About the Author

THE PERFORMER:

Rob Daniel (Dan, Danny) is a Children’s Motivator, comedian and entertainer, and is a recipient of the West Australia Education Award for Excellence.  In the past three years Dan has performed and presented to over 80,000 children during 350 highly acclaimed shows and workshops in five countries.

 Dan presents creative writing workshops, guiding children into and through their imagination. He writes children’s stories, is a freelance journalist and photographer and started the company  'chocmint'with his wife and teacher Paula, an online creative writing and cartooning studio for young people and a site that encourages young people to chase and capture their biggest dreams.

THE PERFORMANCE:

After an hilarious series of warm-ups for the brain to create a safe space for the children to create, Dan brainstorms ideas with the children and demonstrates that not only are mistakes inevitable, but also essential, in the creative process, and from there the creative journey is entirely unpredictable. He ensures everyone feels safe to express themselves without fear of ‘getting it wrong’ or ‘looking silly,’ so even the most reluctant writers are compelled to meet the short but highly effective writing challenges he sets them, with extraordinary results.

Dan puts the fun back into areas many children find difficult, challenge young people to discover their own passion in life and show them how to begin living with this passion - whatever their age, circumstances or background.

Testimonials

10 out of 10 - "Whoever said children can’t concentrate for longer than 20 minutes? Dan’s relaxed but highly entertaining performance had the children mesmerised from beginning to end. Studies indicate children laugh 300 times a day; we may have broken the record today! You cannot fake good communication with children. Dan's centred, authentic style had the kids on side from the start and they related to everything he said and did!"

Linda Griffin, Carine Primary School.

10 out of 10 - "The students LOVED the performance. They were positive, engaged and interacted really well with Dan. This was a FANTASTIC experience for both staff and students, with a great message of 'reach for your goals/dreams and don't give up'. VERY positive! This performance is great for English and Art, but probably a GREAT ONE for any 'Religious Education'  (personal growth area). Great for the area of Pastoral Care and student well-being."

Phoebe Koch, Saint Aloysius College, Sydney, Australia

10 out of 10 - "Our students absolutely enjoyed the entire performance and the engagement of fun, art and writing activities. From a teachers perspective, this performance should be rolled out to all educators to not only inspire the 'artist' but also inspire the power of creativity, empowerment and having a go! Perfect for Art, English, PD and Personal Development."

Ms. Ho, Maroubra Junction Public School, Sydney

“Out of 10 - Off the scale! The best performance/learning experience I have seen in 10 years of education. Every child was engaged and hanging off every word and laughing at every action. They produced amazing artworks (the students and Dave) and were all excited about their stories.”

Belynda Seale, Deputy Principal, Falls Road Primary School, Perth