Services
StoryBox Arts Children’s Workshops
Educational & fun!
What is StoryBox Arts?
StoryBox Arts provides an affordable and alternative after-school and school holiday program for students interested in art and creative writing. In many workshops, the focus is on quality children’s literature and the important role it plays in our culture to springboard into a multitude of art and creative writing activities.
Creative coach, Debbie, is passionate about books, creative writing, art, and especially children. It is her vision to ignite and foster a passion in youngsters to read and value books, explore the arts and/or write creatively.
Visits
Author visits
Debbie is passionate about children’s literature and is both motivated and excited to visit schools, preschools, or early learning centres to share and inspire youngsters to fall in love with stories and the illustrations that work hand in hand.
Her storytime sessions are engaging, informative and celebrate the life of stories on the written and illustrated page. Contact Debbie for more details on sessions and activities. Rates are aligned with ASA (Australian Society of Authors).
Wag Tale Therapy
You’ve all heard of Retail Therapy, haven’t you? Well, Debbie has a different type of therapy…Wag Tale Therapy. What is Wag Tale Therapy you may ask?
Well, with the help of Debbie’s sweet and loveable furry four-legged friend, Oscar’s help, Wag Tale Therapy is a program designed to help grow smiles on young or elderly faces, help reluctant readers, and brighten the life of someone going through tough times, be it illness or loneliness.
Do you have a loved one or someone who might like to meet the cuddly Oscar? He is arguably the most gentle-hearted cavoodle on the planet. His chocolate drop eyes are to die for. He is super friendly and is a great listener. He also loves reading stories. He is trained to sit and listen and he is awfully good at helping, both the young or the young at heart. It doesn’t take long before smiles begin to appear on people’s faces.
Private Tutoring
Every child is an individual and learns best in their own unique way, favouring learning styles that suit them. These may include one, or a combination, of psychologist Dr Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences,
Verbal-Linguistic – a student who thinks in words. He/she learns best through activities involving reading, writing and speaking.
Logical-Mathematical – a student who thinks rationally and in abstractions. He/she learns best through activities involving numbers and patterns.
Naturalist – a student with an awareness of the patterns in nature. He/she learns best through activities involving animals, plants and the environment.
Visual-Spatial – a student who thinks in images, colours and shapes. He/she learns best through activities involving visualisation.
Bodily-Kinaesthetic – a student with good physical awareness. He/she learns best through activities involving music or rhythms.
Interpersonal – a student who enjoys being in groups and teams. He/she learns best through activities involving working with others.
Intrapersonal – a student who understands and analyses his/her thoughts and feelings. He/she learns best through individual activities.
(Reference: Frames of mind: the theory of multiple intelligences, Dr Howard Gardner, 1983)
Schools are very busy places, with overloaded curriculums, and whilst teachers admirably do their utmost to cater for all students, it is unrealistic to expect all students will learn, all of the time, their favoured way of learning. Maybe the odd child will do very well, but the general rule of thumb is the majority of students will at some point need a little help along the way.
Debbie runs a small boutique home-based studio offering a variety of tutoring and mentorship services ranging from the very young, including pre-Prep to Year 10 in the following subject areas: Literacy, English, writing, creative writing, short stories and poetry competitions. Most sessions are hour-long although Debbie is flexible and is happy to discuss other options.
There are many positive benefits for providing private tutoring, and/or, mentoring sessions for your child/children. Some points to note include:
- a tutor may boost your child’s performance in school,
- encourage growth in confidence levels,
- strive to motivate extra interest in a subject.
- encourage and develop both study skills and the discipline required for study sessions that can then be applied to other subject areas.
Debbie successfully builds a fast rapport with children of all ages, genders and interests, and this is a big part of successful tutoring and mentorship.
Debbie provides a nurturing and encouraging space for children to explore through a range of activities to help build upon an individualised program for each child specific to their needs.