Chris Collin

Chris Collin

Chris Collin specialises in fun and interactive workshops and presentations for all ages, and are easily adapted to suit any theme or unit of work the school is focusing on.

Chris performs his highly engaging author talks at libraries, schools, early learning centres, day care facilities, special schools, business groups, public - events and literary festivals all over Australia and internationally. His role is to bring fun (and funkiness!) to the world through his musical picture books and highly engaging presentations; designed to encourage readers of all ages to 'read for the joy of reading!'

What are musical picture books?

All Chris’ books come with a unique digital package, accessed by a QR code on the inside of the books front cover. Every book has a musical version where Chris narrates each story to it’s unique orchestral backing score, plus a song connected to the story for everyone to sing and dance to. The music is world-class! These files are streamed or downloaded as mp3 audio and mp4 audio-visual – fantastic for the smartboard. As well as being a fun add-on to the book, the music fills a greater purpose; a multi-sensory literary experience, designed to engage children of all physical and reading abilities – great for our reluctant readers! All a bit unclear? Here’s the mp4 narrated story from our Speech Pathology Australia Award-winning book Funky Chicken Chooks in Space - click here!

In his latest, environmentally-themed book The Things You Can Do With Blue Whale Poo, Chris has teamed up with multi award-winning illustrator Bruce Potter. In this hilarious story, grandfather octopus is having some fun with junior octopus, suggesting some very silly (and slightly stinky) things you can do with blue whale poo. Once junior has had enough of this nonsense, the book reveals the incredible truths behind blue whale poop. Believe it or not, whale poop is responsible for starting the food chain in the sea. It is also one of the greatest sequesters of carbon on the planet and provides over half the oxygen we take with every breath – it is ‘poop with purpose’! As a community project, Chris teamed up with the funky kids of Kuluin State School to create a music video of the song Blue Whale Poo – Check it out!

Live Virtual Visits – Anywhere around Australia and the world!

Chris has been performing his fun and funky Live Virtual Visits for regional, interstate, remote and international schools for many years. The virtual visits are heaps of fun, catering for all year levels and include all the elements of the in-house visits - story-telling, puppets, music/dance and art activities where the children will all start their very own creative project. All the school needs is a screen, internet access, happy learners, dancing shoes and pencil/paper to draw along with one of Chris’ puppets while creating their own narrative!

Chris Collin on a virtual session

Chris’ philosophy of encouraging kids to develop a love of reading through fun and play, really comes through in the intimate setting of a live video-link visit!  

Version 9 Curriculum Lesson Plans!

All 5 of Chris’ books are connected to the Australian curriculum Version 9! Created by teacher-librarian Jodie Carlson, these 10 week cross-curricula lesson plans are broken into 3 teaching levels:

P/K/R – Year 2, Year 3/4, Year 5/6

Every lesson plan includes STEM activities and all lesson plan cater for the different outcomes in Victoria and New South Wales.

 Download them here - https://funkybooks.com.au/curriculum-lesson-plans/

 

Chris Collin is an experienced presenter and caters for all primary school levels. The links on this page are just some of the many work shops Chris tailers to suit a school’s individual needs, whether it be a particular theme, or a focus on a specific unit of work.

Secondary School, Tertiary and Adults Educators PD talks (Contact Speakers Ink for Detailed Info)

Chris presents motivational talks for secondary level around the theme of following our dreams. He also offers PD talks for teachers in training and adult educators called The Joy of Reading with Music and Animation!

Whether he is presenting a talk, a show or an interactive workshop, Chris’ goal is to engage with children of all abilities, ages, interest in reading/writing and all things bookish!

Links to some examples of Chris’ workshops

Doug the Bug Presentation

Chris Collin Funky Author Incursion for Primary Schools

Character Creation Blue Whale Poo P/K/R to Year 1

Character Creation A Bug Called Doug Year 1 to 2

Year 3 to 6 How We Express Ourselves with Funky Chicken

 

 

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Author in Normal Mode

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Author in Brain Strain Mode

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The Power of Poop – from the Outback to the Ocean!  

Join award-winning author Chris Collin, as he takes us on an incredible publishing journey, where we will discover the power of animal poop, from tiny bugs to the biggest animal to have ever graced the earth! This fun-filled journey will include live narration to music of his brand new environmentally-themed book The Things You Can Do with Blue Whale Poo, song and dance, meet Doug the Bug and Bella Blue puppets, plus a surprise visit from a massive 3m long inflatable blue whale.

Testimonials

  • Chris was wonderful from start to finish - he communicated well before he got here and arrived on time in his quirky van. He was confident with his own set up and responded to our staff with positivity and humour. His presentations throughout the day were exceptionally good - the students were engaged by his story telling and actively participated in the workshops, learning about the process of writing in a hands-on and meaningful way. Thank you, Chris!

    Clayfield College - September, 2024

    Clayfield College - September, 2024
    Chris Collin
  • Chris presented at our school yesterday and the kids and staff just loved him! Chris prepared three different shows to cater for the different year levels and the student engagement was fantastic. With a combination of storytelling, read alouds, music, dancing and puppetry, Chris shared some of his story and the process of creating a rhyming picture book. This author visit was worth every penny and I would heartily recommend Chris to any schools wishing to provide a fun, informative and engaging experience for both students and staff.

    St. Anthony's, Alexandra Hills - August, 2024

    St. Anthony's, Alexandra Hills - August, 2024
    Chris Collin
  • Chris gave a fantastic interactive performance for the Kindy and Prep students. A perfect mix of sitting listening, dancing and singing. The students loved the puppets and enjoyed taking part in the guided drawing. I would with no hesitation recommend Chris and look forward to a return visit with our older students.

    St. John's Anglican Primary School - June, 2024

    St. John's Anglican Primary School - June, 2024
    Chris Collin
  • Chris made his presentation engaging for all of the students. He incorporated songs, dances and actions into the event. The younger grades really loved his books.

    Good Samaritan Catholic College - November, 2023

    Good Samaritan Catholic College - November, 2023
    Chris Collin
  • Chris engaged amazingly with all Primary age groups. He had them interested and the time flew by very quickly. The students thought that it was really great.

    Noosa Christian College - August, 2023

    Noosa Christian College - August, 2023
    Chris Collin
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Chris Collin