A Soldier’s Life uses an interdisciplinary approach to teach students about the daily lives of American soldiers on America’s northern frontier in the early years of the Revolutionary War. This engaging one-hour program incorporates history, geography, and math to provide context to the personal experience of American soldiers during the Revolutionary War. Students will explore the equipment and food of soldiers and discuss the challenges of transporting and supplying the Continental Army, understanding Fort Ticonderoga’s strategic location. We offer this program both in person and online. Please look at our website for more information!

Being One World provides research-informed professional development designed to strengthen staff effectiveness, resilience, and school culture. Services include workshops and multi-session training in growth mindset, trauma-informed practice, mindfulness-based self-regulation, emotional intelligence, and conscious leadership development. Workshops support educators and leaders in reducing stress-driven reactivity, improving communication and collaboration, building identity-affirming learning environments, and sustaining performance in high-demand settings. All sessions are practical, experiential, and aligned with district goals related to social-emotional learning, staff wellness, culturally responsive practice, and improved student outcomes. Professional development is available in in-person formats and can be customized to meet district priorities.

Growing Minds - A Living Classroom Experience with Cornell Cooperative Extension *This program is open to K-12. This program aims to bridge the gap between classroom-based science lessons and real-life experiences on a working farm and acres of conserved natural habitat. Our living classroom has proven instrumental in enhancing environmental and agricultural education for youth, providing a unique and irreplaceable hands-on learning experience. Through this partnership, Cornell Cooperative will facilitate a series of public school field trips to Pitney Meadows, offering students hands-on activities and farm tours. Students can expect to witness and interact with agricultural practices as the seasons change. Cornell Cooperative Extension is available to develop pre-field trip materials to prepare students for their visit, providing context and building excitement. Their team will also create post-field trip enrichment materials for in-classroom reflection, connecting on-farm experiences to academic lessons. Pitney Meadows Field Trip Fees $500 for a 3-hour Field Trip (up to 30 students) and $12.00 for each additional student. For booking information for a Growing Minds Field Trip, please email us at contact@pitneymeadows.org

I am a performance storyteller and have told stories many times to children and adults of all ages. I tell the Odyssey, the Epic of Gilgamesh, numerous Norse and Irish myths and the Mahabharata epic of India as well as fairy tales and folk tales. I have taught storytelling to both adults and children, and have also taught poetry. I have been a ranger in Yosemite National Park, am a published poet, and have received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. I bring music to my storytelling and storytelling to my music. I love this work and welcome new opportunities.

Award-winning, internationally renowned musical storytelling duo Barry Marshall and Jeri Burns PhD, aka, The Storycrafters, present performance, workshop and residency programs integrating storytelling with numerous areas of curriculum. Storytelling has been documented in multiple studies as a support and building block of literacy. Schools that participate in storytelling programs see marked improvement in student language, reading and creating writing abilities. Storycrafters programs work to enhance student literacy through the storytelling art form. Storytelling also acts as an active support to many areas of curriculum, including character education, history, multicultural and international studies, and more. The Storycrafters have been working in schools and other venues since 1991, building a vast repertoire of stories and workshops to introduce storytelling and use it to enhance many areas of student learning. In addition, The Storycrafters present workshops for parents and teachers introducing the many ways storytelling can enhance student development in the home and classroom. With 30+ years of experience in the storytelling art form and its many use in the classroom and school environment, The Storycrafters are a valuable resource for any school community looking to enhance literacy while supporting many areas of curriculum.

What is Opera Saratoga’s Education Program? Each year, Opera Saratoga tours an Opera production to more than fifty public and private schools throughout the greater Capital and lower Adirondack regions of NY. The performances feature charismatic professional artists who love to share their joy of music and theater through the opera, as well as through question and answer sessions where students have the opportunity to meet the artists and learn about the music and what it takes to put on a performance. In a world where the default forms of entertainment for children are primarily television, video games, and the Internet, Opera Saratoga’s In-School Opera program provides youth with an all-too-rare opportunity to experience the visceral thrill of the live performing arts, up close and personal! Opera Saratoga's touring program includes a lesson plan that arrives a month before the performance, a professionally staged opera performance in your school, along with a post-performance discussion between the artists and your students. Schools will also receive an invitation to the dress rehearsal of the performances in Opera Saratoga's summer festival. Contact us now to book your opera performance for March 2025!

Educational Market Best-Selling Author and TEDx speaker Jermiko Thomas delivers engaging literacy and social-emotional learning programs through the Adventures of Walter series. Programs support literacy development, STEM curiosity, SEL skills, bullying prevention, autism inclusion, and positive character development through interactive storytelling and classroom engagement. The Adventures of Walter collection also includes student learning resources such as activity workbooks, coloring books, and an American Sign Language (ASL) Alphabet & Numbers workbook, helping reinforce literacy, creativity, and inclusive learning. Jermiko’s programs are inspired by his personal journey — he did not speak until age six and first communicated through sign language, making his work especially meaningful for students with diverse learning and communication needs. Programs are designed for elementary schools (Pre-K–5) and can be delivered as assemblies, classroom workshops, literacy events, STEM enrichment sessions, and special education programming.

As a nonprofit educational institution the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is dedicated to helping every fan learn more about the game, its rich history and its impact on our culture. Museum programs that provide K-12 students and teachers interactive and meaningful learning experiences that align with national learning standards in Cooperstown, online and in their communities; and a robust lineup of virtual programs for diverse audiences. The Museum currently offers 15 baseball-themed curriculum components that provide interactive and meaningful learning engagement. The curriculum features all of the major subject areas, including Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, Social Studies, Character Education, the Arts and Humanities. The lesson plans can be delivered by our museum teachers in Cooperstown or virtually into the classroom. They may also be downloaded and utilized in the classroom at no cost.

As a read aloud advocate, I believe in the power of stories to nurture empathy, self-confidence, and imagination in young readers. My award winning books focus on social-emotional themes that support early childhood development, creating meaningful narratives that resonate with children, educators, and parents alike. *Fantastically Me!* (ages 0-8) touches on themes of self-belief and growth mindset. Whereas *Making Friends Together * (ages 0-5) is a board book that addresses kindness and friendship. In my author visits, I bring these stories to life for students up to 2nd grade through engaging, interactive read-aloud sessions, inviting children to explore their own feelings and ideas in a fun, safe environment. For older elementary students, I offer hands-on writing workshops that guide them in crafting their own stories, encouraging self-expression, creativity, and a love for writing. These sessions are designed to inspire confidence in young writers, from filling in imaginative story blanks to creating characters and worlds that spark their curiosity. With each visit, my goal is to leave students not only with a memorable experience but also with the tools and encouragement to tell their own stories.

The ELLEN SINOPOLI DANCE COMPANY offers a range of workshops and performances for schools using dance narrative and technique to bring new meaning to literature, science, math and social studies. These are designed to offer young people the opportunity to experience the bravery of creativity and invention; to step into the realm of how one might learn differently and to see themselves in the most positive way possible. All programs can be customized to meet the unique needs of each school. ESDC’s participatory performances bring that same use of creativity and imagination for young people to enjoy. Story Hours allow children to see books through movement rather than just words, enhancing the learning adventure. CREATIVE MOVEMENT WORKSHOPS: (Grades: K-12) $225 Held on their own or in conjunction with an ESDC performance, workshops are designed to nurture the creative potential of each student and to encourage kinesthetic learning experiences while deepening their understanding of classroom curriculum. Led by 2 dancers and a musician, these workshops introduce children to the basic elements of dance: movement skills, body shapes/parts, space, time, force and form. Students explore theme-based ideas transforming themselves through movement choices to become bats, monkeys and jaguars from the rainforest; mimicking earthquakes exploding from the center to ripple out; experiencing the dynamics of reflection and refraction while moving through space. Students present a sampling of their activities for fellow classmates and families. PARTICIPATORY AND REPERTORY PERFORMANCES SCIENCE IN MOTION: BRINGING SCIENCE TO LIFE (Grades: K-5) $2000 An interactive program that brings the study of clouds, water, birds and their habitats to life. ESDC performs selections from its repertory as well as inviting students to join the dancers on stage to join in the exploration. ESDC’s CHOREOPHYSICS (Grades 9-12) $2500 Lecture/Demonstration, designed for High Schools students, is based on the laws of Physics. IF BOOKS COULD DANCE! CHILDREN’S LITERATURE THROUGH DANCE (Grades: K-5) $2000 Exploring literature, poetry, creativity, and visual art with movement, ESDC brings books to life. These captivatingly creative dances incorporate the stories of Kobi Yamada’s What Do You Do With an Idea?, poetry from Jack Prelutsky’s Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant, and Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are. UNDERCOVER PLAYGROUND: A SITE-SPECIFIC OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE (Grades: K-5) $2000 This performance is created exclusively for your school playground with dancers utilizing the equipment in unexpected and fun-filled ways. This playful performance is outside and outside-of-the-box! The space offers each audience member a unique perspective and an opportunity to get up close and personal with the dance and the dancers. Live musical accompaniment! DANCE BY CHANCE: A FUN, INTERACTIVE SHOW INTEGRATING MATHEMATICS (Grades: 3-6) $2000 Mixing math with movement and matching learning to fun, we ask the audience math questions in an engaging way, leaving pencil and paper behind. The show teases their brain power, enhancing classroom learning in fun and unique ways. SEE THE DANCE! HOW MOVEMENT CAN BE USED TO COMMUNICATE (Grades: K-12) $2000 Favorite works from ESDC's repertory will be selected based on your school’s needs and interests, areas of study, or curriculum. This performance demonstrates how creativity and movement capture thoughts, ideas, actions, emotions, images, and concepts. FROM THE MIND OF A SINGLE, LONG VINE ONE HUNDRED OPENING LIVES (Grades:3-12) $2500 ESDC unites dance and visual arts through timeless stories inspired by African influenced wood sculptures created by craftsman Jim Lewis. The dance follows a community of people through the universal aspects of childhood, leadership, conflict, death, and healing from within. Students are encouraged to think about their role in the global community, working together to create a better place. MOVEMENT STORY HOUR: LITERACY THROUGH MOVEMENT (Grades: PreK-3) $125 Reading from the company’s library of children’s books, ESDC incorporates creative movement to enhance the reading experience. Children become a part of the story and find a love of reading!

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 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.