National Geographic author and science celebrity Steve Tomecek, "The Dirtmeister" offers interactive science assemblies and non-fiction author programs for elementary schools and public libraries.

Alisa Sikelianos-Carter offers dynamic, multi-day art workshops, artist talks, studio visits, and assemblies designed to engage students in creative exploration and critical thinking. Her programs invite participants to connect personal stories, cultural memory, and material experimentation through hands-on projects in drawing, painting, printmaking, collage and mixed media. Each session encourages curiosity, reflection, and collaboration, while introducing students to contemporary art practices and the role of art as a tool for self-expression and community building.

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!

Sukanya Burman Dance is a contemporary dance company that combines Indian diasporic dance forms with modern dance to create meaningful artistic experiences and performances. Rooted in Bharatanatyam, Kathak, and modern dance vocabularies, the company produces professional-level performances across New York State and beyond and fosters artistic collaboration among local and regional dance artists. SBD also provides dance education, offering classes and workshops that deepen understanding of both Indian classical and contemporary movement, and engages communities by bringing dance into spaces where people live, learn, and connect.

The Parmesan Pig Book Series is a dynamic and engaging children's picture book series designed to inspire imagination, creativity, and a love for reading in young learners. Each book in the series features Parmesan Pig alongside her charmingly named food-animal friends, whose playful and inventive names add an extra layer of fun to their adventures. These stories not only entertain but also introduce important life lessons, such as friendship, problem-solving, and the value of perseverance. The author visits goes beyond storytelling by offering interactive and follow-up activities. Children/Students engage in character exploration activities, where they experience the creative journey of developing character illustrations—from initial sketches to the final artwork. Each session concludes with the exciting task of inventing new character names that could seamlessly join the series. These activities are designed to enhance literacy, boost creative expression, and build confidence in young readers. The Parmesan Pig Book Series is ideal for elementary school students and can be tailored to fit various educational settings, including classrooms, libraries, and after-school programs. By bringing these stories to life through interactive sessions, I aim to foster a deeper connection with reading and learning, making the educational experience both enjoyable and impactful. Key Features: 1) Interactive Storytelling: Bringing the adventures of Parmesan Pig and friends to life through engaging readings and discussions. 2) Creative Interaction: Activities that encourage children to explore their creativity and express themselves. 2) Educational Enrichment: Each session is designed to align with educational standards, promoting literacy, critical thinking, and social-emotional learning. 4) Flexible Format: The program can be adapted to fit the needs of different age groups and educational settings, ensuring a customized experience for each school. Join Parmesan Pig and her friends on a journey of creativity and learning that will leave a lasting impact on young minds!

Taikoza is a Japanese Taiko drum group that uses the powerful rhythms of the Taiko drums to create an electrifying energy that carries audiences in a new dimension of excitement. The Taiko is a large, barrel-like drum that can fill the air with rolling thunder. Drawing from Japan's rich tradition of music and performance, Taikoza has created a new sound using a variety of traditional instruments. In addition, the Taiko Taikoza incorporates bamboo flutes. Taikoza has performed in Europe and Asia. Taikoza appeared on the History Channel and “The Last Samurai “DVD set. Taikoza presents a unique and exciting program using Japanese Taiko drums (weighing 200lb drums) and bamboo flutes. The program will take you on an unforgettable journey through Japan. It will take students to different areas and through the seasons of Japan. Students will be experiencing a new culture in a fun and exciting way, they will get a chance to see and at times touch the ancestral drums. The taiko drum can touch everyone with its thunderous sounds and vibrations. Taikoza hopes to open the student’s eyes to the richness of Japanese culture and spark an interest. We hope that this will spark an interest in other world cultures. Taiko has been associated with many aspects of Japanese culture since ancient times. It is said that Taiko was used to drive away the plague and evil spirits. In the Shinto religion, it was used to call upon and entertain the gods, or kami, and in Japanese Buddhism, its sound was the manifestation of the voice of the Buddha. Taikoza’s programs can be tailored to your school’s needs and interests. In a performance by Taikoza your students may experience: They will hear and see taiko songs. Taiko is often compared to martial arts, as the drums are played very physically using sticks that resemble baseball bats. They will hear songs played on the bamboo flutes. Some will get to play on the drums and interact with the performers.

Act With Respect Always is a “pay it forward” movement stressing the importance of one’s personal character. Through presentations and continued communication through mailings and social media, Act With Respect Always hopes others will join this mission or way of life and look to improve the world around them daily. Stressing kindness, love, compassion, empathy, acceptance and gratitude, Rich strives to make everyone aware of their daily actions. He introduces to each audience the 99% (Whats Your 99} and the 1% (Accept The 1), a personal character assessment plan. With this knowledge each person can access their own character “score” every minute of every day. The 99 has now brought the concept of mindfulness to everyone, to help to constantly draw ‘reflection’ towards their actions. Introducing The Visible Project to every audience has encouraged everyone to send notes of gratitude to someone: a friend, relative, a teacher or anyone that has shown kindness to them. The hope is that everyone will create their Solid Five (Who Are Your Solid5) connections that can be cultivated. They are the people who you can go to anytime, anyplace for physical and emotional support without judgement.

The Physics Bus rolls up to schools, parks, fairs, and community centers to invite hands-on science for the senses. Most of our exhibits and demonstrations are made from repurposed materials, offering direct experience with unusual phenomena in an unintimidating "you can do it" way. Themed physics presentations available by special request. Free Science Inc. also offers hands-on tinkering experiences for kids (at your school or a field trip to our site in Ithaca), and teacher workshops on how to make science & engineering fun, accessible, and personally meaningful.

Growth Mindset Through Real Failure. New York Times bestselling author Mark Cheverton visits schools with an interactive presentation that shows students how persistence, reflection, and learning from setbacks lead to improvement. Using humor, audience participation, and real examples from his own journey, Mark shares the many years of rejection and false starts he had to endure before ever finding any success as an author. A Story Students Connect With. Students laugh, participate, and follow along as Mark tells the true story behind becoming an internationally published author. He is the author of 32 novels, including his bestselling series of Minecraft books, many of which are already in your school’s library and have been read by your students. The visit concludes by encouraging students to write their own stories and share them on a kids-safe fan fiction website, motivating continued writing beyond the presentation. Mark can do multiple presentations throughout the day, keeping the groups small to encourage interaction. In addition, he’ll have lunch with select students and autograph books at the end of the day. You can learn more about his presentation at https://markcheverton.com/author-visits/ Schools interested in scheduling a visit are encouraged to contact Mark Cheverton for availability and details.

Kevin Kurtz is an award-winning nonfiction children's author (www.kevkurtz.com) of over 25 books for kids grades kindergarten to middle school about science, nature, and technology. Kevin can provide up to five 45-minute presentations during an all day school visit. He can do different presentations for each grade level. For assembly programs, Kevin can read and discuss one of his books or present highlights from more than one book. The highlights can be focused on specific science curriculum topics, on the process of writing nonfiction, or be a grade level-appropriate “greatest hits” selection from my books (You can see the list of highlight topics here: http://www.kevkurtz.com/school-visits.) The book reading and highlights presentations will also include sections on how Kevin became a children’s author, the process he uses to write nonfiction, and a Q&A session at the end. Kevin can also do writing workshops for smaller groups with a maximum of 30 students per program. Workshops are for grades 3 and up. Kevin will lead students through the process of researching, writing, and editing nonfiction and work as a group to produce informational texts. Writing workshops can be extended to a week-long residency where Kevin will lead groups of students through the steps of creating nonfiction texts in more detail.

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is an essential part of The Mystery of the Character Surprise show. In this 50 minute interactive assembly show students learn the communication skills and attitudes they need to help create a bully-free learning environment. Fifteen students participate on stage, putting these lessons into action – cooperating to stop a bully from ruining the assembly show. Students will also learn how to stop social aggression in its tracks. And they’ll have a blast while doing it! Topics covered throughout this bully-proofing magic assembly show include Being responsible in achieving goals, helping others, and empathy. Plus: Forms of bullying, solutions for victims, responsibilities of witnesses, tattling vs. telling. Includes: Courage | Flexibility | Perseverance | Effort | Making Good Choices | Bullies, Targets & Bystanders | Sense of Humor | Responsibility | Empathy | Honesty | Teamwork | Tattling vs. Telling

The Children's Museum at Saratoga is dedicated to creating an interactive community that inspires curiosity, sparks imagination, and nurtures discovery. We are committed to serving as a resource for Capital Region school districts and to ensuring that programs and services are accessible to all children. The Museum offers outreach and field trip programs for students from preschool to 6th grade. Each program is designed to meet the needs of each classroom with plenty of opportunities for unique hands-on experiences. Programs correlate to Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards. They are wonderful additions to classroom curriculum as either an introduction to a lesson or to enhance current classroom units. The Museum's priority is to make educational programs accessible to all students. We ask that you please share any special needs your students may have ahead of time so that we can accommodate their needs. For more information about the Museum's program catalog and prices, please check out https://cmssny.org/education/.