We believe in the power of hands-on, nature-based experiences to enhance student learning, and we’re eager to partner with you in creating unforgettable outdoor adventures for your students. Whether it’s fostering teamwork, developing leadership skills, or simply encouraging students to engage with the environment in a meaningful way, our courses are designed to inspire and challenge. WildPlay's Mission is to Evolve the Human by helping people be brave enough to change their world as a student, a teacher, a parent ... a human being figuring out this thing called life. The success of our mission is entirely founded on trust; WildPlay is a refuge for adventure seekers, brave beginners, and everyone in between those communities. We do what we say we're going to do - humans go up our course one person and come out changed on the other side - we're here to build confidence that children and teens can take back to their own lives and adapt into leadership qualities.

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!

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.

You Inc provides engaging programming for K-12 to encourage students to develop good money habits and growth mindsets about money early on and continuously throughout their development. Topics related to money and personal finance should be introduced to students at each grade level. Just as math and reading have several different facets and sub topics for children to master from kindergarten to 12th grade and beyond, personal finance also has its own nuances and categories that can and should be mastered early in a child's development and continue to evolve into more complex topics and subtopics as children grow and develop into young adults. By doing so, we develop a generation of financially secure adults who experience better financial outcomes due to making better financial decisions. Our workshops help students understand the basics of earning, saving, budgeting, and giving back. For younger children, we use interactive activities and storytelling to introduce financial concepts in a fun and relatable way, laying the groundwork for good habits and smart decision-making. For older students, we dive deeper, covering topics such as goal-setting, smart spending, credit, and pathways to building wealth—all tailored to prepare them for the responsibilities of adulthood. We also emphasize the importance of financial independence and provide students with tools to break free from cycles of financial instability that they may see in their communities. Our culturally competent approach ensures that all students see themselves reflected in the material, and we prioritize empathy, understanding, and real-life application in a way that fosters financial inclusion for all. Our team is certified in financial education from the National Financial Educators Council with over a decade of experience teaching financial literacy across New York State. We are also a certified NYS Minority and Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE). Our goal is to help K-12 students gain essential life skills and grow up feeling confident and capable in managing their financial lives. Let's inspire a generation of students who are not only financially aware but also equipped to pursue their dreams with a strong, sustainable financial foundation. In addition to k-12 programs, we offer Family Finance Programs for the entire family unit, including parents and caregivers. These one day programs can take place in the evening and students attend with their parents/guardians and two separate workshops take place simultaneously, equipping the family ecosystem to elevate their money conversations in the home, and providing tools and strategies to help parents optimize their family finances while nurturing a culture of healthy financial habits in the home.

Mars pottery offers raku workshops all day workshops where students create and fire their work in the Japanese art of raku. We also offer sculpture classes and children’s classes. @ginamarspottery

My name is I’m Billy Floyd and I'm the arena host and in-game announcer for the Adirondack Thunder, Union Men’s and Women’s Hockey, and the Glens Falls Dragons. Since 2021, I’ve been blessed enough to entertain and connect with fans all over the Capital Region and North Country -- especially kids! This year, I’m bringing that same energy and positivity right into schools. When I visit, we play trivia and fun games (just like we would do at the arena or ballpark for in-game entertainment) and I give away prizes. But here’s the thing... every trivia question and game comes with a valuable lesson that kids can really take with them. I also share stories from my own life about why failing and losing isn’t the end, how to bounce back, and why it’s so important to support others when it’s their time to shine. We talk about surrounding yourself with people who lift you up, doing what you love, why creativity is key, and why taking action matters more than anything else. Basically, I want to help students build confidence, stay positive, and have fun while learning how to succeed on and off the field. It's critical for my presentations to be extremely interactive because I want all of the kids to be involved in the "show" and this is my favorite way to connect with everyone. I'm beyond thrilled to bring the good vibes to your school!

We deliver programs directly to schools and communities that empower young people to become courageous changemakers by fostering empathy, understanding and action against intolerance. Through the powerful lens of Anne Frank’s diary, we inspire the next generation to learn from the past, challenge prejudice and build a more compassionate and just future. Our interactive theatre performances are a transformative tool, engaging students on a deeply emotional and intellectual level. They bring history to life, spark critical conversations, and inspire young people to act with courage, empathy, and understanding. "Conversations with Anne" is our signature one-act solo show that immerses students in the powerful words of Anne Frank, bringing excerpts from her diary to life in an engaging and emotionally-charged performance. Students connect with Anne on a personal level through this intimate portrayal – hearing her thoughts, fears, and dreams. The performance culminates in a Q&A session, where students can ask questions and engage directly with the character to deepen their understanding of Anne’s experience and the historical events surrounding the Holocaust. It gives a human face to history, inspiring young people to reflect on the impact of intolerance and the importance of standing up for what is right. Through Anne’s words, students are reminded of the power of their own voices in shaping the future. For grades 4th and up. "Letters from Anne and Martin" draws profound parallels between the words of Anne Frank and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The performance combines excerpts from Anne’s diary with key moments from Dr. King’s 'Letter from Birmingham Jail', highlighting their shared themes of hope, resistance, and the fight for justice. Through the dialogue of these two remarkable figures, students are offered a unique lens on the struggles for human rights, both during World War II and the Civil Rights Movement. The show serves as a bridge between history and the present, highlighting how lessons of the past are deeply connected to the challenges we face today. By weaving Anne’s reflections on the horrors of war with Dr. King’s calls for nonviolent action, the show is a powerful teaching tool for understanding both the Holocaust and the Civil Rights Movement. Students are empowered to see the relevance of these movements in today’s world, encouraging them to take a stand against prejudice, bigotry, antisemitism, racism and discrimination, to promote equality, and work towards a more just and inclusive future. For grades 6th and up. Our newest one act solo show, "Plenty of Courage", takes the audience on Anne's journey of discovering herself, her ambitions and her drive to live fully and bravely. Delving into some of her lesser known entries, this performance reveals the more vulnerable side of the young diarist. While in hiding from the Nazis with her family, the Van Pels Family and Fritz Pfeffer during World War II, writing to her dear diary, Kitty, brings Anne enormous comfort. But through it all there is another war silently raging, and it is the one Anne is fighting with herself. It's a transformative experience that invites audiences to step into the shoes of one of the most important voices of the 20th century and grapple with the harder questions of what it means to be human. For 7th/8th grade, high school and up.

We offer programs by Theresa Eckler, whose book "Limitless" is the perfect story to inspire young children around the world. Limitless is the beautiful story of a determined young girl, named Harper, who is on a mission to find her “thing.” After several failed attempts, she stumbles upon a group of children trying to fix a broken kite. Harper uses her creativity to fix not only the kite, but also inspires those around her to use their minds to help them succeed. For the last 16 years Theresa has been a local elementary teacher and has begun doing author visits at schools throughout New York State. Theresa's visits include reading her brand new children's book, sharing a beautiful presentation highlighting the writing process behind the science to make the book happen, engaging activities such as "spot the difference" where students become the editors and see if they can find the inconsistencies between the illustrative drafts and the final illustration and so much more! Theresa wrote this book as while teaching she noticed a need for books that highlight students creativity, ability to problem solve, and being proud of what makes you unique!

Ten different programs including 45 minute presentations on the Dutch in NY, the Erie Canal, the American Revolution, Our Hudson River Heritage, How the Railroads Built America and America's Steamboat Heritage. Marvin Bubie is the author of (3) books: "On the Trail of Henry Hudson and Our Dutch Heritage Through the Municipal Seals in New York, 1609 to 2009" "Celebrating the Revolutionary War: Municipal Symbols of a Free Country" "Along the Erie Canal with the Municipal Seals of the Cities, Towns, and Villages of NY"

Theatre for Young Audiences at the Historic Cohoes Music Hall Celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Cohoes Music Hall, the 4th oldest operating music hall in the U.S., with our annual Theatre for Young Audiences productions! Hosted at this iconic venue, these lively, educational musicals bring beloved characters to life, blending classroom lessons, catchy tunes, and plenty of laughs for audiences of all ages. Introducing students to theatre arts fosters creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving while connecting classroom learning to the stage. Our shows offer students the opportunity to experience the thrill of live theatre, learn proper theatre etiquette, and engage in post-show discussions that enhance camaraderie and conversation in the classroom. Educators will also receive a curriculum-based activity packet before the performance, designed to explore the creative process and core themes of the production.

Top Youth Speakers is proud to offer a roster of over 30 top ranked speakers for youth and professional staff audiences. We provide speaking services for assemblies, workshops, conferences, and professional development or leadership training for all levels of the educational field. From anti-bullying and kindness to resiliency and burnout prevention, we are proud to serve the Arts in Education network with stellar experiences.

District Membership SUPPORT THE VISUAL ARTS IN YOUR SCHOOL NYSATA offers a wide array of opportunities for students. Included are numerous exhibits at the local, state, and national level; student scholarship opportunities; the Olympics of the Visual Arts Competition; and the Portfolio Project Assessment, to name a few. All new this year, the District Membership Program gives students access to all these great programs without the need for individual teachers to also become members.* District Membership Benefits Include: Access to all student programs and opportunities, including: The NYSATA Portfolio Project* The Olympics of the Visual Arts* The NYSATA Legislative Student Exhibit* The NYSATA/School Boards Association Student Exhibit* Student Scholarships Opportunities: The Zara B. Kimmey, Bill Millikin, and Goldberg/Snow 20% discount on registration fees for the NYSATA/School Boards Association Exhibit and Legislative Exhibit Ready to share and print Award/Recognition certificates for outstanding visual art students (one certificate per school building) Access to members-only resources on the NYSATA website www.nysata.org Regular E-News information and advocacy alerts Subscription for each art teacher in your school or district to quarterly NYSATA News digital and print editions Member rates on all art teacher registrations for our annual conference, regional institutes and workshops, the Summer Institute at Sagamore, and other professional development opportunities Full benefits of membership for every art teacher in your school or district Getting your teachers connected to a learning community and INVOLVED (priceless!) *Additional registration fees apply for certain programs and exhibits. Questions? Please contact us at districtmembership@nysata.org.