Discover the fascinating world of Native American folklore, respect for nature and a sense of family, community and caring for the land. Marty Hight shares her stories about beliefs held deeply sacred and get an inside look at how the Native Americans world changed as their land was taken and they were forced to march to a new and strange land. Or, learn how to craft corn husk dolls and hear the story about her creation. Marty invites your students to help illustrate her stories, demonstrate dances and celebrates their special gifts. In this school assembly, history comes alive as stories told for centuries are shared in an engaging way to impart character lessons and tribal history. It’s ideal for Grades K-6. TOPICS INCLUDE: HISTORY • CULTURE • STORYTELLING • SINGING • NATURE • TRADITIONS • DIVERSITY • LANGUAGE • CRAFTS • AND MORE! Marty Hight (Ma-ha-gum-se / Shawnee) is a Native American who has a Cherokee and Shawnee heritage. She is a proud member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma who draws from family history and storytelling to share her people’s history, language, songs, customs, rituals and legends through vivid narratives. Reach out today to learn how you can join in the excitement when you host Marty Hight!

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.

Our virtual school author talk program brings the magic of stories to inspire, educate, and connect with students in the classroom. Whether it's the laughter from a funny tale, the curiosity kindled by a mystery, or the wonder of discovering new worlds, each BookBreak virtual author talk is designed to spark a love of reading and enhance literacy. Our innovative platform connects students with renowned authors virtually, allowing schools to participate who would not normally be able to afford the speaking fees of bestselling authors. With BookBreak, you can offer your students the excitement and inspiration of a live author event, empowering them to thrive as readers and writers. With over 2,000 subscribing schools and counting, our goal is to embed author talks as an integrated component of student learning. By seamlessly integrating these virtual author sessions into your curriculum, you’ll ignite a fire for reading, kindle a passion for writing, and captivate even the most reluctant readers. These interactive experiences are more than just talks—they’re a catalyst for transforming student motivation and cultivating a vibrant school-wide culture of reading. Use our curriculum aligned virtual author talks and included pre- and post- activities and watch as your students’ enthusiasm soars and their love for literature flourishes!

We offer Theater and Arts Mini Camps where youth learn and develop skills such as acting, singing, dancing, script writing, and other various theatrical skills

Author visits are inspiring events that deepen students' enthusiasm for reading and writing. Lonni Lane Marketing works with hosts throughout the process to make author visits run seamlessly with all the details ironed out in advance of the event. Learn more about these authors and their unique programs, which can be customized for different audiences: R. W. Alley, Jonathon Auxier, Mary Casanova, Candace Fleming, Donna Gephart, Cyndi Giorgis, I.W.Gregorio, Greg Howard, Julie Leung (local author), Emma Otheguy (local author), Margi Preus, Caroline Tung Richmond, Eric Rohmann, Barb Rosenstock, Laura Shovan, Elly Swartz, Cat Winters, Dan Yaccarino

Trust Your Gut Productions, LLC, is a professional theatre company specializing in the creation and support of new works including plays, musicals, cabarets, murder mysteries, site-specific theatre, educational outreach and more. TYGP has a long history of didactic theatre projects, including pieces and projects based around anti-bullying, cyber-etiquette, civic duty, drug and substance awareness, and more. For 6 years, TYGP has run its Summer Academy, based in Gloversville, NY, which provides students ages 9-19 with a 4 week-long pay-what-you-can summer arts camp, during which they receive conservatory-style training in all aspects of performing arts (including playwriting, music composition, acting, dancing, technical theatre, and more) as they endeavor to create, produce, and perform their own, original musical adaptation of a piece of world literature. We believe that every child is worthy of high-quality arts training, and that our unique pedagogy can help students in all aspects of their academic, personal, and professional lives through engendering strong interpersonal communication skills, body and mind awareness, critical thinking and problem solving, and aids in fostering and growing their creativity and capacity for collaboration.

I am the author of Charlie and Sophie's Great escape, a 32-page illustrated children's book. The story is about two curious puppies who run off by themselves, leaving their boy behind. Charlie and Sophie enjoy their freedom until they run into a scary situation. They manage to escape but realize they are lost. They work together, relying on their senses to find their way back home. The story's moral is that mistakes are part of life's journey, but when we learn from them, they become stepping stones to growth. I present an interactive storytelling session of my book, touching on themes of friendship and faith in our abilities, with time at the end for some Q&A. We also discuss how dogs use their senses to learn about their world and how our senses compare with those of dogs. I am open to doing a related activty as an add-on to the book reading.

History of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), Glenn displays a large variety of authentic visual items that assist in the learning process and coordinate with the lecture he provides. Some items which are occasionally passed around, if feasible. This integrates a tactile interaction that stimulates the minds of all ages and is always enjoyable. Children are the key to our future and our first priority is them. It is Glenn's pleasure to bring the experience of a field trip to your location offering you convenience, scheduling and cost effectiveness.

Musical assembly and Artist in residence programs. Songwriting can cover any topic you choose, character, SEL, school song, etc. Assembly topics include character, antibully, mindfulness, multicultural, health, respect tour, reading celebration and fun family nights. Very interactive and fun!

The Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum educational programs offer unique experiences, including our perforator machine that creates band organ rolls (one of the first forms of coding!) and viewing simple machines at work. In 2016, the Carrousel Museum received the Excellence in Collaboration Award from the Erie County Association of School Boards for our “T-NT (Tonawanda – North Tonawanda) STEAM is Dynamite!” program. Join us for fun, interactive tours, and brand new workshops in our Education Center. Students will have the opportunity to participate in hands on learning and see practical applications of their curriculum. Our exhibits offer the opportunity to ride a 1916 Herschell Carrousel, and tour the factory where it was originally constructed! Additionally, our programs can come to you in person or virtually.

Fun and creative hands-on crafts projects that demonstrate concepts in electrical circuits, coding, robotics, renewable energy, materials engineering, and more! Kathy Ceceri has been teaching and writing about STEAM activities in schools, libraries, museums, and Maker Faires for over 15 years. She is the author of Making Simple Robots, Paper Inventions, and more.

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.