Neecy's School Visits & Guest Speaker

Are you looking for a dynamic program for your school, conference or literacy festival? Neecy Twinem is an author and illustrator that loves what she does! She is an energetic speaker with a passion for children.

Neecy will design her program to fit your needs, which may include hands-on workshops and/or her dynamic and interactive PowerPoint presentation that takes students through the creation of a picture book (with some drawing, too!) Her presentations include book making, story building, creative exercises, crafts, and larg-scale murals. Neecy combines how to write and illustrate their own books, crafts projects that tie into Neecy's books, writing and brainstorming workshops, creating murals and much more.

Most presentations are forty-five minutes to an hour long. Neecy will speak about most of her books, but will concentrate on her most recent titles. Her books are appropriate for a wide range of ages from birth to eight years old. Because of her experience across age groups, Neecy is prepared to adjust her presentations to meet the needs of the attendees - whether they are young children, high-school students, or adults. She welcomes the opportunity to do both small groups or large group presentations.

Her workshops are as follows:
Let’s Brainstorm a Story!

(all ages, medium-size groups with or 

without parent involvement)
All stories include the main elements: 

Together we will create a main character, a setting,

a plot, and possibly a problem and resolution. Neecy will show 

a short presentation and follow with a twenty-five-minute explanation of the elements of a story. Children brainstorm as a group as Neecy draws the characters, setting, etc. for the audience.

Squiggly, Wiggly Creatures (pre-school - 1st grade)
Neecy will guide the students through several of her titles. Children will use their imaginations to create insects and reptiles by cutting, gluing, and assembling creatures out of pom-poms, pipe cleaners, etc. When finished, they can have a creature parade!

Make Your Own Books! (1st - 5th grade)
Working in teams of two for writing and illustrating, students create their own class book. Neecy will present her PowerPoint presentation to the whole school and then follow with a selected group for the bookmaking. She will work with teachers directly to plan the book and send materials so research can be done ahead of her visit. Two format choices are nonfiction field guides of your area or your outdoor classroom or themed ABC books for younger grades.
*A two-to-three day minimum visit is required with an extra project-planning fee of $150.00.

Making Desert Mobiles (1st - 5th grade)
Neecy Twinem’s Desert Baby Books, E is for Enchantment, and other titles come to life with her craft project. Kids draw, color, and cut out desert icons. They then attach them to a branch with string. Now you have a colorful mobile that depicts desert life!

Large-Scale Murals (any age)
This project is custom suited for an individual school. Neecy will work directly with the children and teachers throughout the process of creating a large-scale mural. Theme and content are open, but Neecy can direct you. The fee is also dependent on Neecy’s time involved and the number of children working on it. It is important for her to work closely with a teacher for a full experience for all.
*A three-day minimum visit is required with an extra project-planning fee of $150.00.