I would be delighted to visit your classroom, school, or homeschool group or co-op!
School visits are appropriate for smaller groups of students and can be adjusted according to the grade and reading level of the students.
Below are two examples of the types of workshops available:
What Makes a Good Story?
A presentation on what inspired me to write the book and a discussion of the creative process from the spark of imagination to story draft, revision of the story, collaboration with an illustrator, and how artwork, including illustrations, bring the writer’s story to life. We will also discuss the difference between a photograph and a book illustration and how illustrations bring a story to life.
Let’s Connect With Nature!
A good reader makes a good writer! Students will explore writing to go along with reading my book. I am a firm believer in the power of nature to spark the imagination. Students will use their imagination to write a couple of paragraphs on nature with the help of some images of nature or nature prompts to get them started. Possible nature prompts include:
- Think about your favorite place in nature. Using your senses, describe it. Why do you like it so much? How does it make you feel? Joy? Happiness? Curiosity?
- While sitting under a tree, an acorn hits you on the head and you turn into a squirrel. What happens next?
- Pretend you are a tree. Write about a typical day for you.
- Describe your favorite season of the year. Why is it your favorite?
- You are walking through a forest when all of a sudden a tree starts talking to you. Write what happens next. Describe the tree. What did the tree say to you? How did you respond? How did you feel about talking to the tree?
- Describe the most beautiful place in nature you've ever been to. Why did you find it beautiful?
For both workshops, student takeaways include a gift bag with a seashell selected by the student, coloring pages, colored pencils, a worksheet on how to write descriptors for the seashell, and a blank workbook where students can write their own stories.
Please contact me for more information on fees and presentations, including visits outside the State of Arizona.
