APPLY TO HOST DANA L. CHURCH (IN PERSON)
Home Location: Waterloo, Ontario
Creator Type: Author
Genres: Non-fiction
Website: danachurchwriter.com
Tour Region: Manitoba
Target Audience: Kindergarten – Grade 6
Cost: $300 (for one 60-minute presentation)
*(The author collects $250 of the fee and $50 of the fee covers The Canadian Children's Book Centre's administration fees for coordinating Book Week).
Taxes charged on presentations: NO
BIOGRAPHY
Dana L. Church writes nonfiction books about animals. She has a PhD in animal cognition, which means she is very curious about how animals think, remember, learn, make decisions, and solve problems. Her books also explore habitats, conservation, and the impact of climate change. Dana is passionate about making science fun and accessible for everyone. Although she loves all animals, she gets particularly excited about bees. Her fun and engaging presentations have been well-received by elementary school children of all ages, teachers, and nature groups.
PRESENTATION DESCRIPTIONS
Figuring Out How Animals Think
Target audience: Kindergarten - Grade 6
Preferred group size: one class (30 or fewer students)
Maximum group size: two classes (60 or fewer students)
How do animals remember where things are? Can they solve puzzles? Can they count? In this session, author and scientist Dana Church shares how science can be used to answer questions like these about pets, or favourite zoo or wild animals. Referring to her book Animal Minds: What Are They Thinking?, Dana will use hands-on demonstrations to show how scientists have studied gorilla memory, counting abilities in bees, and racoon problem-solving skills. (Don’t worry, she will use puppets instead of actual gorillas, racoons, and bees!) By the end of the session, participants will have a greater appreciation for the mental lives of other creatures with whom we share this planet, have questions of their own about how animals think, and ideas for how to answer them.
Required equipment:
*a screen and projector to show the students presentation slides, please. I can hook up my laptop (a Mac) to the projector. I have the proper dongle/cord to attach
*a large table at the front of the room for my demonstrations, please
Getting Our Hands Dirty with Pollination
Target audience: Grades 3 – 6
Preferred and maximum group size: one class (30 or fewer students)
Pollination is a popular word, but what is it, exactly? Join author and scientist Dana Church for a fun and interactive session where she will use cups, Cheezies, and stickers to show what pollination is and how bees and other creatures do it. Participants will discover why pollination is important and help Dana brainstorm all of the clever ways plants have evolved to attract pollinators. Referring to her books The Beekeepers and The Monarch Effect, she will provide examples of the wide diversity of pollinators and their role in the greater ecosystem. By the end of the session, participants will come away with a memorable understanding of what pollination is, why the world needs it, and simple things they can do to help support plants and pollinators in their own backyards.
Required equipment:
*a screen and projector to show the students presentation slides, please. I can hook up my laptop (a Mac) to the projector. I have the proper dongle/cord to attach
*a large table at the front of the room for my demonstrations, please
IMPORTANT NOTE: Teacher/librarian must confirm number of students expected so I can bring enough of the remaining materials for everyone (cups, Cheezies, stickers).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
The Beekeepers: How Humans Changed the World of Bumble Bees (Scholastic Focus, March 2021)
Animal Minds: What Are They Thinking? (Orca Book Publishers, February 2024)
The Monarch Effect: Surviving Poison, Predators, and People (Scholastic Focus, April 2024)