Make the arts come alive for your students. Syracuse Stage’s education programs are a great way to inspire learning and connect with hearts and minds of all ages. From fully staged productions to targeted in-school performances, our educational offerings support and enhance language arts, social studies, history, STEM and art curricula. Custom in school workshops are available on multiple topics.

As a read aloud advocate, I believe in the power of stories to nurture empathy, self-confidence, and imagination in young readers. My award winning books focus on social-emotional themes that support early childhood development, creating meaningful narratives that resonate with children, educators, and parents alike. *Fantastically Me!* (ages 0-8) touches on themes of self-belief and growth mindset. Whereas *Making Friends Together * (ages 0-5) is a board book that addresses kindness and friendship. In my author visits, I bring these stories to life for students up to 2nd grade through engaging, interactive read-aloud sessions, inviting children to explore their own feelings and ideas in a fun, safe environment. For older elementary students, I offer hands-on writing workshops that guide them in crafting their own stories, encouraging self-expression, creativity, and a love for writing. These sessions are designed to inspire confidence in young writers, from filling in imaginative story blanks to creating characters and worlds that spark their curiosity. With each visit, my goal is to leave students not only with a memorable experience but also with the tools and encouragement to tell their own stories.

From performances to workshops to artist residencies, Wandering Theatre strives to spread the magic of storytelling and self expression with young audiences. PERFORMANCES: We offer performances as school assemblies, along with a 15 minute talkback following each show to answer questions from the audience, and give an inside glimpse into how our puppets work. Our puppet show is called "The Dragon and the Wanderer". It is 30 minutes long, appropriate for grades K-5, and has themes in line with SEL content (friendship, compassion, standing up to bullies). It utilizes shadow puppets, hand puppets, physical theatre, and a surprise transformation (the set turns into a giant dragon puppet!). Set to original music, “The Dragon and the Wanderer” does not use language, and has played very well for ESL students, deaf students, autistic students, and students with developmental disabilities. WORKSHOPS: We run puppeteering and puppet-building workshops (catered to grade level/student capabilities). Workshops can coordinate with Art and/or STEAM classes, and can be brought into those classrooms as a single-day workshop or a multi-day artist residency. In our shadow puppet building workshops, participants will build their own shadow puppets out of paper plates and learn how to manipulate them on a shadow screen. In our physical theatre & puppeteering workshops, participants will practice bringing everyday objects to life, creating cooperative puppets in groups, and using physicality and motion to tell stories.

Do you want your students excited about math? Do you want them thinking math is awesome…even cool? Magician Brian Richards has a math school assembly program to get your elementary students pumped up about mathematics. Math Magical is a high energy elementary math show, that touches upon addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, probability, and more. Plus, it’s customized according to grade levels and student development! Using magic, comedy, and other tools of the trade, Brian will help your kids discover that not only is math fun, but they need to Study Math to Be on A Better Path. Brian Richards will also teach your students a cool magic trick that will sharpen their math skills. They will be able to take this trick home and wow their friends and families. Bring Math Magical assembly show to your school and get your students excited about Math!

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

Annie & the Hedonists is a quartet, sometimes quintet with drums, from the NYS Capital District. The band performs vintage blues and jazz as well as a variety of acoustic Americana music. We feature multi-instrumentalists, stand up bass, piano, clarinet, banjo, and guitar and an amazing lead singer, and lots of harmony. Annie sings songs of the great female blues and jazz artists of the 1920s through 50s as well as contemporary folk, gospel, and rhythm and blues. The band offers workshops on the roots of blues and jazz, hootenanny sing-a-long, songs of Bob Dylan, and many others. Also available is a trio or Annie & Jonny duet. A residency could include interactive dialogue and hands on participation with students about the band members instrument, what it is like to be a professional musician, participatory singing and playing, with the goal of encouraging students to continue or initiate interest in music.

Student or Teacher Raku Pottery Workshops Are you interested in doing raku firing with student artwork? Interested in a teacher raku firing day? I bring the firing to you! Contact me for information about how to set up a day-long visit.

ENTA’s visual and performing artists work collaboratively with K-12 classroom teachers to develop customized arts-in-education programs that concentrate on any curricular content and allow students to express their knowledge and mastery through a creative process (visual, performance, process arts). We work in all subject areas -- ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies, etc. We also offer services to Art, Band and Choral classrooms. Our programs are customized to meet the needs and desired outcomes of the classroom teacher(s) and we usually work with all the students in an entire grade level. Through the Arts, students and teachers experience their studies in active, hands-on, problem-solving, challenging environments that produce measurable and meaningful results. Sample Programs include: Improv & the Salem Witch Trials (7th grade Social Studies); Taking A Stand – Art for Social Change (8th grade ELA); Biomimicry & Sculpture (7th grade Science); A Book’s Journey – develop & hand-build original book (4th grade ELA); Sol Lewitt – Math, Language & Art (MS/HS); Geometry & Landscape Drawing (3rd grade Math); Books on the Boards: Theater & Reading (K-3 ELA); Anatomy & Figure Drawing (HS Art) Currently running more than a dozen on-going programs in mid-Hudson region pubic schools. All developed collaboratively with classroom teachers.

American DanceWheels Foundation Presents – Better Together “We are all one, even if we feel worlds apart!” American DanceWheels Foundation’s Better Together assembly uses disability awareness and the beauty of dance to promote understanding, kindness, and respect for people of all abilities. The Show Meet the Performers: Students will be introduced to talented dance performers who will share their personal journeys of challenge and triumph. Wheelchair Ballroom and Latin Dance Performance: Students will watch wheelchair dance performances by dance couples made up of one seated and one standing partner who defy expectations while celebrating the beauty of diverse abilities. Interactive Q&A: Students will have an opportunity to make their voices heard during a question-and-answer segment, engaging directly with the performers and allowing for a deeper connection and understanding. Mini-Dance Lesson (when wheelchair available and class size permits): Participants will be invited to join a mini-dance lesson and experience the joy of movement from both seated and standing perspectives. This interactive dance lesson will help students understand how people can work together to create something beautiful and fun, if they are given the opportunity and tools to participate and learn. Better Together is not just a performance—it’s an opportunity for students to see beyond physical differences and appreciate the shared human spirit through dance. Book this transformative assembly to foster character development and cultivate a culture of inclusivity within your school.

EF Educational Tours is the Global Leader in International Education. Our focus is helping educators bring the classroom to life for their middle and high school students through travel opportunities. We provide a wide range of educator-led, international educational travel programs that support curricular priorities and social emotional learning as well as align with the New York State’s Portrait of a Graduate – specifically reinforcing Global Citizenship, Cultural Competency as well as the essential skill development. With over 300 itineraries across 50 different countries, EF has something that aligns with your priorities for your district. Arts education is woven throughout most all of our tour themes including: Language & Culture, Service Learning, STEM, CTE, Social Studies, Leadership and more. Every tour provides students with in-depth exploration, authentic connections and hands-on experience. For questions and to get a program started in your district – please contact Michele Ahouse: michele.ahouse@ef.com or 617-429-7554. To learn more about the types of programs we offer, please check out our collections page here: https://www.eftours.com/educational-tours/collections To learn more about our educational philosophy and alignment, please go here: https://www.eftours.com/our-story/educational-approach This performance supports the following NYS Learning Standards: Next Generation Learning Standards: English Language Arts: Comprehension and Collaboration (speaking and listening) Presentation of knowledge of ideas (speaking and listening) Next Generation Learning Standards: Mathematical Practices: Making sense of problems and persevere in solving them Learning Standards for Physical Education: Resource management Science and Engineering Practices: • Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering) • Planning and carrying out investigations • Analyzing and Interpreting data • Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information Learning Standards for the Arts: Creating (imagine, plan, make, envision, develop) Performing (rehearse, evaluate, refine, prepare, share) Responding (reflect, interpret, evaluate, critique) Connecting (relate artistic ideas with societal, cultural & historical context) Learning Standards for Technology Education: Tools, resources, and technological processes History and evolution of technology Impacts of technology Management of technology Program Categories: Animals / Environmental Education / Farms / Nature / Art / English / Language Arts / History / Math / Multicultural / Museums / Exhibits / Poetry / Science / Teamwork / Leadership Skills / Tourism / Wellness / Life Skills / Bully Prevention / Character Education Cost: Costs are dependent on destination, length of tour and time of year.

I am a #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of books for young readers. I can offer visits to schools, writing conferences, and to local libraries. In the schools, I do small and large group assemblies and offer writing workshops. I live in Utah but frequently travel in the New York area.

The Ultimate Human Board Game features a LIFE-SIZE game board with three color-coded sides! The board is made up of 16 squares, each representing a different exciting activity. The entire group is divided into three teams (green, blue, and red). The game begins when one team rolls the dice and lands on an activity in which all three teams compete to win. The Ultimate Human Board Game is based on character building, teamwork, sportsmanship, and total participation. Activities such as the Silly Dance and Lip Sync Challenge are audio-enhanced. This fast and spirited game is sure to generate a level of excitement and teamwork in students which will amaze you! Indoors preferred. Indoor backup plan required for inclement weather.