I host great events!
With over six years of school visits and other events in Finland, I can’t wait to visit bookshops, schools and libraries all around the UK soon. My workshops are high-energy, engaging, and interactive, and I’m especially good with SEN children. I love getting kids excited about reading, writing and nature!
I offer…..
Author Talks
I talk about my childhood, how I became an author, my Lapland research, sustainability, and neurodivergence.
Writing Workshops
I very quickly introduce story structure and story elements, and then we develop a fun story together.
Forest Diary
We create our own Forest Diaries and write and draw about nature, just like Lumi! Outside or inside.
Forest Diary Workshop
In my book, Lumi keeps a Forest Diary, in which she draws and writes what she experiences in nature. This is what we will do! I offer two different Forest Diary Workshops:
OUT IN NATURE: I take the class/group of children out into the forest or into a park, where we collect leaves, press flowers and draw and write what we see, hear and experience.
BRING THE FOREST IN: I can bring the forest into a classroom, library or bookshop. I have a huge basket filled with leaves, branches, moss and animal figurines and a speaker with nature sounds. This way, we can safely recreate the Forest Diary exercise inside.
Lumi & the Wolf
An interactive session for large groups in which we will create our own adventure story set in Lapland.
In the first part of the workshop, we explore the book's setting through a fun, interactive quiz, learning about Finnish culture, wildlife, and life in the Arctic.
In the second part, we create our own characters and workshop a story about their journey across Lapland. The workshop includes funny, interactive elements, from choosing your own Finnish name to acting out the dangers one might encounter in a winter landscape!
By the end of the workshop, children will have explored their own creativity, discovered the world of Lumi and the Wolf, and hopefully be excited to read the book themselves!
My presentation includes video clips from my research trips to Lapland and many opportunities for children to ask questions.
Writing Workshops
In this interactive writing workshop, pupils will explore what makes a strong story and discover how writers use characters, story structure and emotion. Together, we will look at how our favourite stories are built and develop ideas as a group before workshopping our own adventure story set in the snowy wilderness of Lapland, inspired by Lumi and the Wolf.
The session includes:
Discussion of books pupils have read and enjoyed
What are protagonists and antagonists (heroes and villains)
How to build a strong story from beginning to end
An energetic, interactive activity in which we create our own adventure story across Lapland
Lumi’s Backpack
An interactive session suited to younger or quieter children or SEN groups. I bring in Lumi’s backpack, which is filled with objects from Lumi and the Wolf. Children are invited to choose items from the bag one by one, and I tell a story about each object. They can pass them around, touch them, and examine them. The backpack includes items from Finland, such as a traditional kuksa cup, the lichen reindeer eat, and pine cones, as well as Lumi’s ear defenders and her emergency tea.
STORIES AND TOPICS INCLUDE:
Lumi getting to know her mum’s culture
Friendship and accepting help
Neurodivergence
Sámi culture and heritage
Climate change and environmentally conscious living
Teachers, did you know I filmed my research? My videos are great for classroom use!
I won the speaker prize in the category “Newcomer of the Year” in 2024
– Speakersforum Finland
FAQ’s
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My book is aimed at 8-12-year olds so years 4-6 are best for school visits. However, anyone from 5-99 is very welcome to join my workshops.
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Absolutely! I’d be happy to visit schools that are further away via video call.
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Absolutely. I also speak about topics such as multicultural childhoods and neurodivergence.
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Yes, I’ve done talks for parents around topics of moving abroad/making a new country your home, how to support your neurodivergent child or how to become an author.
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If you have questions about how to get an agent and break into the publishing industry, or about how to curate your author social media accounts, please get in touch via email!
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Absolutely! My workshops are usually 45 minutes + time for a Q&A, and I can easily fit three different workshops into one day – I’ve even done four!
