Hello.... even though I hold several world records for climbing and skiing in the Himalaya, and even took a hot air balloon over Everest (we crashed, but made an award winning film!) and was on the U.S. Biathlon Team, and lived with an indigenous tribe on each continent, I still took time to make books, fun books! My books have won Parent's Choice, Pick of the List, NCSS Notable Books for Social Studies, and so much more. Any regions you study: rainforest, desert, mountains, and so on, we visit in my multi-media presentation. We cover standards for MANY subjects, and all national standards for geography and social studies. I leave you with a video, teaching guides, and activities to work with. Imagine large images from adventures around the world, and cultures on each continent, while I give personal information via story telling as an all school assembly... or divide the school into groups for a more personal Q and A to follow. I tailor my words to my audience and work with all k-12 students.

Explore Frederic Church’s masterwork, Olana, through a field trip, virtual tour, or professional development! During each program, participants learn more about the art, culture, and history of Olana and the Hudson River Valley through place-based learning activities and lessons. Each offering can be modified to suit classroom and curriculum needs. FIELD TRIPS include a historic house tour and Landscape Walk and cost $10 per student. Add-on art workshops cost an additional $5 per student and include all artmaking materials. Students will leave with a completed work of art. All themes can be tailored to meet specific curriculum goals and student needs. Themes include: 1. "Place as Inspiration" where students learn how Church and his contemporaries were inspired by the Hudson Valley before exploring how they can connect to and advocate for important places in their own lives and communities. 2. "Land as Canvas" where students consider nature as a source of creativity and invention in Olana's designed landscape, collecting natural materials to observe patterns in local flora and fauna. 3. "Sketching as Seeing" where students dive into Frederic Church’s artistic process and experiment with his outdoor sketching (plein air) techniques. 4. "Adventures in Architecture" where students learn more about how global architectural traditions influenced Frederic Church’s design of Olana’s historic house and explore his handling of scale, engineering, and design. VIRTUAL TOURS can be tailored to meet specific curriculum goals and classroom needs and conducted via Zoom or Google Meet, and other platforms by request. All virtual sessions are designed to be 1 hour in length and can be scaled for various age ranges, groups, and audiences. All field trips and virtual tours are for grades PreK-12 and other education groups. $5-$15 per student. FREE for schools in Columbia and Greene Counties. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT days for teachers and administrators can be booked upon request and include a tour of the historic house and landscape, a workshop session, and use of the Wagon House Education Center. Please contact education@olana.org to learn more.

The Iroquois Museum is an anthropological museum that uses art to educate and inspire. Our collections of contemporary Iroquois art and archeological artifacts open a window into Iroquois culture and society. Our programs fulfill the NYS Learning Standards for the Arts, Social Studies, and Language Arts. The Museum provides a stimulating object-based learning environment that engages visitors on visual, tactile, and intellectual levels.

Assembly programs that are full of basketball tricks, comedy and audience participation. The kids have a blast and so do the teachers. We finish every show with motivational words on teamwork and kindness.

Bardavon 1869 Opera House, Inc. (known familiarly as “the Bardavon'') is a New York State nonprofit corporation that owns and operates two historic theaters. The 928-seat Bardavon 1869 Opera House in Poughkeepsie is the oldest continuously operating theater in the state, among the oldest in the country, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The 1500-seat Ulster Performing Arts Center/Broadway Theater (UPAC) is a National Register property built in Kingston in 1927. UPAC was merged into Bardavon's corporate structure in 2007. The Bardavon consistently presents the highest quality music, dance, theater, and classic films in both its venues. The Bardavon has brought together artists, businesses, and government to produce outdoor events that draw thousands of residents and visitors to the region annually, providing free access to superb art as a source of community pride, urban revitalization, and cultural tourism. The Bardavon Education Program partners with regional schools in offering unique arts-based learning experiences for students and innovative tools for teachers. The continued restoration and preservation of the Bardavon 1869 Opera House and the Ulster Performing Arts Center/Broadway Theater is also a vital aspect of our mission.

A Day in the Life of a Colonial Minuteman Step outside the classroom and step back in time to the year 1775, when ordinary farmers, tradesmen, and fathers were called upon to defend their homes and communities as colonial minutemen. This hands-on presentation will introduce fourth-grade students to what life was like for a colonial minuteman during the American Revolution. The experience will take place outdoors and will allow students to see, touch, taste, and experience history rather than simply read about it. To begin the presentation, each student will receive an original colonial-era artifact to carefully hold and examine. The students will be asked to observe the object and describe what they think it might have been used for before the speaker reveals its purpose and explains its importance to everyday life in colonial America. Students will then be introduced to the living conditions of a minuteman. A period-style A-frame tent will be set up nearby, allowing students to enter and experience the simple shelter a soldier might have used while away from home. Real period foods and typical colonial rations will also be displayed. Students will learn about the kinds of foods a minuteman might have carried or eaten, including the challenges of preserving, transporting, and preparing food during the Revolutionary War. The speaker will next explain the clothing worn by a colonial soldier, describing each item and why it was useful. Students will see and learn about the layers of clothing, footwear, hat, accoutrements, and other personal equipment that a minuteman would have carried. Particular attention will be given to the equipment necessary for military service, including the important role of the musket. The speaker will explain how the musket worked, how it was carried, and why it was such an important part of a soldier's equipment. The presentation will then move from everyday life to the experience of serving in the Revolutionary War. Students will learn that many minutemen were not professional soldiers. They were members of their local communities who could be called upon to serve when danger threatened. The speaker will discuss the sacrifices these men made by leaving their families, farms, and jobs to serve the cause of independence. Finally, the presentation will conclude with an interactive demonstration, the students will form a line and experience what it was like to receive payment for military service. Each student will be given a piece of Continental currency as payment for his or her "service." This activity will provide an opportunity to discuss what money looked like during the Revolutionary War and how soldiers were compensated for their service. By combining authentic artifacts, period clothing and equipment, food, a tent, Continental currency, and hands-on activities, this presentation will bring the world of the colonial minuteman to life. Students will leave with a better understanding of not only what a minuteman wore, carried, and ate, but also the sacrifices ordinary people made during the struggle for American independence.

Journeys Into American Indian Territory brings an immersive, curriculum-based exploration of Native American cultures directly to schools through a dynamic, hands-on program rooted in cultural anthropology. Designed for grades K–5, this unforgettable experience features a fully assembled on-site museum and four interactive workshops in a single day, covering the traditional lifeways of either the Plains or Eastern Woodlands peoples (Native Americans of NYS). Through authentic artifacts, storytelling, music, dance, and participatory activities, students gain a deeper understanding of Native American history, values, and cultural continuity—all aligned with state learning standards.

Unleash your inner scientist in these large, interactive science shows! Nutty Scientists Hudson Valley brings affordable and fun science shows to your school – designed to ignite children’s curiosity and foster an environment where the entire audience feels encouraged to participate. Each show has an imaginative storyline coupled with 6-8 hands-on exciting experiments. With Nutty Scientists, kids get to touch, jump, yell, vibrate, form and test hypotheses. We aim to boost children’s curiosity about science and confidence in themselves! Age: 4-12 Length: 45 minutes Size: Suitable for up to 200 kids, but we do back-to-back performances for more. Prices: $375 for one show or $300/show for 2 or more shows + travel fee (call for info). Funding can be used from BOCES Arts and Education category OR the Exploratory Enrichment category. Shows: Ice Age Show: The kids will help our scientist overcome incredible challenges within the secret forest of Merlin the Wizard by performing exciting experiments. Students will be immersed in a sensory experience surrounding the amazing properties of CO2 and dry ice while exploring states of matter, sublimation, chemical reactions, pressure, forces, and more. Cast Away Show: Help our Nutty Scientist who is lost on a desert island! Kids will help the lost scientist get food, water and signal for rescue. Along the way they'll fire rockets, make slime, shoot smoke rings, and see amazing electrical demonstrations with a Van De Graaff generator! Fun Mission to Space Show: The Nutty Scientists has been entrusted with a maximum-security space mission. What will it take to survive in space? Where in the solar system should we land? To answer these questions students will assist with crazy experiments. They will learn about the planets, gravity, orbits, properties of sound, near-vacuum conditions, atmospheric pressure, and volcanic reactions! Kids will also help make a comet using the same elements that are found in real comets. Ignite Curiosity! Think Nutty!

Dj Willy WOW is a Grammy Nominated children's artist who provides an array of kid friendly DJ Services, Live Performances, Character Shows that highlight the importance of doing the right things in home, school and preserving nature. He is also a burst of energy that electrifies family friendly radio stations across the world. This year DJ Willy WOW is celebrating 20 years of many adventures and his continued mission to bring positivity into the development of young hearts and minds of all people!

Hello! I am a teaching artist with a BS in Environmental studies, a Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling, and a Certified Trauma Informed Yoga Instructor. After decades of working in government positions, I have focused my past several years on giving back to my community through volunteering with refugees, schools, libraries, and youth clubs. I have found a passion for sharing my broad knowledge and interests with youth and have built strong relationships with teachers in our community to help support the amazing work you all do every day. I would love to support your classroom too! I bring Hands on activities to your classroom that use a child lead approach and include art, nature, and mindfulness to build on classroom curriculum. While learning is happening we are also building team work, confidence, and a love of learning: Some activity options include -needle felting projects learning about fiber sources and how every day items are made, as well as the role the environment plays in fiber and fiber in the environment. (This can be done for students or for staff development). -live insects and animals in the classroom to learn about life cycles, ecosystems, animal care, farms, etc. Animals include button quail ( terrarium birds) , hatching chicken eggs, rabbits, stick insects. Students learn compassion while also receiving the therapeutic benefits animals provide. Animals can also provide students an opportunity to practice their reading skills by reading to them. Fossil digs in the classroom with sand, fossils, and fossil identification activities -art and craft projects with open ended access to supplies for students to complete projects that drive home classroom curriculum, such as building terrariums, making artwork that the represent ecosystems, life cycles, etc. All activities encourage students sharing their knowledge they have learned in class, working cooperatively, immersing their senses, and working at their own pace, skill level, and in their own style. I love to coordinate with teachers to reach their goals and plan activities around their classrooms unique style, needs, and interests with a goal of instilling a love of learning and building a foundation for emotional skills development .

Yo Re Mi provides arts-integrated social-emotional learning experiences that combine live music, movement, and mindfulness to support student regulation, engagement, and overall learning readiness. Through interactive classes, assemblies, residencies, and workshops, students develop emotional awareness, self-expression, and focus using developmentally aligned, play-based practices. These experiences are designed to be engaging and accessible for all learners while reinforcing core SEL competencies and arts-in-education standards. What sets Yo Re Mi apart is its connection to a broader, school-wide approach. Our work not only supports students in the moment, but also introduces a shared language and set of strategies that can be used throughout the school day, helping classrooms run more smoothly and supporting consistent Tier 1 social-emotional learning practices. In addition to direct student programming, Yo Re Mi offers educator certification and professional development, equipping school staff with practical, classroom-ready tools to sustain and integrate these strategies into daily routines over time.

GET OUT + PLAY TOUR BMX School Assembly programs by Dialed Action Sports In a world dominated by screens and gadgets, we believe in the power of the great outdoors, exercise, and the sheer exhilaration that comes from pedaling your way to freedom. Dialed Action’s Get Out + Play Programs are on a mission to encourage youth across the nation to put down their phones and screens, get outdoors, and discover the excitement of play. 15 years in business and over 10,000 thrilling shows to date! Hosting a show is easy! We provide everything needed to put on a great event. This includes: all setup and tear-down, all PA and mic equipment, power source, floor protection for indoor shows, flexible rain-date options, and full insurance coverage. Multiple show formats also ensure we have the right program for your venue layout and budget. Available program topics: We can customize our messaging to align with the unique needs of your school or program goals. Available topics include: ANTI-BULLYING, DRUG AWARENESS, RESPONSIBLE CHOICES, or BIKE SAFETY. Need help with funding? Many 501c3 organizations are able to receive funding for our programs. Contact us today and ask about our grant application toolkit. Contact us today to reserve your spot on this year's GET OUT + PLAY TOUR.