A Creative Experience for Every Classroom
So, What Is a Bastunia Classroom Visit?
During the experience, kids are encouraged to invent, share, and collaborate as they create their own Callings—unique creatures that reflect their values, strengths, and perspectives. These visits go beyond a single presentation, helping students build confidence in their creativity and see how their ideas can take shape in meaningful ways.
Through in-person school visits and creative workshops, Dillon and Matt invite students into the world of Bastunia—where imagination, storytelling, and self-expression take center stage.
2,2K+
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Smile!
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Books in the Unfound Adventures Universe
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Callings Created for
New Bastunians
20
In-Person
Classroom Visits
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Kids taken through our Imagination Incubator
Copies sold of "Tales of Bastunia" books
700
$45,0
Raised for our Mission to Nurture Creativity
Intervention Specialist, Garfield Elementary
Edie VanSickle
“I have booked dozens of authors for school visits over the years, some quite famous, and Mr. Barr generated the most excitement I have ever seen among young audiences.”
Read full testimonial
Media Paraprofessional, Garfield Elementary
Renee’ Lucas
“I cannot express how much joy Dillon Barr brought to our school. He created a huge spark in the kids to want to create and read.”
Read full testimonial
4th Grade Teacher , Garfield Elementary
Lauren Vani
“Dillon was engaging, enthusiastic, and able to give kids a purpose for their imagination. They still talk about creating more characters and wanting to be authors themselves.”
Read full testimonial
In this TEDx talk, Dillon shares the ideas that sparked Unfound Adventures and ultimately led to Bastunia school visits. The talk explores why imagination, storytelling, and hands-on creativity matter now more than ever, and how giving kids space to create can shape the way they see themselves and their future.
The ideas behind Bastunia aren’t theoretical. When kids are given space to imagine, create, and tell their own stories, something remarkable happens.
Before Bastunia became a classroom experience, it began as a simple question: how do we help kids grow into creative, confident thinkers in a world dominated by screens?
Mom, it's weird, I made it like my life accidentally.
The bass-beast's presence in Cooper's life gives him confidence to do schoolwork and other challenges. When Cooper is sad, or when someone nearby needs emotional support, the empathetic Calling opens its large mouth and they immediately feel better.
Because of Cooper's condition, he has struggled to connect with his father. One activity they have found to bond over is fishing.
Cooper, an 8 year old with PDA (pathological demand avoidance), made this Medic-Defender Calling, Floopy.
Raising Creative Thinkers in a Screen-Filled World
The Why Behind Our Work
Two ways to bring Unfound Adventures into the classroom
Every classroom is different. That’s why we offer two ways to bring the Unfound Adventures experience to students. Both options spark imagination, creativity, and connection — they just take different paths to get there.
Sponsorship Options
End Result: Kids imagine themselves in Bastunia, creating their Calling, and determining what Path (Builder, Explorer, or Defender) they are walking right now.
Create a Calling
Self & Social Awareness Exploration
Each Calling centers around human value to society
Creative Adaptive Thinking
Class imagines themselves and their Calling in real-world scenarios
Post-Visit Engagement Incentives
Select students will have their artwork professionally illustrated
Widely Popular activities are enjoyed by more than just students. Teachers are invited to participate + Continue-At-Home materials are distributed to families
End Result: Kids build a story in Bastunia, learn about creative writing, and have an opportunity to become published in the “Story of the Week”.
Activate the creative writer
Creative Writing Lessons
- Elementary Story Structure
- Character Development
Reading Comprehension Training
- Peer Review Practice
- Easy-to-follow Editing Practices
How to Become an Author
Post-Visit Engagement Incentives
- Select students will have their stories published on our social platforms
- “Story Of The Week” will be select from amongst your students
- Printing Solutions Available Upon Request (Publication Costs Not Included)
Wildly Popular activities are enjoyed by more than just students
- Teachers are invited to participate
- Continue-At-Home materials are distributed to families
I just wanted to express how impressed I was with Dillon's presentation. I have been to many presentations across the district and this by far was the best I have seen. Not only did he get the kids involved, but he gave them something to look forward to by giving them the opportunity to share their imagination. I truly hope that he has an opportunity to return to our school and community in the coming years and share his positivity and journey with even more students.
Guest Teacher, Michigamme Elementary School
Kim Ferns
I would highly recommend having Dillon Barr and his Unfound Adventures visit your school! Dillon's energy and charisma keep the students thoroughly engaged and motivated. He encourages students to look within while still being mindful of others. This allows students to show their creativity in a safe space.”
Principal, Michigamme Elementary School
Matt Pittinato
Michigamme was very fortunate to have Dillon Barr visit our upper elementary classrooms! He was amazing with our students and I loved seeing how he got all of our students very excited to show their imagination and creativity. He could relate to them in so many ways and his kindness was out of this world (in the words of one of my students).”
5th Grade Teacher at Michigamme Elementary School
Tina Oriel
WHAT CAN YOUR
STUDENTS EXPECT?
The Experience
One option: Instead of making the workshop an exercise in individuality, this workshop focuses on creating a "classroom Calling" - a single beast that represents the collective identity. Students will still have a chance to offer their unique insights, but collaboration will be encouraged. In the end, the students will have a single Calling that can be shown off like a badge of honor.
Classroom Calling Collaboration
2
The Unfound Adventures team will come in to creatively explore how every student brings something vital to a team. Through understanding Callings (the spiritual companions) within the Unfound Universe, and students creating their own, we help them think more deeply about their strengths and how they can use those in acts of service to their fellows.
Self + Social Awareness
1
In this alternative format, we will discuss the different types of Callings - almost like a "what do you want to be when you grow up" discussion - and have students thinking about what skills and interests they bring to the table. There will be opportunities to create, imagine, interact, and collaborate in fun ways with their classmates.
Imagination & Creativity Exercise
3
Students will learn about creative frameworks, the beats of storytelling, how to publish their own books, and how to infuse their lives with creativity, imagination, and initiative.
In this format, students will have a chance to learn how to write and publish their own stories, various creative frameworks, and lessons in social interaction in the collective setting, but then consider themselves and how they fit in the world in a more interactive environment. This multi-day, multi-setting approach is the best way for the Unfound team to match the lesson plans with the most conducive environments.
Storytelling Workshop
4
Every kid will go home with "Joan's Calling", the first book in the "Tales of Bastunia" series. We find that the more the lessons within school are unified with the discussions within the home, the more likely they are to stick. The way the comics are written - with one part comic and one part prose - make them perfect for adults to immerse themselves in the same stories that have captured their children.
We love to see parents and kids exploring their places within the world of Bastunia - the central world in the Unfound Adventures comics. In this way, parents, teachers, and kids will get to share in each others' enthusiasm.
Family Involvement
5
How it works
Choose to sponsor a Bastunia classroom visit. Your sponsorship covers the full experience, including a live visit and 40 books for students to take home.
1. Sponsor a Visit
We will select from the waitlist which school your sponsorship will apply to. If local, we may be able to sponsor your specific school. We're located in Port Huron, MI
2. we Schedule the Visit
The Unfound Adventures team will take it from here!
3. We show up!
straight from the classroom
Callings Created by students
During classroom visits, students are encouraged to explore their ideas, values, and creativity through the creation of their own Callings. The drawings below are a glimpse of what emerges when imagination is nurtured in a classroom setting.
His presentation was engaging from start to finish for every learner, from our youngest kindergarteners to our fifth graders, as well as our cognitively impaired students. Students enthusiastically participated and were excited to take part in the activity. They eagerly began thinking about their Calling and creating their character.
I have booked dozens of authors for school visits over the years, some quite famous, and Mr. Barr generated the most excitement in his sessions that I have seen among all those young audiences."
“Dillon Barr made an immediate connection with students of all ages. He pulled them in within minutes with his energy and passion.
Intervention Specialist, Garfield Elementary
Edie VanSickle
I had the opportunity to watch Dillon work with several different grade levels - K-5. Dillon was able to tailor his presentation to each age group to ensure that they were not only excited about the creative work they were doing but also focused! He was engaging, enthusiastic and able to give kids a purpose for their imagination.
My students each got a book from Dillon’s series and read them daily. They still talk about creating more characters for stories and wanting to be authors themselves! I am grateful for this experience and so are my students!
“Dillon came into our elementary school and spoke with all grade levels to create comics with our students and foster creativity!
4th Grade Teacher, Garfield Elementary
Lauren Vani
I am the Librarian and was blessed to see him interact with all of our students- K-5 & CI. He created a huge spark in the kids to want to create & read his books. As I looked through the book, I told Dillon that I was so excited to see that not only is it a graphic novel - “comic”, but also a chapter book. I have so many emergent readers that this will be a great fit for them, please continue to make more. The students were so excited to get their books and will still bring it with them to their library time."
“I can not express how much JOY Dillon Barr brought to our school. The kids were completely engaged and excited in his presentation and by the way he sparked their creativity.
Media Paraprofessional, Garfield Elementary
Renee’ Lucas
