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!

Lisa David offers a fun, engaging experience teaching oil painting or pottery to high school students. Lisa is an award winning artist from Saratoga County, NY. After a long career as a production potter, Lisa became an art teacher and earned National Board Certification. Lisa taught at Schenectady School District and at Shenendehowa in Clifton Park, NY where she instructed hundreds of students in advanced drawing & painting and craft classes. She took up painting still life, landscape and narrative paintings. Her simple approach to still life painting has advanced her hundreds of high school students into acceptance into the best art schools. Her emphasis on observational drawing, seeing color, using value and composition to engage the viewer are taught during instruction. Lisa’s vintage-inspired still life is sold online and through her gallery representation at Spa Fine Art, Saratoga. She often plein air paints (paint outside from life) and has taught numerous workshops and classes at Saratoga Arts Center. Her numerous high school students have recalled their plein air painting as their “best art experience." Her pottery skills are also exemplary. Lisa once owned Picket Pottery, a production pottery business, selling her functional wares across the country. Once represented with over 18 salespeople, her pottery was sold in hundreds of stores nationwide. Lisa still throws pots, although does so for enjoyment rather rather than for profit. If you are interested in having Lisa demonstrate painting or pottery and talk about the art of business, please reach out! She is a natural with students of all ages.

Sandra K. Athans is an award-winning children’s author and a published literacy specialist with vast classroom experience. Her children’s books represent a mix of playfulness, adventure, discovery, and fun! Her goal is to “glue” kids to her book’s pages with high-interest content that is full of page-turning wonder! In Tales from the Top of the World – Sandra shares nonfiction vignettes of her brother’s seven summits of Mt. Everest. In Secrets of the Sky Caves – she invites readers on scientific expeditions to remote cliff caves in Nepal. These are but two of her many works, which she shares with students in lively and engaging multi-media presentations. Sandra has written at every level, from early childhood fiction, through to award-winning middle grade nonfiction and above. She is currently working on Chasing Curious Creatures, a playful nonfiction series about unusual animals and the scientists who study them (Astra Books for Children – 2025). Sandra also continues to publish teacher and student resources within the educational market and can provide reading/writing workshops for students and/or teachers along with her author visits.

The Compassionate Leaders Circle (CLC) proudly offers Student Leadership Labs for K-12 students, fostering creativity, self-discovery, and meaningful connections at every stage of their educational journey. Book Lab for Elementary Schools empowers young learners to write and illustrate their own stories, which are professionally published on Amazon. This exciting experience allows students to showcase their work to friends, family, and local libraries, building confidence and pride in their achievements. Dream Lab for Middle Schools guides students to uncover their core values and collaborate in learning pods. These sessions strengthen their connection with themselves and their peers while setting actionable goals for a purposeful and rewarding transition into high school. Purpose Lab for High School and University students helps participants realign with their personal values and aspirations. Using proven methodologies, this program equips students with actionable steps to pursue a fulfilling life and realize their full potential. CLC has aligned its programs with NYSED’s initiatives, including the “Portrait of a Graduate,” to support students in achieving a successful path to graduation. Each lab is thoughtfully designed to inspire and empower students, creating lasting impacts both within and beyond the classroom.

We offer engaging author visits to schools and organizations, either virtually or in person with our author(s) and book character(s). Each 45-minute assembly is designed for students in Pre-K through 4th grade and includes a read-aloud from a book of your choice, interactive storytelling with music, games, and lively discussion. Students will also have access to discounted pricing on books. These read-aloud sessions aren’t just entertaining—they’re educational. They help motivate children to read, strengthen their comprehension, expand vocabulary, and introduce language patterns not typically heard in everyday conversation. Students are encouraged to make meaningful connections between the stories and their own lives, making reading both fun and relevant.

A New York actress with decades of experience in film (the "Uncle Buck" mom), TV, Broadway and Off-Broadway, I have also taught at over 170 colleges and high schools. Workshops include: Exploring Intention through American Sign Language, Making Your Monologue HOT!, Acting on Camera, Acting for Singers: What's Behind the Words?, Cold Reading: Don't Panic!, Mining the Hidden Impulses: Creating Your Own Work (a writing workshop.) In addition, my Off-Broadway solo show "TEA FOR THREE: Lady Bird, Pat & Betty" is available.

Social studies and non-fiction ELA topics brought to life through music. Themes include Colonial America, Native Americans of NY State, Westward Expansion and the Gold Rush, World Cultures and Communities, The Erie Canal, Immigration to America and more. Programs are presented in-person as well as virtually.

The presentation provides students with a history of the French and Indian War in New York state. It focuses on Rogers rangers', uniforms, weapons demonstration by firing cannon, swivel gun, pistol, rifle and musket. All with blanks. Various uniforms with student participation, historical items, other weapons and speaking through history. The presenter is a reenactor with twenty years of experience in the field. He is also a retired educator from Central Square School District for 35 years.

Love Yourself More is a high-energy program filled with strategies K-5 kids can use to show themselves care and compassion, such as speaking up for themselves, honoring their own moods, and giving themselves grace for mistakes. It’s all disguised as a very silly show that engages students with opportunities to make sounds, move around, answer questions, get on stage, and even join a sing along!

The Iroquois Museum is an anthropological museum that uses art to educate and inspire. Our collections of contemporary Iroquois art and archeological artifacts open a window into Iroquois culture and society. Our programs fulfill the NYS Learning Standards for the Arts, Social Studies, and Language Arts. The Museum provides a stimulating object-based learning environment that engages visitors on visual, tactile, and intellectual levels.

Tifft Nature Preserve has been engaging audiences of all ages and communities for decades through our diverse selection of guided programs. We serve as the region’s premier environmental education site in the Buffalo area. Your participants will be immersed in 264 acres of nature while being guided along trails through woodlands, wetlands, and boardwalks or enjoying a hands-on activity in our multi-classroom Darling Environment Education Center. Our most requested Guided Tours and Workshops are listed on our website https://www.tifft.org/schools-and-groups/ , however please contact us to potentially customize a program to meet your content needs for any age audience, from preschool to adults. We can also come to you to facilitate an Outreach program with your audience. All groups of 10 or more individuals visiting the Preserve are required to make a reservation for a self-guided Discovery Visit, Guided Tour, or Workshop. Please call (716) 825-6397 or email tifftreservations@sciencebuff.org to make your reservation.

Programs include weekday matinee performances for student field trips, school partnerships, artists-in-residence, sensory friendly experiences, programs for those with autism and other sensory needs, professional development for educators, and master classes.