Margot's School Visits Page

Educational Fun For School Kids!

As an Aussie who has lived in Oregon for many years, I wanted to bring the critters I remember enjoying as a child to children here in the USA. I would like my school visits to be a time of fun learning for the kids in your classrooms. I offer a series of rhyming books that will teach your class about the weird and wonderful animals in Australia, as well as fascinating critters from America. All my books are beautifully illustrated, and each Australian animal story includes a glossary that explains the fun Aussie words.

Kids today are more computer savvy than many adults. They spend their time in front of a computer, rather than curled up with a book. Encouraging children to read fun, educational books on CD or Computer Download, is much better than letting them watch cartoon rubbish on TV.

My series of rhyming animal books is designed for fun and enjoyment - kids also learn from them, and that's a plus. They love animal tales: especially those about weird and wonderful animals from far-away places like Australia.

Classes can learn about Kangaroos, Koalas and Platypus etc, while on the computer at home, or at school. They can also enjoy critters from the USA - Bumblebees, Skunks and Hummingbirds, to name a few.

I arrive in every class singing "Waltzing Matilda," wearing a swagman's (or hobo's) bobbing, cork trimmed hat, carrying my swag on a stick over my shoulder, and holding a billy for tea and a fryingpan for cooking. The reason for this get-up is explained, along with a bunch of fun Aussie words kids can try out on their friends and family.My interactive PowerPoint Presentation, complete with animal sounds, keeps children interested and learning about Australia and the animals in my books - from the US and Australia.

** The presentation screen shows all the books in FlipView mode: exactly like reading from a real book - children hear the pages as they turn! I also have "Rattlesnake Jam" downloaded to the big screen. The same fun lessons work for both my 6 book series on CD and download, and for the softcover book "Rattlesnake Jam." **

 

K-through 3rd grade children:
As well as what is mentioned above, younger children are encouraged to dive into my rhymes and discover the secrets of many endearing American and Australian animal species, plus the Aussie words used. There is a Q & Q time, and I read from 2 of my books.
* K-1 is a half hour program. Grades 2 and 3 is three quarters of an hour.

4th & 5th Grades
Older grades enjoy all the fun mentioned above, plus a selection of neat writing hints, and encouragement to use fresh adjectives and active and powerful verbs in their stories. I also mention how I started writing, and how the illustrators for my books were chosen. I love interacting with children, and helping them discover the fun of writing rhyme. I also read them 2 of my stories. * 4th & 4th grades is a one hour program.

I enjoy answering questions about Aussie animals and the American critters in my books. My well worn Australian map also shows many of their unique animals.

My collection of aboriginal artifacts, map of Australia, and the Aussie words the children will have fun using, are always a big hit. I also bring a genuine coconut. I brought this back from a beach in far Northern Queensland, Australia.

I encourage children to visit the Down-Under Fun and Wild US Critters pages on my website. These two pages offer lots of extra fun stuff about the animals in my books. And there are links to other critter sites for kids who are interested in learning more.

I am happy to answer questions about writing rhyme. Thank you for this opportunity to introduce myself and my books. . . Please E-MAIL ME if you would like further details about my presentation.

I have done my best to make sure my fee is reasonable, and does not break your school's budget. My fees begin at $100. This is for a reading and lesson for one class. If you want me to work with several classes, and different grades, my fee will be higher, depending on the time involved and the number of classes. If long distances are involved, I will ask for travel and accomodation expenses.

I am always happy to chat with you about my presentation, and consider anything extra you would like to add. Everything is negotiable, including my fee -

I had the fun of doing two sessions at this neat school. The librarian and teachers were so supportive and interested in everything. I even got to sign the Author's Wall. The morning session was for kindergarten and grade one. The afternoon session was for kindergarten, grade one, and some grade twos. These kids were such fun, and asked great questions. The animal sounds I incorporated into my PowerPoint Presentation were a big hit.

Had a great time with these classes, reading my books, talking about Australia and fun Aussie words. Older classes like this love a more in-depth look at how my book series got to be published. They enjoyed hearing how I found the book illustrators through my online writing list, and that two of them came from far away Turkey. We also talked about the craft of writing great books, and I answered some neat questions. I hope to display some pictures of that day here soon.