“Amy helps students, from the very youngest to the very oldest, find inspiration and see the world with poet's eyes. She's helped some of our most reluctant writers find themselves in new words and images they never knew were there!” - Thomas Marshall, Principal, Stony Lane Elementary, Paramus, NJ “Amy’s engaging presentations were bursting with wise and inspiring words. She has a remarkable way of connecting with students and teachers, making poetry accessible to all. Her visit filled our school with joy!” - Dr. Kristie Miner, Literacy Coordinator, Tioughnioga Riverside Academy, Whitney Point, NY Amy Ludwig VanDerwater is author of several books for children and teachers, as well as keeper of the popular classroom blogs The Poem Farm and Sharing Our Notebooks. Some know her from her series of teaching videos offered during the COVID Spring of 2020, 72 lessons taught from “Betsy the Writing Camper.” A former upper grade teacher, Amy holds an MA in Curriculum and Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University, is a 25+ year writing teacher, served as editor of “The Poetry of Science” column in NSTA’s SCIENCE AND CHILDREN journal, and loves exploring creativity and writing with students and teachers. As a speaker or writer-in-residence, Amy gives presentations and teaches joyful writing workshops about topics ranging from poetry to reading like writers to notebook-keeping. Her next book, a narrative poetry picture book, is titled JOHN AND BETSY (Eerdmans). Author Visit: During an author visit, Amy usually speaks to the whole school throughout the course of one school day, one or two grade levels at a time, sharing information about everything from notebook keeping to the process of drafting a poem to the world of publication, all along weaving in poems, stories, and pictures related to her poems and books. This visit may be spread across three buildings for three assemblies if desired. An alternative to this is a day of classroom visits, up to five classrooms of 45-55 minutes each. Writing Residency: There is a great deal of flexibility in a writing residency. As a former elementary school teacher and longtime writing teacher, Amy enjoys working with students in a variety of settings and for one day or many. Possible residencies are not limited to but include: notebook making and notebook keeping, personal essay writing, writing from nature, and a variety of poetry workshops. Teacher Workshops & Conference Presentations: Amy loves to work with teachers and speak at conferences, focusing on poetry, notebooking, the habits of writing, conferring, and the joy of words and the world.

I offer an entertaining and educational group presentation, Mind, Body and Spirit, focused on how I develop the Mind, the Body and the Spirit for success. I perform poetry from my books and show each attribute's role in my life and work. There is no audience size limit. I also offer poetry and photography workshops and a popular new addition, Becoming a Ninja: The Secret to My Success, which focuses on goal setting and achievement. Due to the participatory nature of the workshops, participant size is limited to 30 students. I can also do virtual visits, which can be customized to your needs.

Stitch Buffalo is excited to share our love of textile arts and provide instruction to learners of all ages and skill levels. When you book a class, a Stitch Buffalo instructor will come to your location and provide comprehensive instruction to your group. All supplies for the project are included. Participants will learn fundamental techniques while developing design and collaborative skills in a relaxed environment that encourages exploration and personal expression. Our rextile art projects/skills reflect traditional techniques used in many cultures from around the world. These include: 1. Hand Embroidery 2. Block Printing 3. Pom-Pom Making 4. Jump Rope Making 5. Stencil and Appliqué 6. Macrame 7. Weaving For each of the seven core disciplines, we offer three related projects that correspond to different ages and ability levels: beginner (elementary school); intermediate (middle school); and advanced (high school through adult). We also provide information on the cultural context of each project, including how people from various cultures are practicing these traditional techniques today—right here in New York.

Sweethearts & Heroes is a social and emotional wellness organization dedicated to building sustainable networks of support, promoting empathy activation, and empowering students to become positive influencers within their communities. Our mission is to nurture Human Skills like empathy and compassion and develop positive leadership in young people. Through structured, spaced-repetition practices designed for age-mixed learning, we leverage the power of H.O.P.E. (Hold On, Possibilities Exist) and inspire students to Jump into Action to help others and establish healthy social norms. By leveraging your school influencers and Champion Teachers, Sweethearts & Heroes provides students with the tools, strategies, and skills to foster resilience and contribute to sustainable, compassionate school cultures. Our partnership approach involves scheduling our team for services based on your school, district, or organization’s desired pace and needs. This can be done with all our services and offers an independent approach to implementing the practices, tools, and messaging we bring to your community. Assemblies Our foundational assemblies introduce the world of Sweethearts & Heroes. In these assemblies, tailored to each grade level band (K-2, 3-5/6, 6/7-12), we’ll discuss the problem in the world today (this epidemic of hopelessness), how these Sweethearts give H.O.P.E. (Hold On, Possibilities Exist), and how Heroes Jump into Action to help others. Student-Teacher Empathy Program (S.T.E.P.) From day one, the Sweethearts & Heroes message has empowered our youth to be the change the world needs. S.T.E.P. is about taking our foundational K-2 and 3-5 grade messages and training high school students to deliver them in a small group classroom format. This propagates the message of Sweethearts & Heroes for your younger students while starting to build relationships across ages, setting up the crux of our youth leadership programs and age-mixed learning. B.R.A.V.E. 6-Week Youth Leadership Program B.R.A.V.E. stands for 16th-Century Bullies ‘R’ Action-Based, Vulnerable, and Empathetic. This is our student leadership system focused on 1) student empowerment, 2) empathy activation, and 3) Human Skills (SEL Core Competencies). It is uniquely designed to take young student leaders who can impact their school and build a culture and community of H.O.P.E. and Action through peer modeling, mentorship, and influence. We’ll introduce a group of up to 20 student leaders to Circle work and Bully Drill fundamentals. These students will implement vital age-mixed play-based learning by traveling to individual elementary classrooms to work with younger students Hero Huddles and Bully Drills. Circle Training | 1-Day, 2-Days Our Circle Training is designed for educators, administrators, students, and school teams. A single Sweethearts & Heroes Circle Trainer can work with up to 20 individuals at once in a training. Circle Training can be a single day, however, it is best completed over 2 days. Weavers of the Future Circle Training | 2-Days The Weavers of the Future Program trains older students to facilitate Circles, fostering healthy social norms and driving lasting, positive change in school culture. These student leaders will lead discussions that cultivate empathy, strengthen essential Human Skills (SEL), encourage perspective-taking, and build supportive peer networks. Master Weaver Circle Training | 3-Days Our train-the-trainer Master Weaver Circle Training is essential to creating a sustainable Circle culture and offering in-house training to future staff and students. This 3-day intensive training is designed to prepare an elite Circle team in your school who will be able to train new Circle facilitators. During this training, we’ll teach you how to tailor and deliver our foundational Circle Training, utilizing your personal stories of Circle and how it has impacted your life. The B.R.A.V.E. System Class Suite B.R.A.V.E. 101 | B.R.A.V.E. 102 | B.R.A.V.E. 103 | B.R.A.V.E. JRs The B.R.A.V.E. System Class Suite includes four classes to create systemic change that reaches all grade levels and implements our Circle work and age-mixed Bully Drill practices throughout your district. These experiential curricula embed our methodologies into your school culture through yearly B.R.A.V.E. lessons on leadership, social-emotional growth, and compassion. Community Ambassador Program Our community ambassador approach involves placing one of our team members in your school to work alongside your team as a long-term partner for school improvement and turning your school into a Circle culture. We provide individualized support weekly or bi- weekly throughout the school year to establish Circle as a consistent practice in your community and implement several of our programs based on your community’s needs.

We are The Binghamton Crosbys, Binghamton University's oldest a cappella group. We are a TTBB group and have been active for over 40 years, with repertoire covering everything from classic rock hits like 'Cecilia' (Simon and Garfunkel) and 'Mr. Roboto' (The Styx) to modern songs like 'Writings On The Wall' (Sam Smith) to niche classics like 'I Wanna Be Like You' (The Jungle Book). Our goal is to show that artistic pursuits do not need to end after high school. With many of us pursuing majors outside of the arts, we use music as our creative outlet for expression. Every January, we go on a Winter Tour around the state of New York, performing at schools, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and other venues. In addition to performances, we also offer workshops to choir groups and music classes where we teach students sections of our songs. If you are interested in having us perform for your school, please contact us using the email or phone number provided. Thank you!

An 8-week, high-engagement enrichment intensive that empowers students to find their voice through the art of filmmaking. Social-Emotional Growth: The cooperation nature of the process requires students to practice empathy, active listening, and conflict resolution during the high-stakes production phase. Confidence Through Creation: By moving a project from a blank page to a public screening, students develop the belief that they can tackle complex, long-term goals. Career & Technical Foundations: Students gain early exposure to digital media careers, developing a portfolio-ready short film and a foundational understanding of the digital arts.

Engaging and fun school assemblies that can focus on Kindness, PBIS, Growth Mindset, Leadership, Anti-Bullying and Reading. Three "Basketball" Jones presenters with over 15,000 assemblies performed all over the country. This is a highly recommended assembly that is extremely engaging for both the students and staff.

Finger Fables, Story Theater & New York Lore -Children learn to actively listen, problem solve, explore New York, and get inspired to write. Engaged by lively theatrical storytelling, they'll play a part in fables and fairy tales from around the world. When fingers become characters and they step into stories, children actively listen and retell tales. They'll better remember plot sequencing, key details, and different characters. Topics include kindness, animals, and other cultures. Ask for Medieval Manors and Manners for older students.

Unleash your inner scientist in these large, interactive science shows! Nutty Scientists Hudson Valley brings affordable and fun science shows to your school – designed to ignite children’s curiosity and foster an environment where the entire audience feels encouraged to participate. Each show has an imaginative storyline coupled with 6-8 hands-on exciting experiments. With Nutty Scientists, kids get to touch, jump, yell, vibrate, form and test hypotheses. We aim to boost children’s curiosity about science and confidence in themselves! Age: 4-12 Length: 45 minutes Size: Suitable for up to 200 kids, but we do back-to-back performances for more. Prices: $375 for one show or $300/show for 2 or more shows + travel fee (call for info). Funding can be used from BOCES Arts and Education category OR the Exploratory Enrichment category. Shows: Ice Age Show: The kids will help our scientist overcome incredible challenges within the secret forest of Merlin the Wizard by performing exciting experiments. Students will be immersed in a sensory experience surrounding the amazing properties of CO2 and dry ice while exploring states of matter, sublimation, chemical reactions, pressure, forces, and more. Cast Away Show: Help our Nutty Scientist who is lost on a desert island! Kids will help the lost scientist get food, water and signal for rescue. Along the way they'll fire rockets, make slime, shoot smoke rings, and see amazing electrical demonstrations with a Van De Graaff generator! Fun Mission to Space Show: The Nutty Scientists has been entrusted with a maximum-security space mission. What will it take to survive in space? Where in the solar system should we land? To answer these questions students will assist with crazy experiments. They will learn about the planets, gravity, orbits, properties of sound, near-vacuum conditions, atmospheric pressure, and volcanic reactions! Kids will also help make a comet using the same elements that are found in real comets. Ignite Curiosity! Think Nutty!

Interactive Pre-K music programs for ages 2 - 5, and school aged programs for small groups K - 2. Hands-on musical activities with rhythm instruments and creative movement & dance. Book well in advance.

STEM education has never been more important, and Liberty Science Center understands educators' needs to teach science and technology in alignment with the newest national standards. The Science Center is a premier field trip destination and provider of STEM experiences for students, educators, and families. Our STEM education programs can enhance your science instruction with engaging activities online, at LSC, or at your school (within a 60-mile radius). We also offer highly interactive professional development programs for individual educators or groups. Start planning your fun and engaging day of science learning with Liberty Science Center. For more information about our offerings call 201.253.1214 or email mmcdonald@lsc.org.

Created to serve school districts, college, libraries, and theaters across Upstate New York, CNY Jazz Management is dedicated to the educational mission of the CNY Jazz Arts Foundation, the region’s primary provider of jazz programming in concert, cabaret, scholastic and festival settings in schools and in public. Our core cultural history shows are available separately or in a group: All That Jazz, a whirlwind history of jazz; Blues Shout, a history of male blues and jazz singers of the 20th Century; Music & Musket, exploring the role of the musician in the Civil War; and Jazz On Demand, unlocking the secrets of songwriting and listening creatively! All programs are narrated and include a vocabulary/teacher’s guide. We also offer full-day or multi-day residencies by all of our large ensembles, with or without national guest soloist/teaching artists, co-designed with you to fit your program needs – clinics, jams, and grand concerts. you may preview all of our shows and watch an overview of our entire arts-in-education service at the video link on our web site. Contact us for more information about presenting any of our offerings in your school!