The best way to engage your students is through our captivating BMX assembly. The Freestyle Connection’s school assembly program combines BMX stunts with powerful messages about bicycle safety, striving for excellence, embracing a drug-free healthy lifestyle, and the importance of staying in school. Designed for events like Red Ribbon Week, Field Days, Family Nights, or any occasion calling for a dynamic Character Education message or PBIS School Assembly, this outdoor program is unmatched. Give your school a show they will never forget! The Freestyle Connection BMX school assembly show involves ramp riding on a portable box jump and flatland ground moves for trick variations. Riders will switch on the microphone throughout the show which is choreographed to exciting music and incorporates BMX stunts, high-flying tricks, and humorous skits. This BMX show is roughly 40 minutes long. Indoor backup plan required for inclement weather.

Hanford Mills Museum offers on-site field trips and in-class outreach programs to schools in several regions. Our water-powered saw mill and grist mill provide a unique opportunity for students to learn about the history of science and technology dating back to the mid-1800s. Every field trip includes a tour of the 1840s mill, featuring demonstrations of our working waterwheel and saw mill. All programs align with NYS learning standards and focus on a range of topics from simple machines to watershed health. Our educators are our mill workers, and use that knowledge to introduce students to one of a kind artifacts letting them feel, smell, and use our range of historic tools and technology that are outside the realm of traditional classroom environments. On-site picnic space is available in our covered pavilion. Program information, including costs and times, are available on our website. If you have any questions, or would like to book a field trip or an outreach program, contact our Education Coordinator today!

We offer an experience of what it was like to be a child during the American Revolutionary War.

Like a field trip that comes to you! Marine biologist and underwater videographer team, Wayne & Karen Brown bring the “ocean” to your school with their nationally-acclaimed, high-energy, fast-paced, interactive multimedia presentations. The presentations combine actual specimens, biological models, unique props, costumes, creative dramatics, storytelling techniques, high-tech SCUBA diving equipment, audience participation, breathtaking underwater photography/videography and life-size (or larger-than-life-size) inflatable animals! OUR ASSEMBLIES: OUR NEWEST SHOW! The Antarctica Penguins Expedition: (Topic: Antarctica & Penguins) Join us on our annual expeditions to visit the White Continent — Antarctica, on our search for the amazing flightless ocean birds — Penguins! Meet our life-size, 3 1/2-foot tall, King Penguin and 18-inch Adelie Penguin! The Norway Polar Bear Expedition: (Topic: Arctic & Polar Bears) Join us on our expeditions to visit the frigid home of Disney’s Frozen on our search for the largest bear on the planet — the Polar Bear! Explore the Arctic Ocean ecosystem and meet animals that are able to survive in this harsh environment. See our life-size, 10-foot male Polar Bear, Polar Bear cubs and Polar Bear skull! The Mexico Great White Shark Expedition: (Topic: Sharks) Come face-to-face with a 15 foot long, 3,000 pound great white shark! Find out the facts versus the fantasies as we study great white sharks near Guadalupe Island, Mexico. See our HUGE jaws from a 20-foot Great White Shark and our life-size, 15-foot female Great White Shark! The Australia Great Barrier Reef Expedition: (Topic: Coral Reefs) Visit the largest living organism on earth and the home of Nemo (from the hit Pixar movie Finding Nemo)…Australia’s Great Barrier Reef! Witness corals giving birth. Meet Nemo’s friends that call the Great Barrier Reef home, from the docile to the dangerous. See our life-sized, coral reef! The Belize Whale Shark Expedition: (Topic: Sharks) Learn about Dory’s best friend from the hit Disney/Pixar movie, Finding Dory, when you join us on our expedition to search for and document the largest shark on the planet — the Whale Shark! Join us along the longest coral reef in the Northern Hemisphere as we dive with whale sharks, bull sharks, manatees and dolphins! See our HUGE jaws from a 20-foot Whale Shark and our life-size, 25-foot female Whale Shark! The Crystal River Florida Manatee Expedition: (Topic: Manatees) Get nose-to-nose with a 10-foot long, 2,000 pound Flordia manatee! Learn how these animals are adapted to their environment, why they are threatened and what is being done to protect them. See our life-sized, Florida manatee skull and our life-size, 10-foot female Florida Manatee! The Silver Bank Humpback Whale Expedition: (Topic: Whales) Meet a 20-foot long, baby humpback whale! Join us on our expedition to the world’s largest humpback whale breeding grounds…the Silver Bank, near the Caribbean Sea. Meet our life-size, 20-foot long, baby Humpback Whale! The Island of the Blue Dolphins Expedition: (Topic: Kelp Forests) Visit the island from the book, The Island of the Blue Dolphins. Tour underwater around the island and meet the marine inhabitants. Learn why the kelp forests around this island are an important natural resource. Come face-to-face with stingrays, moray eels and sharks! The Caribbean Sea Expedition: (Topic: Animal Adaptations) Dive with us to investigate a colorful Caribbean reef fish community. See the humorous and interesting tricks fish use in the underwater game of survival. Come face-to-face with sharks and moray eels.

Veena & Devesh Chandra are an internationally renowned Indian Classical Music duo whose unique mother-son partnership embodies the authentic guru-disciple tradition spanning generations. Their immersive and interdisciplinary programming offers profound understanding of both the music and the culture inherent to it. Their customizable Arts in Education programs range from interactive performances and small group workshops to comprehensive 4-day residencies that seamlessly integrate Indian music and culture across subjects including Art, English, History, Orchestra, Chorus, Band, and Dance. As Artist Associates at Williams College and recipients of multiple New York State Council on the Arts and National Endowment of Arts awards, their programs foster creativity, promote cultural understanding, and offer hands-on experiences with traditional instruments such as tabla and sitar, culminating in school-wide presentations that celebrate diversity and connect communities through the transformative power of music. The Chandras bring both artistic excellence and deep educational expertise to create memorable learning experiences that inspire curiosity, spark cultural appreciation, and engage students of all ages (Pre-K through 12) in this ancient yet vibrant musical tradition.

Offering a local author visit. The author will read the story aloud and talk about the process of writing and publishing a story. She will answer student questions and sign any books purchased.

At Howe Caverns, our experienced guides will teach your students about: Your students’ amazing learning experience begins when they descend 156 feet below the Earth’s surface on a 90-Minute guided cave tour and step out of the elevator into a six million year old cavern, carved by a subterranean river that continues to sculpt the cave today. During the field trip, they will see countless layers of sedimentary limestone, the floor of an ancient sea, and navigate the 500 foot serpentine passage known as the Winding Way, one of the world’s best examples of underground water erosion. Simply put . . . a field trip to Howe Caverns exposes students to aspects of the natural world they simply can’t experience anywhere else. So whether you’re teaching a classroom of students or homeschooling your own, Howe Caverns is the fun field trip you don’t want your students to miss! Sedimentation Calcification Erosion Geologic evolution Stalagmites and Stalactites Prehistoric seas Continental upheaval The power of time and water

Explore Frederic Church’s masterwork, Olana, through a field trip, virtual tour, or professional development! During each program, participants learn more about the art, culture, and history of Olana and the Hudson River Valley through place-based learning activities and lessons. Each offering can be modified to suit classroom and curriculum needs. FIELD TRIPS include a historic house tour and Landscape Walk and cost $10 per student. Add-on art workshops cost an additional $5 per student and include all artmaking materials. Students will leave with a completed work of art. All themes can be tailored to meet specific curriculum goals and student needs. Themes include: 1. "Place as Inspiration" where students learn how Church and his contemporaries were inspired by the Hudson Valley before exploring how they can connect to and advocate for important places in their own lives and communities. 2. "Land as Canvas" where students consider nature as a source of creativity and invention in Olana's designed landscape, collecting natural materials to observe patterns in local flora and fauna. 3. "Sketching as Seeing" where students dive into Frederic Church’s artistic process and experiment with his outdoor sketching (plein air) techniques. 4. "Adventures in Architecture" where students learn more about how global architectural traditions influenced Frederic Church’s design of Olana’s historic house and explore his handling of scale, engineering, and design. VIRTUAL TOURS can be tailored to meet specific curriculum goals and classroom needs and conducted via Zoom or Google Meet, and other platforms by request. All virtual sessions are designed to be 1 hour in length and can be scaled for various age ranges, groups, and audiences. All field trips and virtual tours are for grades PreK-12 and other education groups. $5-$15 per student. FREE for schools in Columbia and Greene Counties. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT days for teachers and administrators can be booked upon request and include a tour of the historic house and landscape, a workshop session, and use of the Wagon House Education Center. Please contact education@olana.org to learn more.

Reaction Dance Company NYC (RXN) was founded in 2014 by Artistic Director Juliette Nieves-Becker. Our mission is to challenge the boundaries between dance styles and change audiences’ perception of cultural dances. We bring educational dance assemblies that fuse Bollywood, Latin, Hip Hop, Contemporary, and Jazz dance styles to schools across the United States, introducing thousands of students to the joy of celebrating diversity through dance. In addition, we maintain an active performance schedule, with our most notable performances have been for the Parrish Art Museum in South Hampton, RAW Artists Brooklyn 2018, Reaction Presents: The United Boroughs of NYC, Dance USA Dance 2017 on Zee TV, Kpop Cover Dance Festival 2017 (4th place US Finalists), and the music video "La Conoci Bailando" by Ozzie Valencia.

Top U.S. youth motivational speaker Jordan Toma, who wrote the self published book: I'm Just A Kid With An IEP* that has sold over 100,00 copies, with a social media presence exceeding 3.6 million followers is looking to reach and inspire people of all ages and abilities with his story and message: My Struggle Is My Strength. jordantoma.com *IEP = Individualized Education Program

Daniel Carlton is a multiple award-winning actor, storyteller, playwright, poet, lyricist, director, and teaching artist. His performances and workshops, for practically every age level, address a vast variety of topics including poetry, storytelling, history through drama, life skills through dramatic role plays, and so much more. He is also a published author. Recent performances include productions of “Finding North”(with David Gonzalez) and “The Meeting”, in addition to seventeen Off-Broadway productions, multiple solo shows, and performances with the Children of War Theater Project. Directing credits include “Jabari Dreams of Freedom” (New Victory Theater NYC, National tour), “Hero: Boy From Troy" (First Woman Productions.National Tour), “48 Hours in Harlem" (Harlem 9 Theater Co.), “Freedom Riders” (Mad River Theater Works), and “What If” (Negro Ensemble Company). An enthusiastic creator of new works, Daniel wrote and directed the national tour of “Keep Marching” (Mad River Theater Works), “March On” (Apollo Theater), “Pigfoot Mary Says Goodbye To The Harlem Renaissance” (Schomburg Center For Research and Black Culture), “Night Train 57” (Kennedy Center workshop), and “Freedom Flight” (national tour), as well as penning “A Whistle in Mississippi”, (with Micheal Green )“Check Yo Invite Parts 1 and 2”( Live Theater and Radio Play HarlemStage) and “Timeless Journeys (various tours)”. With Nambi E. Kelley, he also co-wrote “Hidden Inside”, “This Ability”, and “So Journey To The Truth”. Daniel’s work as a Storyteller has been presented in places as varied as Summerstage Kids and Family Series( Parks throughout the 5 boroughs), The Museum For The City Of NY, The Brooklyn Museum, The BrooklynChildren’s Museum, hundred of libraries, schools, temporary housing facilities, and even war zones. Solo Storytelling For Family audiences shows Include:The Eagle in Harlem and Other Tales.” Urban “Folktales Remixed” Memories of Self Journey To Weeksville, and many more. Daniel teaches acting to all ages, poetry for both the page and performance , life skills, public speaking, playwriting ,and devised theater for organizations that include : Apollo Theater Education , Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Community Works, Blackberry Productions, MadRiver Theater Works, YAFFA Performing Arts, JazzMobile, CityParks Foundation , First Woman Productions , NYU, University Of Iowa, and many more. Daniel can perform solo or, depending on budget, in duo or trio format. There are other videos on YouTube. Here's video of an interview explaining the Finding North project he performs with David Gonzalez. Daniel can perform this solo. https://youtu.be/uj7KZ4SF4nQ?si=qSk4SjB7cLr9hqFv Daniel has several other shows which we can send you information about upon request.

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.