and Ed Pollack Editors, under the banner “Passages”. Marrying her love of history and teaching, Barbara hopes her Little Miss History character will inspire children to learn about historical people, and visit landmarks such as the one covered in this book.

https://www.amazon.com/Barbara-Ann-Mojica/e/B00B9DOVKC

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Barbara+Ann+Mojica?_requestid=786603

Barbara@littlemisshistory.com

http://www.littlemisshistory.com

https://bamauthor.wordpress.com

https://www.facebook.com/Littlemisshistory.com

https://twitter.com/bamauthor

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6851359.Barbara_Ann_Mojica

https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-mojica-5a5b6262/

http://pinterest.com/bamauthor/

https://plus.google.com/+BarbaraAnnMojica

https://www.instagram.com/bamauthor/

Review excerpts

“The use of photographs and colorful illustrations by the illustrator enhances the book with visual appeal. Highly recommended.”

“Charming and informative, Little Miss History doesn’t disappoint, informing young readers about the many great places the United States has to offer for entertainment and learning.”

“I love Barbara’s Little Miss HISTORY books! They visit historical sites and explain the significance of that location in terms kids understand. These books can be used in the classroom as well as for reading at home. Kids love to learn!”

“Because ALL books produced by Barbara Ann Mojica are just wonderful to read, I can’t tell you my favorite. Each time I read one, I believe they all become my favorite.”

It’s National Park Week – April 21-29!

Dreaming about summer vacation? Ready, set, go!

This week, you are invited to explore the parks of our National Park system. This year’s theme is “Park Stars.” There are many resources to help you explore the dozens of ways that you can explore our national parks throughout the country this year.

Here are three resources to bookmark:

National ParkWeek.org to detail special programs and discounts for this week.

National Park Calendar Service calendar of events will alert you to special events all over the country and the exact dates they are featured.

National Park Foundation offers free guides for hikers, historians, family excursions, or a romantic stroll.

The Little Miss HISTORY Travels to…book series will enlighten and inspire everyone in the family and prepare you for that once in a lifetime family vacation. Check out the whole series at http://LittleMissHISTORY.com