Caldecott medalist Paul O. Zelinsky’s school visits are about making connections: between a story’s key ideas and the artist’s tools he uses to express them; between the characters in a story and the reader, and hugely, his own connection to audiences of schoolchildren. Drawing for and with them, bringing them into his studio with slides and animations, he loves to get across how making books is fun, funny, interesting and an endless opportunity to learn. Many authors and illustrators with long careers and many honors and awards no longer visit schools and classrooms, but this is a connection Paul Zelinsky hopes never to give up. Paul O. Zelinsky is the creator of the classic moving-parts book THE WHEELS ON THE BUS and the Caldecott-medal-winning RAPUNZEL and its companion RUMPELSTILTSKIN, among others, and the illustrator of numerous notable books including Z is for Moose (written by Kelly Bingham), Dear Mr. Henshaw (Beverly Cleary) and many more.

A standard visit consists of three presentations of up to an hour each. With younger children I focus the talk around my first picture book, The Foolish Giant. For grades three and up I generally use my novel The Monster's Ring. Each session begins with some high energy storytelling and includes a fair amount of humor. Along the way I address where ideas come from, issues of editing and rewriting, and demonstrate how a story is put together. The sessions are designed to include practical tips on writing that teachers can immediately put to use in the classroom.

Brent Daniels is an entertainment industry veteran and award-winning music producer who uses the latest technology to sculpt sound and create music for Marvel Studios, Disney Studios, Netflix, Activision, Epic Records, and many more. His Virtual Music Technology assembly shows K-12 students how their everyday devices are used by professionals to create the music and sounds they love, and how they can do it too! Prepare to have your perception of virtual assemblies changed! Virtual Music Technology is a one-of-a-kind education and entertainment experience in which student volunteers contribute in real-time (rapping, shouting, singing) and help Brent create music on the spot. By the end of the show, your whole school will be up and dancing!

An visually exciting presentation for all ages of an ongoing art project that explores a broad range of artistic and scientific disciplines with a strong sense of humanity.

Middle/High School Why Music Students Excel Motivational Clinic for Band, Youth Orchestra and Chorus (Also appropriate for Theatre Kids.) Program Description This morale and self-esteem building session begins with a ten minute solo performance by Justin. The performance is intentionally virtuosic, leaving no doubt in the student's mind that the artist is a seasoned professional who has experienced success on stage. The objective of this learning experience for students is to reinforce what the music faculty has been stressing all along. That is: the student's musical experience and musical education goes well beyond 'blowing a horn'. This experience is about developing life survival skills. Skills that will help the students to become better adept at problem solving, decision making, enjoying a fulfilling life beginning now and into the future. Justin asks the students to identify skills that they have learned from their musical experience (lessons, practice, or performance) that they have found useful when they are outside the world of music. Skills described by the students typically range from attention to detail and time management, to conflict resolution and ability to accept criticism. At the end of this segment of the session, a list sometimes comprising as many as 24 skills has been articulated by the students. Kolb looks at the students and asks them to seriously contemplate the "skills inventory". Kolb then exclaims, "Look at who you are and what you can do!" He quickly points out that large corporations and even governments invest great amounts of dollars to teach their employees how to acquire these same skills.These sessions are highly informational, uplifting, fun and enhance self esteem. Justin gets along easily with students, parents, staff, and faculty.Willing to tailor sessions to better meet the needs of the students.

The Animal Menagerie, written by Francine Dingeman and illustrated by Marta Maszkiewicz, is an enchanting A to Z picture book filled with captivating characters from the animal kingdom for children ages 4-8. This book is written to entertain and educate by introducing dozens of creative new words into a child's vocabulary. Children are invited to embark on a wild and whimsical journey through The Animal Menagerie! Each letter of the alphabet comes to life with vibrant illustrations and story vignettes, making early literacy development a delightful adventure. The visual imagery, engaging rhymes, and clever context comprehension of The Animal Menagerie will spark a child's curiosity and imagination as they learn new vocabulary words and animal names in a fun and unforgettable way. Twenty to thirty minute visits to grades pre-k and k include readings from select pages of the A to Z picture book and a short discussion surrounding each animal character. First to third grade presentations include a full reading of the book followed by a personal account of the writing/publishing journey with a focus on inspiring young writers and encouraging them along their individual writing paths. The opportunity to project the pages of the book as it is read, so children can view the illustrations along with the reading, allows for an optimally engaging presentation, sparking a child's interest and curiosity as each new animal character story is shared.

The program involves creating movement plays. Experimental Dance Theatre.

Crudo Creates is a multidisciplinary art practice and creative studio led by artist Domingo Cruz. The work spans live art activations, installations, theatrical-style interactive experiences, and community workshops rooted in culture, storytelling, and shared humanity. Crudo Creates has produced programming for libraries, festivals, exhibitions, and public events, transforming everyday spaces into places for reflection, creativity, and collective participation. The work invites audiences of all ages to slow down, engage, and reconnect with themselves and with one another.

Ball in the House is an R&B/Soul/Pop a cappella group whose high energy shows have audiences singing, dancing, even beatboxing along! They've performed everywhere - from theaters to performing arts centers, fairs & festivals, to opening for some of the biggest acts in the world, such as The Beach Boys, The Jonas Brothers, The Temptations, Fantasia, Gladys Knight, Lionel Richie, and numerous others. They’ve also become nationally known for their cultural arts programs over 20+ years of educating, entertaining, and inspiring students of all ages with their assemblies, workshops, masterclasses, and collaboration concerts. Here are descriptions of their main cultural arts programs: Totally Vocally This program is jam-packed with music, entertainment, and education!  Through contemporary & classic cover songs and original works, Ball in the House (BitH) will discuss and teach many aspects of music and performance. Students will discover what “a cappella” is and how it works, explore the technology behind a sound system, hear the various voice parts and how they fit together to make harmony and songs, learn how to beatbox and use rhythm, experience the history of a cappella singing from chant through doo wop, get introduced to songwriting and collaboration, and have a chance to ask questions. The program also addresses the teamwork aspect of performing together and how BitH needs to work together as people and as voices. Through fun rapport and stories of their own experiences as students (dealing with peer pressure, etc.), BitH inspires and encourages students to get involved and stay involved in the arts. And Now I See: Race, Racism and American Music Ball in the House’s new show explores African-American music, from Spirituals, Gospel, and Jazz to Soul, Hip-Hop, and R&B. Students will build awareness of where each style came from and why, as well as the cultural/social evolution of these styles and their influences, and connect them to the contemporary styles of today. This is done through stories and musical examples, all done in Ball in the House’s signature a cappella style. The show celebrates the enormous influence of African-American music and musicians, but also delves into how racism affected these musical styles in general and how it affected specific musical artists. There are also interactive moments that teach musical concepts like vocal runs, rhythm and beatboxing.

Your students get a backstage pass to the musical side of math in this upbeat, hands-on program led by musician, composer and edutainer extraordinaire George Maurer. Listening is at the core of George’s work as a musician, and his ability to not just listen but really hear has led George through a pretty amazing and diverse 35-year career. George has shared the stage with Grammy winners like Bruno Mars and Eric Clapton, his arrangements have been performed by the Boston Pops and the National Symphony, and he turns on that star power to show K-8 audiences that math really can rock. Utilizing the magic of motion-based modern electronic instruments, George pulls back the curtain on the addition, subtraction, fractions and patterns behind rhythm, pitch and scales and then lets students create their own sounds and patterns using elementary equations and interactive instruments for all age levels— including the mysterious, mesmerizing theremin.

Demonstration based assemblies focusing on the science of soap bubbles, light and color, and the wonder to be found in common situations. Beginning with a simple soap bubble we resist the urge to pop and instead observe as it goes through its four stages. We explain why bubbles form spheres at age appropriate levels and then show how multiple bubbles can create a variety of shapes including a cube. Participants are taught the tricks of bubble artists and in workshops they are given the opportunity to be successful. Altman taught high school physics for 35 years and traveled to science conferences speaking about his award winning programs focusing on lasers and holography. Retired, he as authored four science text books and one on the science of soap bubbles.

The Physics Bus rolls up to schools, parks, fairs, and community centers to invite hands-on science for the senses. Most of our exhibits and demonstrations are made from repurposed materials, offering direct experience with unusual phenomena in an unintimidating "you can do it" way. Themed physics presentations available by special request. Free Science Inc. also offers hands-on tinkering experiences for kids (at your school or a field trip to our site in Ithaca), and teacher workshops on how to make science & engineering fun, accessible, and personally meaningful.