The best way to engage your students is through our captivating BMX assembly. The Freestyle Connection’s school assembly program combines BMX stunts with powerful messages about bicycle safety, striving for excellence, embracing a drug-free healthy lifestyle, and the importance of staying in school. Designed for events like Red Ribbon Week, Field Days, Family Nights, or any occasion calling for a dynamic Character Education message or PBIS School Assembly, this outdoor program is unmatched. Give your school a show they will never forget! The Freestyle Connection BMX school assembly show involves ramp riding on a portable box jump and flatland ground moves for trick variations. Riders will switch on the microphone throughout the show which is choreographed to exciting music and incorporates BMX stunts, high-flying tricks, and humorous skits. This BMX show is roughly 40 minutes long. Indoor backup plan required for inclement weather.

Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens provides visitors with an immersive connection to the calming and restorative power of plants. Through our living collections and imaginative programming, we create memorable experiences that inspire curiosity about our natural world. The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens welcomes everyone to engage with our gardens, historic conservatory, and each other. The Botanical Gardens' Education Team offers a number of fun and engaging hands-on field trips for students in grades Pre-K-12.

The Write Kellys: A Unique Blend of Education and Entertainment for K-5 Classrooms The Write Kellys (Rebecca and Kevin Kelly) are an award-winning author and illustrator duo with a knack for crafting engaging, educational, and highly entertaining stories. With four published books, including Finder’s Creatures and The Awesome Impossible Unstoppable Gadget, they have created a captivating universe where young readers solve mysteries, explore creative thinking, and dive into STEM-based adventures. How we approach our Workshops and Presentations using : 1. Design Thinking & Critical Thinking Expertise: The Write Kellys embed design and critical thinking into every story, helping students develop essential problem-solving skills while they’re having fun. With over 25 years of teaching, writing and design experience, we prepare young readers for future learning in a way that no other author does. 2. STEM & Arts-Based Storytelling Workshops: We don’t just read stories; we transform them into interactive experiences. Our workshops blend STEM and art seamlessly, making subjects like science and engineering approachable and exciting for K-5 students. 3. Interactive Author Q&A and Writing Workshops: We offer personalized sessions where students can ask questions, participate in creative writing exercises, and even explore the process of illustration. This interactive approach fosters a deeper connection to the material and encourages creative thinking. 4. Character Development & Design: Our stories go beyond simple narratives. We emphasize character education, teaching values like empathy, kindness, and perseverance through engaging and relatable characters. 5. Custom Events: From mystery-themed events featuring our alter ego P. Knuckle Jones to tailored workshops that meet specific curriculum goals, we work with schools to create custom experiences that resonate with both students and educators. What Others are Saying: “Two hilarious investigations in one!” — Kirkus “A strong recommendation for budding readers and detectives” — School Library Journal “A delightful read for children who enjoy solving mysteries, offering a perfect mix of intrigue, laughs, and memorable moments” — Reader’s Favorite

Program Theme Our concert program “Place” explores diverse geographies, languages and musical /cultural traditions from all over the globe, featuring a fusion of original and traditional music from our 6-7 piece ensemble, with a focus on Ghanaian/West African influences. West African dancing is included is showcased in our performance, featuring 1-2 dancers originally from Accra, Ghana. Program Description “Place” takes the original music of Heard and brings the audience somewhere special and distinct in each piece– like the crowded bustle of an Accra open-air market (Market Song), a winding wintry boulevard in Montreal (Cotes des Neiges) or the summer streets of Brazil. (Danca Verao) Through narrative storytelling around our compositional inspirations, we explore cultural, geographical and environmental dimensions of other countries and places. A slideshow featuring maps and photos from our group's recent trip to Ghana provide a beautiful visual backdrop to our performance. Heard musicians include: Elizabeth Woodbury Kasius, keyboards, Laura Andrea Leguía, woodwinds, Bobby Kendall, bass, Brian Melick, percussion, Zorkie Nelson, percussion, Forsino Nelson, dance, Augustina Nelson, dance. All of our members sing! Breakout workshops in West African dance and world percussion can accompany the residency experience. Some of the schools/libraries/museums we’ve performed for include: Troy City School District, Troy, NY--Schools 2, 14, 16, 18 and Carroll Hill Elementary schools Van Rensselaer Elem, Rensselaer, NY Lake George Elementary Lake George, NY Samaritan Children’s Center, Troy, NY Susan Odell Taylor School, Troy, NY Paige Elementary, Schenectady, NY North Colonie Schools, Albany, NY--Boght Hills and Latham Ridge Elementary Schools Saratoga Springs Public Schools- Division St. Elementary Robert C. Parker School, East Greenbush, NY Abram Lansing School, Cohoes, NY Salem State College, Salem, MA ACC, Queensbury, NY HVCC, Troy, NY College of St. Rose, Albany, NY World Awareness Children’s Museum, Glens Falls, NY Guilderland Public Library, Guilderland, NY Albany Public Library–Arbor Hill and Delaware Ave. branches Millbrook, NY Library Silver Bay YMCA Resort Camp Chingachgook YMCA camp

Celebrate the Erie Canal Bicentennial with "The Erie Canal: A Story of Building the Impossible," Sandy Schuman's presentation with more than 275 informative images. Learn about the Great Depression through songs and stories of those times. Marvel at the story of "Lead Belly: Singer, Songwriter, Murderer; King of the 12 String Guitar." Sing along to songs from the Great American Songbook and hear the stories about how they came to be written with "Familiar Songs and their Unfamiliar Stories."

Airigami is, at its heart, a team of artists who create large-scale installations, illustrations, and experiences entirely out of balloons—from small single sculptures and STEAM programs to stadium-sized, record-breaking installations. The common element in all our work: Attention-grabbing wonder. Our clients come to us for all kinds of projects. Airigami has built a range of inspiring programs around balloons that’s educational and unforgettable. We’ve worked with organizations of many types all around the world. Our displays can interpret important cultural touchstones like famous masterpieces and historic environments that inspire. Balloon sculptures can invigorate curiosity about familiar subjects. Balloons can even serve as the center of powerful team-building exercises. * How to Catch a Mouse: Simple Machines at Work While working on his master’s degree in elementary education, Airigami partner Larry Moss created How to Catch a Mouse as a presentation for grade-schoolers. The response to the first performance was so strong, he developed it for larger audiences. The show combines math, science, art and fun. Balloons are used to construct a Rube Goldberg-style mousetrap intended to solve the problem of a mouse on the loose. Student volunteers are invited to participate in building the working machine. It’s a dynamic way to teach kids how machines work and inspire them to eagerly set the trap in motion for themselves. The show is ideal for elementary school assembly programs and children’s museums. * Bubble Mural™ Designed by the experts at Airigami, this hands-on exhibit engages visitors in a collaborative project that offers maximum impact with minimal mess. Participants work together to construct a 2-D installation made entirely of biodegradable latex balloons. * Team Building Airigami’s Team Building program is designed to foster cooperation among participants—rather than competition. And the best part is, everyone who joins in starts at the same level: square one.

The Seward House Museum offers a variety of educational experiences for students of all ages and adult learners. We host field trips and group tours between the months of March and December in person. Virtual field trips and live streams can also be scheduled year round. Admission is $6.00 for students in a group. Teachers and bus drivers receive complimentary admission. One chaperone is offered complimentary admission per every twenty students. School tours for November-December and May-June tend to book quickly. Teachers are encouraged to make reservations for these seasons as quickly into the school year as possible. The Seward House Museum does its best to fulfill special requests for interpretation. If you would like a particular point of emphasis—Civil War, anti-slavery, women’s rights, etc.—emphasized, please give as much notice as possible when booking your trip. Field trips may be paired with Hands-On History workshops in the Museum. Lectures and Hands-On activities can also be brought into classrooms. The Seward House also offers a variety of virtual resources for students, including lesson plans and resource kits. It also hosts an interactive website for 4th and 5th graders that revolves around the legacy of Fanny Seward.

CMOO is a non-profit children's museum with 10,000 square feet of hands-on interactive exhibits whose mission is to inspire children to learn, create, discover, and explore through the power of play.

Dedicated to creating art for young people, Daniel has performed over 2000 student performances throughout the country for the past 24 years with storyteller and poet, David Gonzalez and his own projects. An artist who has been called “stunningly original” with “a visionary imagination,” composer and pianist Daniel Kelly explores the meeting place of music with literature, visual art and journalism, captivating audiences across the country. Kelly’s music has been declared “powerfully moving” by Time Out New York. He has performed with GRAMMY-award winning jazz legends Michael Brecker and Joe Lovano, hip-hop star Lauryn Hill, cutting-edge modern classical The Bang on a Can All-Stars and a long list of jazz musicians such as NEA Jazz Masters Dave Liebman & Sheila Jordan, Don Byron, Donny McCaslin, Oliver Lake, Bobby Sanabria and many others. Kelly toured throughout Southeast Asia and India as a part of the Kennedy Center/US State Department-sponsored Jazz Ambassador program, has performed for the president of Costa Rica and at the Shangilia orphanage in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya. Dedicated to creating art for young people, he has performed over 2000 student performances throughout the country for the past 24 years with storyteller and poet, David Gonzalez and his own projects. He has also composed for chamber orchestra, string quartet, film and multimedia theater works. He has released five CDs of original compositions. YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@danielkelly Daniel has three shows along with study guides to offer schools, all of which are listed below: First: Half Note: Learning, Laughter, Music & The Mitten! Half Note: Learning, Laughter, Music & The Mitten! which is geared to Grades K-3 Webpage with promo video: https://www.danielkellymusic.com/school-family-shows Full show video - Half Note: Learning, Laughter, Music & The Mitten! https://vimeo.com/1024064858/15bdab6166?share=copy Google drive with full show video, endorsements, flyers: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/15L3dSgyTKCse-Zyrzu0TwiQPpS8eVcgI?usp=sharing Description: What happens when a master musician meets a hapless fool – in ONE person? The answer is Half Note, the alter-ego of award-winning pianist/composer Daniel Kelly. In this 40-minute solo performance, Daniel brings the audience on an entertaining romp into his musical world - blending jazz, classical and pop music with physical comedy, musical storytelling and outrageous keyboard sounds. In the first part of the program, Daniel presents a musical-storytelling of the Ukrainian folktale, The Mitten, in which a boy loses a mitten in the woods and a series of animals squeeze into it, each one larger than the last. In Daniel's musical version, each animal has a musical theme that layers on top of one another - building up into a symphonic bang! A classically trained pianist-turned jazz musician, Daniel also presents an enlightening and joyful ride through the history of jazz music - from Scott Joplin to Duke Ellington and Miles Davis to hip-hop. Finally, Daniel uses technology (looping pedals and effects) to build a modern piece of music layer by layer, illustrating the elements of rhythm, harmony and melody. Members of the audience will have the opportunity to create loops and grooves at the microphone. A fan of Charlie Chaplin and Victor Borge, Daniel ties the program together with hilarious physical comedy gags that will delight audiences of all ages. Contact Sandra for study guide and to discuss options for your school. Second: Shakespeare in Jazz: All the World's a Song ~ Grades 3-8 - Can feature duo or trio performers Webpage with video, study guides, etc: https://www.danielkellymusic.com/all-the-worlds-a-song-shakespeare-in-jazz You’ve never experienced Shakespeare like this! A sensation in performing arts centers nationwide, this engaging & joyful jazz concert invites people of all ages to experience the magic of Shakespeare's timeless words set to memorable, original jazz songs by award-winning pianist Daniel Kelly & his stellar band - featuring an extraordinary jazz vocalist. Audiences are invited to sing along and are delighted that they have memorized some of Shakespeare's most famous lines in the process! Great for those discovering his plays for the first time and Shakespeare aficionados alike! Promo video: https://youtu.be/8yxfL0ufYQw?si=j6w3UpU6C6TIeFJA Full show: https://vimeo.com/586450010/a801c9eee5?share=copy Google drive with Shakespeare in Jazz endorsements, flyers, study guides: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1hgGZHBBL_9HngU6YxC8Zt-mahAtJJAL0?usp=sharing Third: Interactive Concert for People with Special Needs - Grades 3-8 This is a solo show. Description: Daniel Kelly is an interactive music specialist and person-centered educator with extensive experience working one-on-one and in small group settings. His joyful, sensory-friendly concerts encourage spontaneous creativity and positive musical experiences for individuals with special needs, fostering community and celebrating each person's unique qualities. Contact Sandra for study guide and to discuss options for your school.

We offer a variety of programs that blend expressive arts, mindfulness, and social emotional learning. Our goal is to engage youth of all ages in safe, interactive art activities focused on self-expression and empowerment while promoting mental well-being. All programs can be customized to better meet teacher and student needs, as well as curriculum goals. We incorporate a variety of art processes, techniques, and materials in our lessons. Those include drawing, painting, ceramics and pottery, sculpture, collage, printmaking, creative writing and journaling, STEAM projects, and more! Creative Mindfulness (grades K-5): We have developed a unique Creative Mindfulness curriculum for students in grades K-5. These 45-minute lessons can be taught in isolation or organized into a weekly program that is tailored to meet the needs of your students and strengthen your class community. Each hands-on lesson incorporates breathwork, mindfulness strategies, movement, and an expressive art activity. Many lessons also have a literacy component and are paired with high-quality children’s literature. Participation in our Creative Mindfulness program equips students with the tools to help them be more resilient, improve self-regulation and communication skills, build positive self-esteem and self-confidence, and increase overall happiness. Collaborative Art Projects (grades PK-12): Another program we offer is to come in and work on a collaborative project. This can be within a classroom, a grade level, a school, or a whole district. Collaborative projects help to build self-confidence, establish social cohesion, improve communication skills, and strengthen classroom/school communities. This is a great way to add meaningful art to your school hallways and turn plain walls into interesting, colorful, art-filled spaces that students are proud of. Collaborative art can be posted on walls, hung from ceilings, put in display cases, or painted right onto the walls (inside or outside). YES… we do murals, too! Professional Development (all grades): We also offer Professional Development for teachers and staff at all grade levels. Topics include Social Emotional Learning Through Art, Mindful Arts for the Trauma Informed Classroom, Art & Mindfulness for Teacher Self-Care, and Process Art Experiences for Team Building. In our workshops, we share the research that supports what we do and provide easy to implement practices that will enhance your school community, as well as teacher and student well-being. We teach practical ways to use art and mindfulness for coregulation, to increase feelings of safety and connection, reduce stress, and improve focus. All PD workshops can be customized to meet your school’s needs and available time.

CEPA (Center for Exploratory and Perceptual Art) promotes photographic and related media artists of all levels, supporting the arts community through exhibitions, education, and critical public access to image-making resources. CEPA provides individuals, schools, and nonprofits with workshops, classes, and community spaces that are accessible to all ages, abilities, and incomes.

I love to share the process of book illustration. With PowerPoint, I start by sharing slides of my childhood journey as an illustrator. People need to know that they can succeed even if they experience setbacks. I emphasize hard work, patience, and continuing learning. I show various slides of personal drawings and artwork along with the many steps involved in making a picture book, such as reviewing the manuscript, researching, sketching, and creating artwork. In addition, I may bring sketchbooks, original artwork, and various visual aids for the audience to see firsthand to understand my work better. My presentation lasts 35-45 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of Q&A. Presentations will be adjusted according to grade level. I can do up to three presentations per day of the visit.