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 .

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.

90 minute cruise on the Erie Canal with a simplified childrens historical narration (based on group age). Cruise includes traveling thru Lock 18, the most historically correct Lock left on the NYS Canal system and still operating perfectly with 110 year old original equipment. The vessel is raised and lowered twenty feet thru the lock, a highlite of the cruise. Interaction with a Q&A period during the cruise if desired by the teacher(s). Our vessel (Lil' Diamond II) can accomodate up to 50 passengers. We are a USCG Certified passenger vessel with full safety equiptment.

Todaydream helps students discover career pathways, build confidence, and expand what is possible for their future. Todaydream connects students with diverse, accomplished professionals whose authentic stories and meaningful conversations transform careers from abstract ideas into real, attainable possibilities. Our DreAmbassadors® represent a wide range of industries, backgrounds, and lived experiences. Through engaging storytelling, guided discussion, and interactive activities, students explore authentic career journeys, learn how professionals navigated challenges and opportunities, and discover the many pathways available after high school. Todaydream's career-connected learning experiences support schools' goals for college and career readiness, postsecondary planning, social-emotional learning, workforce readiness, and student engagement. Sessions encourage students to reflect on their strengths, interests, and aspirations while developing greater confidence in their ability to achieve their goals. Todaydream offers customizable classroom workshops, assemblies, career panels, and virtual experiences for middle and high schools. Schools can engage Todaydream for a single assembly or a sustained series across a semester or school year. Our research-informed programming has demonstrated a statistically significant 22% increase in students' beliefs about social mobility, measured using Stanford’s Measuring Mobility Toolkit, helping young people recognize that success is attainable regardless of where they begin. Todaydream partners with Chicago Public Schools and was founded by a Northwestern University law professor, Harvard economics PhD, and Chicago Public Schools alumnus. When students can see new possibilities, they begin to imagine new futures. By expanding students' vision of what is possible, Todaydream helps connect today's learning with tomorrow's opportunities.

The Southern Tier Brass (2 trumpets, French horn, trombone, tuba and drum set) has been active throughout the area for over 30 years performing music in a wide range of musical styles from the renaissance to contemporary including renaissance, baroque, classical, jazz, standards, popular, rock and Broadway selections. We have a combined public school band teaching experience of over 100 years! Our school performances have been extremely well received by both students and teachers. In addition, our performing experiences include the Binghamton Philharmonic, the Tri Cities Opera and jazz and popular settings. Our program can be tailored to a variety of situations. Examples include: 1. Introducing the brass instruments to students about to start band in elementary school. 2. Providing the opportunity for older music students to see and hear the brass family up close on a wide variety of musical styles. 3. A program tailored to a given grade level social studies curriculum e.g. the Civil War with time period music and narration.

Join my nature adventures from childhood family trips to hiking with my own children, exploring Israel. We'll read the story A FEATHER, A PEBBLE, A SHELL (Kar-Ben Publishing, 2024) and discover some behind-the-scenes secrets from the work process on the story and illustrations. We'll find out what makes the tiny country of Israel one of the most diverse places in the world with mountains, rivers, forests, beaches, dry deserts, tropical reefs and more! I'm traveling to the USA for a book tour during the month of November and would love to visit your school in person. I live in Israel, so on any other month, I would be happy to visit your school virtually. During my visit in November, I also offer art workshop, in which we will create Israel's national bird, the hoopoe, using cut colored papers and oil pastels, demonstrating how this beautiful bird can open and close its feathered crown! I can be reached by email: miri@mirileshem.com or phone: +972-152-871-5525

All activities textile Sewing, Textile painting, Upholstery, Pattern-making, Upcycling and much more

The Children's Museum at Saratoga is dedicated to creating an interactive community that inspires curiosity, sparks imagination, and nurtures discovery. We are committed to serving as a resource for Capital Region school districts and to ensuring that programs and services are accessible to all children. The Museum offers outreach and field trip programs for students from preschool to 6th grade. Each program is designed to meet the needs of each classroom with plenty of opportunities for unique hands-on experiences. Programs correlate to Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards. They are wonderful additions to classroom curriculum as either an introduction to a lesson or to enhance current classroom units. The Museum's priority is to make educational programs accessible to all students. We ask that you please share any special needs your students may have ahead of time so that we can accommodate their needs. For more information about the Museum's program catalog and prices, please check out https://cmssny.org/education/.

Growing up a reluctant reader himself, it took Eric Luper a long time to learn to love reading and writing. Join Eric on a fun (and sometimes funny) journey through his past challenges as well as the current techniques he uses to write books for Scholastic, Cartoon Network, DC, Disney and others. Students will learn about first drafts, revision, brainstorming and other important techniques… and learn if they have what it takes to be a writer.

Tom Sugar is a recently retired music educator from Long Island, New York with thirty-five years of public school teaching and administrative experience. He has continued his career as a BOCES Arts in Education performer. Over the years, he has often written music for specific occasions and special events, and has also published pieces for the Elementary Chorus, all while adhering to a mission of melody and message. His career in composition evolved from the shared curriculum, with classroom demonstrations of the songwriting process for his students and the subsequent school-wide, choral group, and festival performances of the completed works. To go along with his proven Brotherhood/Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Earth Day/Ecology workshop/performance events, he has a brand-new offering supporting the "Leader in Me" leadership program. This primary level character education program supporting the Leader in Me curriculum entitled, "The 7 Happy Healthy Habits Workshop/Performance Program," will be available for the first time during the 2026-27 academic school year. The program features short storytelling and seven integrated sing-a-long original songs to highlight and reinforce the seven values and principles embodied in the Leader in Me leadership and life skills program. This day-long musical workshop/performance event is crafted to actively involve the early primary grades (PreK-3rd) and to help supplement the Sean Covey bestselling book for elementary students, "The 7 Habits of Happy Kids." If your students have been introduced to this wonderful resource, or the associated curriculum video shorts, this communal assembly event can be just the thing to further motivate and inspire your school community, though the songs will stand alone to create a meaningful celebration of the curriculum. The Workshop Day will typically consist of morning sessions with grade level/large groups where students will be introduced to, and taught the catchy, easy to learn call and response song material, followed by an afternoon Performance/Participation Assembly program. Topical artwork from your school will be included in the presentation if provided via email in .jpeg format labeled with student first names at least two weeks prior to the event. As a Leader in Me school community, you can use this extended learning component any time throughout the school year or to kick-off or anchor your empowerment program as part of an introduction or year-end culminating celebration

A violinist and string teacher of 30 years of experience, I offer PD presentations for music teachers such as: "Troubleshooting String Technique Issues," "Jazz Composition in Middle School String Orchestra," "How to help your students manage Performance Anxiety." I also have presentations/workshops for string students, grades 3-12: "Vibrato: basics," "The Process of Sight Reading" In addition, I am available as a teacher coach for music teachers who are new to teaching string instruments (such as a band teacher who gets assigned strings in their school).

Mark offers a unique variety of entertaining, interactive, & educational assemblies, class workshops, & artist in residencies. Assemblies include: "America's musical traditions", "Books that sing" (PARP), Earth Day, "Multicultural holiday show", "field day shows & activities, and 'family concert. workshops include: "instrument experience', "tunes for spoons", "instrument building", "traditional American country dance", and "songwriting". instruments include: guitar, banjo, fiddle, hammered dulcimer. mountain dulcimer, & spoons.