This Visiting Author Presentation focuses on disability acceptance & inclusion while connecting to the presenter's various children's books. By attending this program, students learn about different disabilities and the process of writing realistic fiction while becoming inspired to make a positive difference in their schools and communities. Great presentation for Autism Awareness Month (April) and Disability Awareness Month (October). Contact Author directly through her website for free Reading Guide. Amy also offers parent workshops related to raising a child with disabilities and understanding the unique needs of siblings.

The program involves creating movement plays. Experimental Dance Theatre.

We offer an experience of what it was like to be a child during the American Revolutionary War.

Day in Clay is a diverse, multicultural ceramic art program for K–12, including professional development and disabilities. The programs are conducted virtually and in school. Overview Headquartered in Tomkins Cove, NY, Day in Clay was founded by Cliff Mendelson in 1988. Day in Clay provides a multicultural ceramic artist in residence programs for K–12 in over 400 schools and districts. It offers both virtual and on-site assemblies and classroom interactive programs with diverse culturally inspired hands-on/demonstrations in clay. Students get a real taste of the creative process and how design, form, and function relate across disciplines and cultures. Students create and explore African, Asian, Latin/ Native American, and Greek cultures through programs like vessel making, tile making, mask making and multicultural potter's wheel, all custom-tailored for their curriculum. Students work directly with clay, learning advanced techniques and understanding how each culture tells their unique story through 3D art, and discover the relationship between art and society. In the class, students become involved in working with clay while learning advanced techniques and the science behind glazing, painting, and firing. They explore the relationship between art, science, and society. Students also use historical techniques to create, decorate, and design vessels using culturally specific patterns, symbols, and imagery. Day in Clay invites an artist to demonstrate various aspects of different programs, how they connect to the history of ceramics, and show the interrelation of ceramics in cultures worldwide. Staff development provides arts faculty with the techniques, cultural history, and hands-on problem-solving, ready-to-go lesson plans to bring clay into the classroom. Staff learn to use cultural connections as a way to connect students to their own work. The training mirrors Mendelson's college-level teaching, where engagement and sharing expertise are paramount. Lessons are tied into Native American, Asian, African, Latin American, and Greek cultures. Mendelson provides advanced hand-building techniques and the science behind glazing, painting, and firing. Staff development is custom-tailored to meet the needs of a school’s faculty. The best way to problem-solve with students is a hands-on approach and learning the limits of the materials to advance their success. A lively Q&A is always encouraged!

Griffin Brady is a celebrated teaching artist who holds a masters degree in Ethnomusicology and is the acclaimed director of the Slyboots School, Slyboots Circus and the Bernard Woma Dagara Music Center USA. Griffin leads tours to schools across the country with the Slyboots Circus and the Saakumu Dance Troupe from Ghana, West Africa.

The Hyde Collection is a historic home and world-class art museum in Glens Falls, NY, with distinguished collections of European and American art. The Hyde Collection welcomes schools or groups with school-age students (pre-K through college or other school age groups ie: homeschool, exchange student program, etc.) to engage with our permanent collection and special exhibition spaces. Education staff is happy to customize our tour activities to meet the needs of the students and goals of school curriculum. Tours are often accompanied by an art making component. Curriculum connections include NY History, European History, Art Education, Language, English Language Arts, Social Studies, and more. School tours are free of charge to students. This is made possible through the generosity of our donors.

Black Girls Don't Get Love is a book and multimedia coming of age brand for girls of color. Our mission is to use media to turn silence into language and change the way Black women and girls are perceived in society. Our non-Profit arm, Black Girls WILL Get Love, Inc. facilitates all of our philanthropic Programs such as the acclaimed Black Girls Don't Get Love Prom, the Black Girls Don't Get Love Slumber Party, the Black Girls Don't Get Love Outdoor Exploration, the Black Girls Don't Get Love Film Training Program and the black girls don't get love screenwriting workshops and labs. Our programs are a creative and engaging approach to addressing DEI and low literacy rates.

Gizmo D Robot is the host of three amazing, memorable and impactful elementary presentations around the topics of anti-bullying, growth mindset and health awareness. In addition, he is co-host - along with talented musician Dave Lambert - of a music education presentation for grades K-2. Students enjoy Gizmo and his unexpectedly high interactive capabilities as well as his delightful sense of humor. Educators love Gizmo because he delivers vital messages in a way students can quickly grasp. “…the best assembly we have ever had!” was the response from Lebanon Borough School in New Jersey.

Fun and creative hands-on crafts projects that demonstrate concepts in electrical circuits, coding, robotics, renewable energy, materials engineering, and more! Kathy Ceceri has been teaching and writing about STEAM activities in schools, libraries, museums, and Maker Faires for over 15 years. She is the author of Making Simple Robots, Paper Inventions, and more.

Caravan to Cairo transports you to the exotic realms of the Arabian Nights, bringing you authentic unique folkloric dances from North Africa to the Middle East. This delightful dance journey through the Near East, choreographed by Samara, one of today’s finest international performers of Middle Eastern dance, offers a diversity of engaging styles and rhythms, lavish, colorful costumes, and a charming story theater adaptation of a timeless Arabic folktale. A brief, participatory dancing instruction and a Q&A session round off the entertainment. This program can also provide artist workshops and residencies in addition to classroom teaching.

Theatre of Youth (TOY) is WNY’s only professional theatre dedicated to serving children and their families. We offer field trip opportunities to watch professional family friendly plays and musicals. We also offer in school theatre workshops. Our Mission: Theatre of Youth Company, Inc. (TOY) stimulates the imagination, nurtures the creative spirit and enhances the education of young people by engaging them in relevant, child-centered, and professionally-produced live theatre programs. TOY believes meaningful childhood experiences in the theatre develop confidence in creative thinking skills, cultivate empathy and establish a life-long connection to the arts. TOY is a place where all families, children, cast and crew feel included, represented and inspired. We strive to reflect the community that gave rise to our theatre, both on and off the stage, and to improve access to the magic of children’s theatre and arts education for all. TOY is a safe haven where children can explore and be creative in comfort, with diversity in our productions and ensuring that our community has a voice in everything we do.

The Apple-Y EverAfter Show is an arts-infused literacy program designed to spark imagination, strengthen reading comprehension, and inspire a lifelong love of reading in students from Pre-K through Elementary. Our program captivates children’s attention with catchy rhymes, sight words, and interactive songs that make literacy fun. In addition, through music, dance, and delicious apple-filled adventures, the show teaches kids to be brave, try new things, and celebrate cultural differences. Students will be actively engaged with interactive activities throughout the show. Theatrical experiences have been proven to not only benefit students’ academic achievement, but to also foster socioemotional learning, improve communication skills, enhance memory and concentration, and develop critical thinking skills. You also choose one of our add-on programs as part of the student experience: Cuddle and Read: with this program, kids create a cuddly reading pal, celebrate with Judge Bear’s adoption ceremony, and take home a Reading Tracker. Schools get a year’s supply to keep the reading fun alive! Playful Picasso: with this creative literacy program, books spark imagination and stories leap off the pages. Students begin with a playful scavenger hunt, then bring their discoveries to life through painting or a hands-on activity. This experience helps strengthen comprehension, encourages self-expression, and builds confident, joyful readers So join Novel, Novella, and Chef de Pomme as they hop from one exciting destination to the next, whipping up scrumptious apple desserts and learning that everyone can grow to love apples—maybe you will too! Let’s bring this adventure to your students!