Family man and father of five kids, Myke Mollard has been conducting workshops for over 8 years. Myke has also been an active Cub Scout Leader for 3 years with Mooroolbark and now continues this volunteer position in 2013 with Croydon. A member of Lilydale Toastmasters International (public speaking group) his ability to conduct and facilitate Wildfire Workshops should ultimately speak for itself.
Yet the following statements have been offered as testiment to Myke and his Wildfire Workshops:
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Australia Day 2014 Workshop.
“It was such a pleasure having your learn-to-draw workshops at our Australia Day Event. To find a local artist of such talent that is focused on both inspiring the creativity of children whilst adding an educational piece is a huge add to our event. The ease and casual approach in the lead up made working together really easy. So thank you Myke.”
– Renée – Maroondah City Council, Events Officer.
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Maroondah Festival Workshop.
“It was great to see how involved both the children and parents became during the workshop, especially when they worked alongside each other, it showed a real closeness.
You did a wonderful job working with all ages from some very young preschoolers right up to the adult parents. Interspersing information about wildlife, while giving instruction on drawing techniques and also encouragement made it a really interesting and enjoyable session.
Many thanks for making it such a positive experience for everyone. Looking forward to having you visit again.”
– Janet – Youth Services Librarian, Croydon Library, Eastern Regional Libraries.
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Endandered Animals and How-to-Draw Australian Animals, 2013
“Myke came to our classroom with an in-depth understanding about our topic of ‘Endangered Australian Animals’. He was able to share his extensive knowledge in a fun and interactive way with the students by using his incredible illustrative skills to express the big ideas about deforestation, urban sprawl, climate change and many other key areas.
I appreciated how Myke explored the many issues faced by native animals, and his ability to express the importance of conservation efforts and our duty of care as human beings to share our space with fellow ‘earthlings’.
The students thoroughly enjoyed learning how to draw an Australian animal and they were all pleased with their final piece. Myke kept all the students engaged by asking them important questions, which also helped to check their overall understanding and allow him to take their knowledge further.”
– Chantal T – Ainslie Parklands Primary School
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Myke presents an awesome workshop. The kids learned a lot about the environment and saving wildlife. They loved it!
– P. Mapleson – Primary and Special Education Teacher of 20 years.
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“Thank you for your fantastic presentation. You had all 64 of them eating out of the palm
of your hand, excited about learning everything there is to know about animals and their adaptations.
Your presentation was both professional and well suited to children. Educational while entertaining, complex enough for our deepest thinker, while being hands-on enough for our most active students. I am delighted to recommend you to anyone as an engaging and informative way to teach and learn.
Thank you! You were awesome!”
– Andrea. L – Ainslie Parklands Primary School
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“Delivering program! You’re a ‘Rock-Star’ with the cubs.”
– F. Courtney – Croydon Scouts Group Leader.
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“Myke’s story telling workshop discussed the importance of the draft, edit and publishing stages of writing. He also showed the students how to develop a story line and a character right in front of their eyes; before they knew it the whiteboard was full of characters that all had their own little story! The kids loved the session and were fully engaged for the whole hour.
After the workshop the students were eager to write their own narratives and the improvement of their character development and their story lines were remarkable.”
– The Teachers, Level 2. – Tinternvale Primary School
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“A Double-Fisted-High-five punch of Awesomeness!!”
– The Whole Class!, – Level 4/5/6. Ainslie Parklands Primary School.
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“Wow! I am having so much fun learning from Myke.”
– Charlotte, Level 6. Ainslie Parklands Primary School.
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“This is sooo … cool! Can we do this every Friday!!”
– Alex, Level 6. Ainslie Parklands Primary School.
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“Thank you for your talk on ‘Australian Stories & Aboriginal culture – an artists perspective’. You had the whole class excited about learning, engaged with your topics/stories and listening for the full hour.
Your presentation was both professional and well suited our class. Highly educational and very memorable presentation. I would be happy to recommend you to anyone in future, and would put forward that your workshop is an engaging and informative way to teach and learn. Thank you again!”
– Annie. M – Secondary School Teacher, Heathmont
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“My son loved your class, thank you for inspiring him to draw.”
– Natalie, Parent.
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“You look like Jack Black from Rock School, are you any relation?”
– Raymond, Level 5. Ainslie Parklands Primary School.
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“This is really fun. I’m actually learning!”
– Austin, Level 4.
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“Myke Mollard brings a love of Australian animals and insects to his preschool presentations. While including amazing illustrations and child friendly facts about our many bugs, he also demonstrates genuine joy in his work with preschool children. His ‘Bugs and leaf litter Mural workshop’ was enjoyed by all our children and the resulting mural had pride of place on display in our centre for the entire year.”
– Alison – Croydon Central Kindergarten
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“I’ve never seen my kids concentrate so hard.”
– Alicia – Pre-school Teacher
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“The kids loved the session and were fully engaged for the whole hour.”
– C. Neville – Teacher – Tinternvale Primary School
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“My son never draws. Then yesterday he came home and hasn’t stopped! He’s really quite good at drawing. Thank you Myke.”
– Lisa – Parent
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“Wildfire Workshops are truly engaging workshops. Myke has the kids ‘eating out of his hands’ … ‘fully switched on’ … and his personal encouragement is fantastic.”
– Amanda. C – Kindergarten Teacher
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“The kids had an awesome time!”
– Kate – Prep/year 1 – Assistant Teacher, Ainslie Parklands Primary School
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