Author Visits & Workshops
Dannika was charming, dynamic, patient & resourceful. The children thoroughly enjoyed her reading of Jacaranda Magic & were enthralled with her treasure box. The way she was able to keep the children so engaged was amazing.
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YEAR 2 TEACHER
Primary schools. Kindergartens. Libraries.
Events.
Dannika is available for dynamic author visits & story time sessions, as well as to present story-driven & curriculum-linked workshops.
Choose from a pre-developed range of workshops or work with Dannika to create a custom session to support specific learning goals or community engagement at your school, library or event.
Workshops
BOOK-INSPIRED
CURRICULUM-LINKED
How to Haiku: Poetry (NEW!)
How to Haiku
ADVENTURES IN POETRY
Haiku History & Modern Haiku
Photography & Poetry
Ocean Conservation
Sensory Stimuli & Free Writing
AGE GROUP Prep - Adult
Adaptable for primary, high school & adult audiences.
Using SeaSpray17: Ocean Photography & Haiku Poetry as a point of reference, you’ll be inspired to create your own haiku in this highly interactive workshop.
Using a mix of photographs, sensory prompts, traditional art materials and collected stimuli from nature, participants will tap into their senses to practice the art of haiku: learning how to capture the essence of a moment in time, in poetic form.
This workshop is ideal for kicking off poetry units in schools, and is a deeply mindful, immersive experience for all ages.
Past How to Haiku workshops:
Brisbane Children’s Writers Festival: Children aged 8- 12 (2023)
Moreton Bay Libraries: Adults (2021)
St John Vianney Primary School: Year 1, Year 2 (2019, 2021)
This workshop is 100% waste-free, with all materials being either recycled, upcycled or compostable.
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Heavy
A CREATIVE WORKSHOP
Family
Mental Load
Engineering
Invention
Equity
Problem Solving
Critical Thinking
Animal Care
AGE GROUP Prep - Year 6
Can be adapted for high school & adult audiences
This cross-curriculum story-driven workshop is designed to provoke thought & open age-appropriate discussions about what can be a 'Heavy' topic: intergenerational & societal patterns of load carrying for women & girls. Some handy curriculum links are woven in too, like looking at levers, pulleys, catapults, loads & weight.
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IN THIS 1 HOUR WORKSHOP…
After reading mentor text Heavy, Dannika will guide a gentle group discussion of the book's central themes & facilitate a fun hands-on craft activity &/or experiment using upcycled, recycled (& optionally edible!) materials to help students make relevant real-world connections.
This workshop is 100% waste-free, with all materials being either recycled, upcycled or compostable.
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Hedgehog the Wonder Dog
AN AUTHOR VISIT
Hope
Connection
Creative Writing
Therapy Dogs
Childhood Illness
Comfort
AGE GROUP Prep - Year 6
Can be adapted for adult learning & PD
Using Hedgehog the Wonder Dog by Dannika Patterson & Ross Morgan as a reference text, participants will learn about the making of a picture book while celebrating the wonder-filled power of therapy dogs.
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IN THIS 1 HOUR SESSION…
This highly-engaging author visit encourages children's creativity, love of story, writing & dogs!
Using working examples from the making of the picture book Hedgehog the Wonder Dog, students will learn about this book's journey to publication, the inspiration and research behind the story, as well as other details of the story-writing & book-making process.
Following a reading of Hedgehog the Wonder Dog, Author Dannika Patterson will lead a gentle discussion around the themes in this book as well as facilitating participant Q&As about...anything! Kids ask the BEST questions & Dannika is an open book about books!
Curriculum links that can be woven into & around this author visit include: narrative writing, linguistic devices (alliteration, assonance), days of the week, counting.
There is an optional book-themed art/craft component, depending on timeframes & group size/s.
This workshop is 100% waste-free, with all materials being either recycled, upcycled or compostable.
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Jacaranda Magic
A CREATIVE WORKSHOP
Imagination
Creativity
Nature
Play
AGE GROUP Prep - Year 3
Can be adapted to other year levels & adult learning
Working with Jacaranda Magic by Dannika Patterson & Megan Forward as a reference text, participants will learn about the making of a picture book, exercise their imaginations and celebrate nature through story & art.
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This highly-engaging workshop encourages children's creativity, love of story, art-appreciation & real-world connection to nature & its seasons.
Using working examples from the making of the picture book Jacaranda Magic, participants will be invited to imagine, hypothesize, problem-solve & get creative.
They'll be shown examples of how flexible thinking and open-ended play can lead to great ideas through an engaging mix of story, science & art.
Curriculum-links built into this workshops include; narrative writing, poetry, science inquiry skills, seasons & weather, eco-systems, growth of trees, chemistry & art (colour-mixing).
Children LOVE the opportunity to learn from and ask questions of the creators of Jacaranda Magic.
This workshop is 100% waste-free, with all materials being either recycled, upcycled or compostable.
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Scribbly Gum STEAM
WORKSHOPS
Eco-fact + Eco-fiction = Eco-FUN!
AGE GROUP Prep – Year 6
Can be adapted to other year levels & adult learning
Working with Scribbly Gum Secrets by Dannika Patterson & Megan Forward as a reference text, participants will discover how fact, fiction, science & art can come together in a picture book...and in life.
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This multi-modal workshop fosters creativity, sustainability & ecological awareness for children in a gentle, joyful & highly interactive way.
Using working examples from the making of Scribbly Gum Secrets, participants will be invited to hypothesize, problem-solve, experiment & get creative.
They'll learn how our iconic scribbly gum trees get their marks through an engaging mix of story, science & art. Curriculum-links built into this workshops include; narrative writing, poetry, science inquiry skills, eco- systems, life-cycles, biology, five senses & growth of trees (engineering & design in nature).
Children are invited to LOOK, TOUCH, FEEL, TASTE & SMELL this story, via a sensory discovery station.
Children LOVE the opportunity to learn from and ask questions of the creators of Scribbly Gum Secrets.
This workshop is 100% waste-free, with all materials being either recycled, upcycled or compostable.
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Magic & Scribbles
INTERACTIVE GROUP PRESENTATION
Inspiration
Creative Writing
Nature
Science
Art
AGE GROUP Prep - Year 6
Can be adapted to other year levels & adult learning
Participants will learn about the making of a picture book from both author & illustrator perspectives, using real working examples & live demonstrations.
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Double the presenters, double the books, double the fun! :-)
This interactive presentation engages children's curiosity, creativity, love of story. Dannika Patterson & Megan Forward will inspire with examples of how flexible thinking & open-ended play can lead to great ideas through an engaging mix of story, science, nature & art, using working examples from the making of their common picture books, Jacaranda Magic & Scribbly Gum Secrets.
Participants will be invited to hypothesize, inquire, problem-solve & imagine. Curriculum-links featured in this presentation include: creative writing, art, chemistry, ecology, habitat.
'Takeaway' (back-to-class) sustainable art pack
Suitable for large groups & whole year cohorts
This workshop is 100% waste-free, with all materials being either recycled, upcycled or compostable.
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Sea Stories
OCEAN APPRECIATION WORKSHOP
Poetry
Photography
Science
Story
Art
Ecosystems
AGE GROUP Prep – Year 6
Can be adapted to other year levels & adult learning
This creative workshop encourages participants to enjoy, respect & protect our oceans. Dive into a multi-disciplinary exploration of ocean environments, using books by Dannika Patterson, as reference texts.
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Presented by author Dannika Patterson, this workshop was developed to help foster a deeper understanding & appreciation of the sea and its creatures, through creative word & picture pairings, plus a splash of science.
Using working examples from her ocean-inspired books; SeaSpray17, Beach Kindy & Sera, The Shell and the Storm, Dannika's workshops aim to inspire ecological awareness & a love of books in a gentle, joyful, highly-engaging way.
Participants will learn about the life cycle, habitat & migratory patterns of the Greenback Turtle, & will have the opportunity to create their own artistic interpretation of 'Mr Greenback' from reference text SeaSpray17.
Curriculum-links built into this workshops include; narrative writing, poetry, science inquiry skills, environmental science, habitats, life-cycles, earth systems, ethical understanding, cultural understanding & sustainability.
This workshop is 100% waste-free, with all materials being either recycled, upcycled or compostable.
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Beach Kindy
A ‘PEOPLE & PLACE’ WORKSHOP
People
Place
Story
Science
Art
Belonging
AGE GROUP Kindergarten - Year 2
Come with us to a place where anything is possible.
Where swashbuckling sea captains & puddle jumping champions play together. Where spells are cast in the sand.
Join author Dannika Patterson on an incursion adventure to the amazing place that is...Beach Kindy!
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Like all the story-driven workshops she develops and presents, Dannika's first priority is to meaningfully share her love of books & wild creativity with children in a joyful way.
This workshop was developed to help foster a deeper understanding & appreciation of people & place, through story, art, science & sensory elements.
Using working examples from her book Beach Kindy, set on Quandamoooka land, Dannika will share this story of people & place that gently encourages early years ecological, social-emotional & cultural awareness.
We'll talk Welcome to Country, respect for land, animals & people & name the feelings that often come with new experiences, like the butterfly-filled nerve-citement of first excursions! (Plus a few child-led tangent topics, no doubt!)
This workshop aligns with the primary concepts of the Early Years Learning Framework: Being, Belonging and Becoming. P-2 curriculum-links built into this workshop include; narrative writing, science inquiry skills, environmental science, habitats, life-cycles, cultural understanding & sustainability.
The Beach Kindy workshop can be run as an incursion style author visit in kindergartens, primary schools, libraries, education centres, community events & writers festivals.
This workshop is 100% waste-free, with all materials being either recycled, upcycled or compostable.
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Wild Ideas
SCHOOL INCURSION
Gathering Stories Through Outdoor Exploring!
AGE GROUP Prep – Year 6
A new 1.5 hour creative STEAM workshop, co-developed by Author & Illustrator pair, Dannika Patterson & Megan Forward. This workshop celebrates outdoor learning, encourages curiosity & sparks creativity. It introduces techniques & tools for catching 'wild ideas' as story starters.
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• Outdoor mindfulness activity to prepare our 'Outdoor Explorers'
• Visual examples of how Megan & Dannika capture their own 'wild ideas' & observations in the form of natural objects, words & pictures
• Sensory based foraging/exploring activities using nature prompts
• Creative time to record freshly gathered 'wild ideas' & story starters in the student's own visual diaries (theirs to keep!), using a range of art materials, words & pictures
• Wild Idea' story sharing. Exploring the 'wild ideas' the children have collected & recorded for themselves within this workshop & demonstrating how these ideas can be turned into stories.
This workshop is 100% waste-free, with all materials being either recycled, upcycled or compostable.
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Playing with Stories
A CREATIVE WORKSHOP
"What should we do?
What games can we play?"
AGE GROUP Prep - Year 2
Inspired by boredom (& Jacaranda Magic!), this workshop is about creativity & playfulness, using everyday objects as provocation.
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Workshops start and finish with stories by Dannika Patterson
• Children work in groups to 'Imagineer' new worlds, characters & stories.
• Workshop focus on fun & engagement, with reflection on how thinking & playing in an open-ended way can be used to level-up creative writing
Ideal workshop duration is 1 - 1.5 hours.
This workshop is 100% waste-free, with all materials being either recycled, upcycled or compostable.
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Fracturing Fairytales
A CREATIVE WORKSHOP
History of Fairy Tales
Modern Twists
Characters
Plot
Problems
Endings
AGE GROUP Year 3 - 6
This writing workshop encourages children's creativity and love of story, particularly in the forms of fairy tales & nursery rhymes.
Students will learn all about the tradition of fairy tales, how to twist them & tips for writing their own versions.
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With inspiration from the pages of the fundraising anthology Once Upon a WHOOPS! by Australia's Anthology Angels, as well as other reference sources, students will leave this session inspired to have a go at writing their own fabulous fractured fairy tales & not-quite-right nursery rhymes.
Curriculum links include: narrative writing, linguistic devices, story structure.
This workshop is 100% waste-free, with all materials being either recycled, upcycled or compostable.
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Creative Writing
WITH DANNIKA PATTERSON
AGE GROUP Year 4 – 6
In this highly-engaging writing workshop, Dannika Patterson will share insights into what, why & how she approaches the craft of writing.
Topics Include:
A Writer's Journey
Inspiration & Story-Starters
Essential Elements of Story
Settings & World Building
Perfect Plots
Characters & Characterisation
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A breakout session will allow students time to warm up their writing muscles & put their new tools to the test with a range of sensory story prompts.
At the end of this session, there will be time for student sharing and Author Q&A.
This workshop is 100% waste-free, with all materials being either recycled, upcycled or compostable.
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Custom Sessions
WITH DANNIKA PATTERSON
Story Times
Story-Inspired Craft
Workshops
Incursions
AGE GROUP All ages!
Fun-filled story-driven creative workshops & author visits for schools, kindergartens, libraries & community events.
Work with Dannika to create a custom experience to suit your needs.
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My Author Incursions aim to…
Inspire a love of story
Celebrate outdoor learning & play
Encourage curiosity & questioning
Promote creative thinking & wild ideas
Support cross-curricular learning
Get kids EXCITED about reading & writing...for life!
Virtual Visits – not limited to Australia!
As well as in-person presentations, Dannika offers remote access online workshops & author visits via Zoom, making these options available & diverse learning environments around the globe.
Bookings & Enquiries
Reach out to Dannika directly via email:
Or enquire via agencies representing her:
Creative Net Agency & Speakers Ink
Book Dannika for:
School author visits
Library events
Writer’s festivals
Storytime
Creative writing workshops (for children & adults)
Themed professional development workshops
*Rates & charges are industry standard as per ASA guidelines.
With a strong background in business development & marketing…
Dannika is also available to run copywriting & brand story workshops for big kids & businesses.