Posts Tagged ‘school visit’
World Book Day and A Birthday!
Posted on: March 17, 2019
- In: Books | Events | special occassions
- 68 Comments
World Book Day was March 7th this year which also happens to be my birthday. When I was asked to visit an International School close to my home in Spain on March 7th, I was delighted. There is nothing I would rather do on my birthday than spend it with Grade 4, 5 and 6 students talking about my books and writing in general.
To celebrate World Book Day the students created book spines of favourite books to display on a wall. I was pleased to see Amanda in Spain amongst titles by Roald Dahl, J K Rowling and other great authors.
I spent the entire school day presenting to three grades of about forty students each. The children were very attentive, enjoyed the PowerPoint presentation, listening to the readings and eagerly joined in the brainstorming activity. I always love the Q and A session because you never know what you will get. Every group is different. One young person asked me “How long does it take to perfect a story?” Wow! Usually, they ask how long it takes to write a book but don’t even think about perfecting it. That prompted a discussion on revision. Another clever student asked me if I knew more about my main character than was in the book. From kids aged 10 to 12, these were astute questions.
Because they knew it was my birthday, I was given a lovely gift of chocolates and hand-made cards. I felt very special.
My birthday cake was made and decorated by Cakes ‘n’ Bakes, the local Coffee Shop I held a book signing at last year. Isn’t it just perfect!!
Since I was busy on my birthday, we decided to have an open house party on Sunday, March 10th, a sunny afternoon. About twenty friends, family and neighbours dropped by. Everyone had a great time and I was so happy to be surrounded by people I love.
Nice to see family
and writer friends
“It wouldn’t be a party without you” party plates
Some of the cake is gone but we are still having fun.
I was delighted with all the beautiful flowers I was gifted. You can never have too many flowers.
So now I am another year older and look forward to the coming year! Life is good when you have friends, flowers, chocolate, sunshine and a dog!
Thank You, Superheroes
Posted on: April 28, 2018
- In: Books | Inspiration | People
- 42 Comments
Jennie over at A Teacher’s Reflections posted this today and I just had to share it.
Check out Thank You, Superheroes and Jennie’s blog where she shares her teaching experience and the wonderful way she introduces her young students to books, reading, music, art and life. You will be impressed.
Today is National Superhero Day and this is what Jennie has to say about superheroes.
A Superhero is brave and caring, perseveres, takes risks, helps others, and saves the day. A Superhero makes a difference.
Teachers fit the description perfectly.
I recently spent a fabulous day at an international school close to my home in Spain. I visited five classrooms of Grade 5 and 6 students, where I did a PowerPoint presentation about my writing and read from my Amanda Travels books. The students came from all over the world and enjoyed hearing about the places Amanda has travelled to. They were attentive, enthusiastic and asked well thought out questions. They were a delight to spend time with.
Presenting to students at El Limonar International School
A book-loving grade 6 class
I was very impressed by the efficiency and dedication of the teachers. They are certainly ensuring that future generations are well educated and prepared for life. I consider them all superheroes.
Display for Book Week at El Limonar International School
With my Grade 3 Superhero, Miss Roll
A good teacher can make a huge difference in a child’s life.
Did you know a teacher that you consider a superhero?
First School Visit in Spain
Posted on: January 12, 2016
- In: Books | Spain
- 33 Comments
A couple of weeks before Christmas, my Spanish publisher, Pablo Solares Acebal, arranged a school visit in Villaviciosa, a small village in the province of Asturias, in Northern Spain. This was my first school visit in Spain and it was a remarkable experience. I read from my bi-lingual book, Pig on Trial/Cerdito a juicio to the grade one and two classes. The children and teachers had limited English skills, so I read the English side of the book and Pablo read the Spanish equivalent. The children greeted me with enthusiasm and loved the story. They asked great questions and were eager to learn about my life in Canada. The book is a medieval tale set in rural Europe which the kids enjoyed as Villaviciosa is in a very rural part of Spain. The best dairy products come from Asturias. Since some of the children live on farms they were delighted to know that I grew up on a farm in Canada. One young man introduced himself and informed me he was from New York and could speak English very well.
With publisher Pablo Solares Acebal of Endiciones Camelot
Sharing the reading in English and Spanish
I was given a tour of the elementary school, Colegio Publico Maliayo by the Head Mistress (or Principal as we would call her in Canada). The students were learning about the Olympics and had created displays of various countries that have hosted the Olympics over the years. They were proud to show me the display of the Montreal Olympics in Canada. Don´t you just love those beavers!
The school was laid out very similar to Canadian elementary schools. I was pleased to see there was a well stocked library. Cerdito a juicio is now in it as well.
I was treated very well by the friendly staff and students at this school. The students were a delight. There was much cheering and clapping from them when I said muchos gracias and wished them Felize Navidad. They made me feel like a rock star! I am now on their website http://cpmaliayovillaviciosa.jimdo.com/
I really appreciate Pablo Solares for arranging this great opportunity.
Since we were in the area, hubby and I decided to explore. I´ll tell you about our time in Asturias in the next post.
I hope your new year has started out well!
Pictures taken by myself and Daniel Solares
Storyboards for Amanda in Arabia
Posted on: July 31, 2013
- In: Books | Inspiration
- 46 Comments
I recently blogged about a wonderful visit I made to Tomsett Elementary School in Richmond, BC. You can read about it here.
A few weeks later I was invited back to the school by the teacher to view the storyboards the students had made for Amanda in Arabia – The Perfume Flask that lined the hallways. I was blown away by the creativity of these grade 4 -5 students. Here are some pictures of the work put into this project. There were 26 of them and they were all very good. I am just showing you a sample.
They all included heartwarming and encouraging letters
I particularly love the camel pictures
And this one depicting a mosque
I am astounded by the thought and creativity put into these storyboards and touched by the letters. These students have inspired me to keep writing!
What inspires you to keep writing, or to do anything creative?
You Can Go Home Again
Posted on: March 20, 2012
- In: Family
- 18 Comments
Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do… but how much love we put in that action.
Mother Teresa
I just returned from a week in Medicine Hat, Alberta visiting family and cleaning out Mom’s apartment as she embarks on another phase of her life in a retirement centre. It was emotional, stressful and a lot of hard work but there were some highlights as well.
I visited my ten year old grandson’s school and read from my books. Jesse got to introduce me to the class and held the Ali Baba puppet while I read. It was a lot of fun; the kids were very attentive and asked great questions. They even gave me ideas for future books.
I spent a lot of time with Mom which was great. We went through her clothes, shoes and jewellery together, deciding what to keep and what to give to charity. We both like nice clothes and accessories and we both hate to get rid of them. So it was a good thing to do together. I hung familiar pictures in her new place to make it feel more like home. It is a very nice place and I am sure she will be comfortable there and well taken care of.
Spending valuable time with all my grandchildren, and my son and his wife as they helped with packing things up and making deliveries was a treat. Aunts and Uncles dropped in to see Mom, so I had an opportunity to see them as well. It made me realize once again how lucky I am to belong to such a large, caring family.
Reading from the Owl book Grandma brought with her from BC. They sure love books.
Then there was a chance to reconnect with old friends. One made me dinner, another invited me to her new art gallery/restaurant, Inspire, and two took me out for a much needed drink my last night. I chatted on the phone with another dear friend who is also dealing with an aging mother.
I was happy to be home after eight days away and hubby and cats were eager to see me, but I am glad I took the time to go back home.
Have you had a chance to go back home recently and how was the experience?
Darlene Foster's Blog 
