FableVision Resources for Social-Emotional Learning

Resilience, empathy, and compassion—these are the social-emotional skills that empower kids to speak up for themselves and their friends during difficult situations. However, that’s easier said than done—developing social-emotional and critical thinking skills takes practice and courage. To help kids grow into brave adults, FableVision gathered a list of resources for you and your family to explore.

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Sesame Street in Community Spinners
To aid Sesame Street achieve its mission of helping children grow smarter, kinder, and stronger, FableVision created two spinner engine interactives in partnership with Sesame Workshop. They’ll be used in Sesame Street in Communities, an online resource to help parent and educate 0-5-year-olds. Grover’s Playground Workout helps children have fun while exercising. After spinning the wheel and landing on a monster, children and parents imitate the moves of that monster. Using muppets, A Little Help from My Furry Friends teaches coping strategies for stress and anxiety. 

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Project Here Games
To help the state of Massachusetts’ Project Here initiative of changing the status quo of substance use prevention education, FableVision partnered with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, GE Foundation, and Health Resources in Action. The output of the partnership is Project Here Games. The game tackles coping methods, decision-making, communication, and myth-busting. As players travel through the games by applying their earned skills to solve life-like scenarios, they’re able to test their solutions in a safe space, while staying entertained.

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Galaxia
A missing professor, illegal substances, an online bully, and an evil plot that could put the entire school in jeopardy—these are the challenges students face in Galaxia, FableVision’s bullying prevention game. Created in partnership with National Health Promotion Associates (NHPA) for the LifeSkills Training middle school curriculum, Galaxia allows students to work through scenarios surrounding peer pressure, bullying, coping with stress, and more. The outerspace boarding school game helps students make smart choices in a fun way, and the choices in the game affect the trajectory of their path.

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Different Kinds of Hurt: Isaac’s Story
In collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health and Walker Cares, FableVision created Different Kinds of Hurt: Isaac’s Story, a multi-media campaign consisting of a graphic novel (available for free to Massachusetts residents), animated film, and accompanying print resources. Featuring young Isaac and his friend Mia as they discuss their recent time in the hospital, the resources aim to normalize conversations about mental health and fight the stigma surrounding mental health issues.

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Civics! An American Musical
As children navigate U.S. history and analyze primary resources to produce their own musical, Civics! An American Musical teaches middle school students the power of everyday citizens in causing change. Developed in partnership with Maryland Public Television, Maryland Humanities, and Tufts’ CIRCLE as a part of the Library of Congress’ Teaching With Primary Sources Program, it aims to motivate the next generation of activists. The Hamilton-inspired games allow students to adapt true events from U.S. history to the stage, such as the desegregation of public schools, the National Parks, the FDA, and the Chinese Exclusion Act.

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Quandary
Can a game include complicated ethical problems while engaging children on a narrative level? In collaboration with the Learning Games Network, FableVision answered yes to this question by creating Quandary, an ethical decision-making card game. Students play as the captain of the new space colony Braxos and use their listening and moral decision-making skills to keep the peace among colonies. The game aims to help players make difficult decisions where there are no right or wrong answers, like most conflicts in everyday life.

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Say Something!
Written by FableVision founder and New York Times bestselling author Peter H. Reynolds and published by Scholastic, Say Something! reminds children that their voices can inspire, heal, and transform. To provide movement to the message and art of the book, FableVision created a trailer and animated film that encourage children to be brave and speak up against injustice. Using the uplifting words and actions of the characters as inspiration, the trailer and film follow them striving to make a positive difference in their world.

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May FableFriday: Julie Oliveira, Production Artist

“I would describe my style as colorful, cartoony, and nostalgic. I think for me, my art style is continuing to grow and evolve, and it always has been,” says Julie Oliveira. A talented illustrator and animator, Julie joins the studio as FableVision’s Production Artist. Julie earned her bachelor's in animation from Massachusetts College of Art and Design, where she learned a lot about art and animation not only from the formal classroom setting, but also from her peers outside of classes. “I’m constantly trying to improve and learn from what inspires me while still making sure it always has a personal touch. I’m excited to learn from all of the talented people at FableVision, from the diverse projects, and from client interactions as well. I think working here will help me become a more versatile artist.”

In her role as Production Artist, Julie collaborates with the rest of the art team to bring ideas to life. Her part in the production process involves designing assets for interactive media, games, websites, and more. She creates concept art for animation, designs website style guides, makes new assets from existing style guides, and sometimes takes part in the animation process.

From finding inspiration from people and projects at the studio to learning new tips and tricks about areas she is less familiar with, such as game design, Julie continues to look for ways to grow in her career and in her art. The studio is excited, not only to see what Julie can learn from others here, but also what she can teach and bring to each project and team she joins. So let’s jump in and find out more about what drew her to art, what she looks forward to in her career at FableVision, and her favorite recipe to make from scratch!

First and foremost, welcome to FableVision! How did you hear about us, and what originally drew you to the studio?
Thank you! I had heard of some of FableVision’s projects, such as Zoombinis, and looked into the studio more when I graduated. I always knew I wanted to create media for children, and the FableVision projects that focused on that are really what drew me to the studio in the beginning. I’ve always had a soft spot for cartoons, colorful characters, and games. I was also interested in  making educational media more inviting and engaging, so FableVision seemed like the perfect fit!

You studied animation at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. What was that experience like?
It was a great experience! For me, the most important part of my college experience was the community. I learned the most from the people around me: my friends, my peers, and my teachers. Being around a lot of talented and like-minded people helped me to grow and challenge myself in more ways than classes alone ever could. I made some of my best friends at MassArt, and I’ll never forget the late nights in room 721, when we would all work on our theses together while listening to music or podcasts and ordering food. Those are some of my favorite memories from school!

There’s a lot of discussion, now, involving the relevance of art schools. Personally, I think that tuition is certainly too high to be accessible to most students. It’s more convenient and affordable to get degrees online, but there is so much more to learn from than what you get out of class. This is especially true considering the invaluable relationships you make in college. It’s important for these experiences to be accessible for everyone.

When and how did you realize you wanted to be an artist?
I’ve been interested in art and creative activities ever since I was in preschool. When I was little, my mom let me try all kinds of pastimes, like basketball and soccer, but the only thing that stuck was pottery class. In elementary school, I leaned more into drawing and creating characters. By middle school, I was oil painting. When it came time to decide where I wanted to go to college and what I wanted to do with my life, the answer was simple. I’d always been drawing and coloring, and I figured, if I could just keep doing that, I’d be happy. And I am!

From your vantage point, what do you think differentiates FableVision from other studios?
What drew me to FableVision initially were the types of projects. Everything the studio creates is fun and full of character, while also sticking to the goal of producing educational media and tools that help people learn and enjoy learning. For me, that was an important part of growing up and being in school. I think that’s part of what makes FableVision awesome, but also why it’s important to me as part of the team! Another thing that makes the studio unique is the people here; the staff is such a warm family.

What does a day in your life as Production Artist look like?
A day in my life starts with coffee and a pleasant walk across the river. Then, I dive into my projects for the day! Being a production artist involves being open to whatever direction the day takes you in. Sometimes you focus on one project for the whole day, and sometimes different tasks pop up throughout your time. It’s nice to be able to get into a groove and really sink into a project for a few hours, and then be able to pop over and see what others around the studio are up to. One of the best things about my job is that I’m collaborating with other people. It’s so much fun to contribute my portion to a larger whole and see everyone’s bits come together at the end to make something really amazing.

Tell us about the graphic novel project you’re working on! What is it about and how does that process differ from the work you do at the studio?
I’m currently working with a writer on a graphic novel surrounding the lives of four kids who go to summer camp at Area 51 in New Mexico. I’ve always had an interest in paranormal stories, and it’s really lucky that I happened to cross paths with a like-minded creator! Working on a personal project at home is definitely a very similar process to what I do at work, although somewhat less organized. It’s wonderful helping clients create their visions and collaborating with a larger team at work, but it’s also nice to be able to inject my own personality into something a bit more with a project like this at home.

What are you most looking forward to in your career at FableVision?
I’m looking forward to growing more as an artist and continuing to learn new things both on my own and from the talented people I work with at the studio. Learning doesn’t stop when you graduate, and for me I still have a lot of goals I hope to achieve in the future. I know the types of different projects I’ll work on at FableVision will help guide me there. I’m also looking forward to the fun events we take part in together here, like board game nights, video game discussions, and participating in a weekly cooking exchange.

You enjoy playing video games. What game is your favorite, and does the art in that game influence your own work or process?
A lot of games are very important and special to me, but Earthbound has to be my favorite. I played it for the first time a few years ago and just fell in love. It definitely felt like a connection to a piece of media I’ve never had before because I already saw so much of myself in it. Needless to say, once I played it, it certainly became a huge inspiration to me as a creator. I love the goofy artstyle, and as a whole, it just has so much charm and character!

Who is your biggest inspiration and why?
I’ve learned so much from all of the talented people I’m surrounded by, such as my friends, teachers, and coworkers, and I feel very lucky! My mom and grandma inspire me in many other ways, and I really see what kind of person I strive to be in them.

We heard you like to cook. What is your go-to recipe when you have to bring a dish to a potluck?
My go-to recipe is definitely a pasta dish with tomato sauce from scratch. I grew up living within walking distance from my grandparents’ house, and every Sunday, my grandma would make homemade pasta and sauce with tomatoes and basil from my grandpa’s garden. My grandma taught me how to make tomato sauce, and my grandpa taught me how to make mozzarella cheese by hand. I still make my own tomato sauce in my apartment, but nothing compares to my grandma’s. It’s something I always look forward to when visiting home.

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More About Julie:

Most rewatchable animated series? Avatar the Last Airbender. I’ve seen the whole thing through about 11 times!
Favorite animated movie? Lilo and Stitch.
Smiley fries or curly fries? Curly Fries!
Favorite color? Burgundy.
Favorite childhood memory? Visiting the Museum of Natural History in New York City with my Mom.
Favorite Boston museum? The Museum of Science!
Dream vacation? I’d love to go back to Japan!
Animal you would most like to have as a pet? Realistically, a cat or dog. Unrealistically…a racoon. I love their tiny hands.