Due to the ongoing threat posed by COVID-19, all visits for the 2021/22 school year will be conducted virtually.
The boreal forest is the largest, most northern forest in the world… and 29% of it is right here in Canada! This introduction to the boreal biome will help kids understand why forests matter. We’ll explore biodiversity with a look at the animals – both iconic and obscure! – who call the boreal forest home. Using a movement activity, we’ll then discuss photosynthesis and how it helps forests prevent climate change. This program runs approximately 30 minutes, leaving plenty of time to answer students’ questions.
In 1875, a swarm of Rocky Mountain locusts destroyed Laura Ingalls Wilder’s family farm. This presentation integrates Laura’s descriptions of the swarm (On the Banks of Plum Creek) with the newest scientific information on Locust Migration. Prepare to be fascinated and creeped out all at once!
Who calls the boreal forest home? Moose and loons and beavers are both iconic and familiar; tanukis and teals and star-nosed moles, not so much! After a brief introduction to the boreal forest, kids will be asked to brainstorm a list of boreal species. We’ll take a few moments to learn about some of the biome’s more unusual occupants, through a reading from The Boreal Forest that brings these species to vivid life. From the reading, kids will identify three common strategies for surviving boreal winters, with examples of animals that use each one. We’ll then discuss two extreme winter adaptations before ending with plenty of time for questions.
What do wolves, humpback whales, and arctic foxes have in common? Whether over the ice or under the sea, their life cycles all include migration. Drawing on discoveries from Humpback Whale Migration and Lindsey’s PhD research, this program explores different types of migration and how the world’s oceans influence animal movements. The potential impacts of global climate change on wildlife migration are also discussed.
Ever wonder where domestic animals came from? Why they look the way they look and act the way they do? Learn about a remarkable experiment that decoded domestication. Based on Lindsey’s book Fox Talk, this program includes video of experimentally domesticated foxes and answers the eternal question, “What does the fox say?”
Carbon sinks are ecosystems that trap more CO2 via photosynthesis than they release into the atmosphere each year. As our climate changes, scientists fear that some carbon sinks could become carbon sources… accelerating further warming. In this presentation, we’ll explore the stages of the carbon cycle in the context of the boreal forest and the polar regions, showing how regional events connect to a global process. After discussing the impacts of climate change on life in northern and polar ecosystems, kids will take action by brainstorming simple strategies they can use to reduce their carbon footprints, influence climate policy, and preserve these vast Canadian wildernesses for future generations.
Inspired by Lindsey’s 2014 Lane Anderson Award-winning book Fuzzy Forensics: DNA Fingerprinting Gets Wild, this presentation explores the way scientists use DNA to solve crimes against both people and wildlife. Includes a signature “myth busting” section on TV forensics and plenty of time for questions.
A variation on Digging Into DNA, this program covers the history and science of fingerprinting – both traditional and DNA varieties. It also includes two hands-on experiments with extensions for later home or classroom use.
Lindsey provides most supplies for the experiments, but requests that schools supply mugs, paintbrushes, kettles, and newspaper.
“What’s your book about?” is the second-most-common thing people ask a writer – just after “Where do you get your ideas?” But before we can tell other people, we have to be able to tell ourselves. Knowing what the book is really about lets us research efficiently, revise strategically, and avoid time-consuming tangents… producing a final draft that’s concise, cohesive, and effective.
In this presentation, I share the coolest animal facts that aren’t in The Boreal Forest, and explain exactly why I cut them. Then, we’ll walk through each draft of the book’s opening scene, exploring the step-by-step-decision-making process of rewriting. Throughout the program, two-minute challenges will give students a chance to apply these techniques to their own manuscripts.
Note: This program can be adapted for elementary, for junior and senior high, and for adult audiences.
Why do we forget some stories, while others stay with us for years? Be they nonfiction, fiction, or poetry, stories with staying power are the ones that make us feel. This workshop explores the connections between language and emotions, teaching writers how to manipulate their reader’s response. Students will harness the emotional resonance of vivid words and figures of speech, bringing their descriptions to life. Then, they’ll explore techniques for revealing a character’s emotions, from the inside and out.
In the two-day version, students will apply what they’ve learned in creating a new piece of writing. Readers will laugh, cry, and remember their words forever.
Readers don’t care what happens next unless they care about who it’s happening to. As writers, how do we create characters readers love… or love to hate? In this workshop, students will learn about the connection between character and plot, and why it matters. We’ll use examples from the hit TV show “Supernatural” to explore backstory, inciting incident, and character arc. Students will practice matching characters to plots, and experiment with tools for creating–and revealing–personalities.
An academic writing workshop for high school students. Practical tips for tackling essays of all kinds: thinking about purpose and audience; the difference between topic and thesis; writing the first draft (and why you should never submit it); revision strategies; and acing essay exams.
As a science writer, I take notes on about 10% of the research material I read for a given project. About 10% of the information in those notes appears in the final book. This session will explore the hidden 90%, beginning with an introduction to primary and secondary sources. Next, we’ll discuss strategies for vetting our research into emotionally-loaded environmental issues—like climate change—in the age of Google and the era of “fake news.” The second half of this program will give participants a chance to ask questions about any aspect of creative or academic writing, sharing strategies and receiving expert advice for approaching challenges they’ve experienced in their own work.
Virtual visits:
Available platforms include Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Facebook or YouTube Live. Contact Lindsey for details.
Lindsey can accommodate schedules in a range of time zones.
On site visits (suspended for 2020/21):
Programs can be adapted for small groups or school assemblies. Maximum group size for experiments is 35.
Virtual visits:
$300 for up to 1 hour
$200 for each additional presentation on the same day, to a maximum of 4 hours
On site visits (suspended for 2021/22):
$350 for up to 1 hour
$600 half day
$900 full day (4 hours)
Travel and/or accommodation fees may also apply. Discounts may be available for multiple bookings in the same geographic area.
Contact Lindsey to discuss dates and pricing. As a member of The Writers’ Union of Canada, her visits are eligible for funding through the Ontario Writers in the Schools Program and the National Public Readings Programs.