WORKSHOP ONE

With Gwyneth Jane Page (Jane) and Megan or Emily

For children from age 3 years to grade 4

Duration: 30 minutes to 1 hour

 Overview

Following a reading from one of the books to introduce children to the characters there will be a demonstration on how to draw. Children will be shown how to see the shapes that are the building blocks of drawings and how to change expressions to reveal different emotions. Time will be left for a Q and A in which kids are free to ask anything they like. For younger children, Jane and Megan are happy to wear their PJ Mouse outfits and bring along the full-size PJ Mouse and Star Bear stuffed animals for cuddles ... and a photo.

WORKSHOP TWO

With Gwyneth Jane Page (Jane)

For grades 4 and up

Duration: one to two hours

 Overview

How do you create different characters when they are just words on a page and you never get to meet them? In this workshop, Jane will discuss how as a writer you go about creating characters and bringing them to life to make them believable.

There will be readings from different books for examples and discussion on what makes the characters unique. Depending on the grade level, we can also look at what makes characters suitable for children compared to those in adult books. Kids will be given some time to come up with their own characters and then share them with the class. And there is always time given for a Q and A ... you just never know what kids want to know until they are given the chance to ask.

WORKSHOP THREE

With Gwyneth Jane Page (Jane)

For grades 8 and up

Duration: one to two hours

 Overview

Writing - it's not just about punctuation and grammar and it's nothing like writing an essay. It's mostly about imagination and getting ideas from your mind onto the page. Where does the inspiration come from? How do you start? More importantly, how do you get to the end? This workshop is about writing in general - building worlds, characters, overall plot, style. Kids will be given time to come up with an idea they think they would like to write about and share it with the class. The students will be encouraged to be true to themselves since as a writer you quickly realize you can't please all of the people, at best you will please some of the readers some of the time. As always there is time for a Q and A - usually the most entertaining part of any workshop in Jane's opinion.

WORKSHOP FOUR

With Gwyneth Jane Page (Jane)

For grade 7 and up

Duration: one hour +

 Overview

Like most movies, books generally have a message embedded in them. Sometimes these morals are obvious and other times not. This workshop is based on the overall theme of books. Largely using her own books as examples, Jane leads discussions with kids on what they learn from the books and what they think about the ideas put forth. Topics covered may include overcoming fear, friendship, our own uniqueness as well as more global concerns such as the health of our planet or where we are going as a society. All of this relates to the written word and how we as authors use it to influence our readers.