Lollipop Kids
6 mos – kindergarten

Lollipop Kids required authorization form

Yellow Brick Roadies
Red Poppies: 1st & 2nd graders

Yellow Brick Roadies required authorization form

Yellow Brick Roadies
Yellow Lions: 3rd & 4th graders

Yellow Brick Roadies required authorization form

Yellow Brick Roadies
Blue Bubbles: 5th & 6th graders

Yellow Brick Roadies required authorization form

Rubies
Tweens (7th – 9th graders)

Rubies required authorization form

Emeralds
Teens (10th – 12th graders)

Emeralds required authorization form

Beth Cope ~ Lollipop Kids Coordinator

Beth Cope has been supporting the NOAHCon Kids Conference Preschool Program since 2008, starting as an assistant group leader and now serving as the Preschool Program Leader. With a Master’s degree in Recreation Administration and degrees in Business Management as well as Recreation and Leisure Services, Beth works as a Pre-K teacher for Barnyard Buddies in Fremont, New Hampshire. Bringing over 30 years of experience working with children of all ages, Beth and NOAH’s Preschool Program team members are eager to provide our youngest conference attendees with an age-appropriate experience in a safe, caring environment.

Kelly Huizdos ~ Lollipop Kids Assistant

Kelly Huizdos has been part of the NOAH family since 2001. Since then, she and her family have never missed a conference and she has seen the positive impact this has made on her three children, the older two having albinism.  Kelly spent years working with new families as a Parent Liaison and loved the connections she made. She has been a  Program Assistant for the preschool children for the last three conferences.

Kelly, her husband John, her children, and two dogs live in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan which is a suburb of Detroit. She has been an elementary school teacher for 30 years, with almost half of those years working in kindergarten. Kelly’s experiences as a mom of children with albinism and her years in the classroom both give her a wonderful perspective and love of working with NOAH’s youngest members.

Rhyme Time Chime Story Time with Erica Carlson 

Do you like to rhyme all the time? Sedgewick the Hedgehog loves to hear all of your cheers while we plant the seed of loving to read! Erica and her little storytellers will have some fun telling stories, singing songs, and learning new vocabulary words. Will they find enough rhymes to get Sedgie the Hedgie to come out to play? What do you say? Let’s make it a fun day!

Little Bugs in a Big World

This will be a funny and fun program where kids will discover the amazing world of insects.  Kids will learn what bugs are, where they live and why they are important to our planet while discovering that bugs are not scary— they’re amazing!

Columbus Zoo Visit

Meet some of the animal heroes from different regions of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium!  The  program will introduce kids to what some of the zoo habitats have to offer along with  information about the animals that live in them. YES, there will be animal visitors!

Dinosaurs with Dinobuddies 

An interactive storytelling with age appropriate dinosaur facts. Explore dinosaur behavior, adaptations and habitats.

Musical Adventures on the Road

Children will take a joyful musical “road trip” as they travel to the carnival, the beach, and the mountains through high-energy songs, creative movement, and playful musical games. Groups will enjoy age-appropriate activities that build listening skills, coordination, confidence, and teamwork all through the power of music and imagination.

Center of Science and Industry (COSI) – straw rockets

We will start this session with story time to set the mood for creating our rockets.  Straw rockets will bring out the inner artist as we design and color our rockets that will blast off using rocket launchers.

NOAH Bears

All children age 1 and over will make their own NOAH bear to take home. Each bear will wear a custom NOAH 2026 t-shirt. Children under 1 will have a bear made for them by older children.

Tricia Thomas ~ Yellow Brick Roadies Coordinator

Tricia Thomas is a parent of a child with albinism who has been involved with NOAH for many years organizing bowl-a-thons, serving as an adoptive Parent Liaison, planning NOAH Family Camps as Camp Director, and supporting the NOAHCon Kids Conference as the Elementary Program Lead. She holds a degree in Early Childhood Education and is  Lead Teacher and Director II certified to work with young children. Tricia has obtained diverse additional credits in Education, Special Needs, Visual Impairments, Parent Advocacy, and Literary Education. 

Tricia brings over 40 years of experience working with children from infancy through the teenage years in schools and extracurricular settings, and has served as the Early Childhood Literacy Teacher & Program Coordinator for the Sandown Public Library since 2014.

Angela Adamo ~ Yellow Brick Roadies Assistant

Angela Adamo is a life-long member of NOAH and the younger sibling of a person with albinism. She has attended and assisted with over a decade of bowl-a-thons hosted by her family in the Chicagoland area and has met some of her best friends through NOAH. Throughout 2020, Angela hosted weekly Zoom calls for NOAH families to foster connection in a time of isolation. As a former kids’ conference attendee, she’s thrilled to bring her positive experience to a new generation. 

Bringing over a decade of experience working with kids of varying abilities between the ages of 0 and 12, she has a clear understanding of the needs of children with albinism. Angela works in government communications and this will be her fifth conference volunteering with the elementary groups.

BUGS!  – with Mark Beman the “Bugman” 

Kids will explore topics like insect body parts, life cycles, habitats, and how bugs help plants, animals, and people. The program encourages curiosity, observation, and respect for nature.When you look closer at the world around you, you understand things better and can be more respectful. And that’s when you see the cool stuff!

The Magic of Reading – Storytime Extravaganza with Erica Carlson

Imagination! Kids love using it and that’s just what they get to do during this show! Get ready to have some fun as Erica narrates some of her original stories in a unique way using felt stories, chalk talks, costumes, puppets, and her real live hedgehog “Sedgie.”

COLUMBUS ZOO  

This interactive program will feature several of the zoo’s animal ambassadors! Animal program specialists will  lead discussions on the animals, conservation, sustainability, animal care and welfare, and most importantly…the value of the connection between people and animals.

NOAH Bears

All children will stuff their own NOAH bear to take home. Each bear will wear a custom NOAH 2026 t-shirt.

Dinosaurs with Dinobuddies

Travel back in time to meet dinosaurs from different eras, examine fossils and learn about prehistoric life. Each child will receive their own dinosaur kit.

Center of Science and Industry (COSI) – space exploration

This session will explore space and how we get there.  Students will color their rocket designs and apply them to a film canister, then we will launch all of the rockets using Alka-Seltzer tablets and water.  We will then learn how astronauts get home from space.

Art project

Can you paint without paint?  Let’s try “painting” with stickers.

Tricia Thomas ~ Yellow Brick Roadies Coordinator

Tricia Thomas is a parent of a child with albinism who has been involved with NOAH for many years organizing bowl-a-thons, serving as an adoptive Parent Liaison, planning NOAH Family Camps as Camp Director, and supporting the NOAHCon Kids Conference as the Elementary Program Lead. She holds a degree in Early Childhood Education and is  Lead Teacher and Director II certified to work with young children. Tricia has obtained diverse additional credits in Education, Special Needs, Visual Impairments, Parent Advocacy, and Literary Education. 

Tricia brings over 40 years of experience working with children from infancy through the teenage years in schools and extracurricular settings, and has served as the Early Childhood Literacy Teacher & Program Coordinator for the Sandown Public Library since 2014.

Angela Adamo ~ Yellow Brick Roadies Assistant

Angela Adamo is a life-long member of NOAH and the younger sibling of a person with albinism. She has attended and assisted with over a decade of bowl-a-thons hosted by her family in the Chicagoland area and has met some of her best friends through NOAH. Throughout 2020, Angela hosted weekly Zoom calls for NOAH families to foster connection in a time of isolation. As a former kids’ conference attendee, she’s thrilled to bring her positive experience to a new generation. 

Bringing over a decade of experience working with kids of varying abilities between the ages of 0 and 12, she has a clear understanding of the needs of children with albinism. Angela works in government communications and this will be her fifth conference volunteering with the elementary groups.

Columbus Museum of Art  

Today we will be joined with a team from  the Columbus Museum of Art’s Studio for a workshop designed to engage creativity through imagination and critical thinking using a variety of unexpected materials to “Think Like an Artist”.

Pilot Dog visit

Pilot Dogs was established as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 1950,  located in  Columbus, Ohio. Their mission is to provide expertly trained guide dogs, orientation and mobility training and other services free of charge to those in need. Puppy raisers will bring some of the puppies and answer questions about guide dogs. 

NOAH Bears

All children will stuff their own NOAH bear to take home. Each bear will wear a custom NOAH 2026 t-shirt.

Balloon Sculpting lessons with Erica Carlson

You won’t believe your eyes as you watch Erica twist a balloon sculpture. Be amazed at how fast her fingers move, she often doesn’t  look at the balloons she’s sculpting. Erica is ready to train the next generation of balloon twisters! In the balloon workshop, Erica teaches participants how to make basic twists and coaches them through sculpting some of their very own creations!

Check them out – BUGS !  – with Mark Beman the “Bugman” 

BUGS live on land, underground, in the water, in trees, on freshly cooled lava flows, in other bugs, on us – and nearly everywhere you can imagine!  As a group, bugs are incredibly diverse and ridiculously well-adapted to the lives they lead. Live BUGS are our best teachers and entertainers, let’s check them out! 

Puzzle of Pots – archeology with Can You Dig IT

Students learn all about the principles behind archaeology lab work as they decorate pots, break them into pieces, and then put them back together! Each child will be able to take home their reconstructed pot.

Center of Science and Industry (COSI) – programmable robots

Students will explore coding by programming Finch Robots to play different sports and even create art masterpieces.  We will also have LEGO’s for the kids to build and create robots of the future.

Ask a Teen with Albinism

Teens with Albinism share their experiences and answer questions from the group.

Reptiles with Dinobuddies

Travel forward in time to meet live reptile ambassadors. Explore how modern reptiles are connected to their ancient ancestors, highlighting adaptations, habitats and the importance of conservation. 

Sounds Fishy game – FAKE IT AND MAKE IT

A hilarious game that combines inventing funny answers with not getting caught. Can you convince the guesser your answer is the right one?

Tricia Thomas ~ Yellow Brick Roadies Coordinator

Tricia Thomas is a parent of a child with albinism who has been involved with NOAH for many years organizing bowl-a-thons, serving as an adoptive Parent Liaison, planning NOAH Family Camps as Camp Director, and supporting the NOAHCon Kids Conference as the Elementary Program Lead. She holds a degree in Early Childhood Education and is  Lead Teacher and Director II certified to work with young children. Tricia has obtained diverse additional credits in Education, Special Needs, Visual Impairments, Parent Advocacy, and Literary Education. 

Tricia brings over 40 years of experience working with children from infancy through the teenage years in schools and extracurricular settings, and has served as the Early Childhood Literacy Teacher & Program Coordinator for the Sandown Public Library since 2014.

Angela Adamo ~ Yellow Brick Roadies Assistant

Angela Adamo is a life-long member of NOAH and the younger sibling of a person with albinism. She has attended and assisted with over a decade of bowl-a-thons hosted by her family in the Chicagoland area and has met some of her best friends through NOAH. Throughout 2020, Angela hosted weekly Zoom calls for NOAH families to foster connection in a time of isolation. As a former kids’ conference attendee, she’s thrilled to bring her positive experience to a new generation. 

Bringing over a decade of experience working with kids of varying abilities between the ages of 0 and 12, she has a clear understanding of the needs of children with albinism. Angela works in government communications and this will be her fifth conference volunteering with the elementary groups.

Pilot Dog visit

Pilot Dogs is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and is based in   Columbus, Ohio. Their mission is to provide expertly trained guide dogs, orientation and mobility training and other services free of charge to those in need. Staff from the organization will bring dogs in training, explain what they do and share the role guide dogs  can have in assisting independence. This program will include a Q & A time for the kids.

Columbus Museum of Art

The creative team from the Columbus Museum of Art’s Studio will join us for a workshop to encourage our imagination and creativity as we explore collages using a variety of materials.   This group will also be discussing a tessellation collaborative project that will  be done in the afternoon.

Out to Lunch

All 5th and 6th graders will be heading to South Cafe and Market Place for a pizza luncheon at Jet’s Pizza.

Look Again: Bugs – with Mark Beman the “Bugman”

We see so many BUGS all the time. Some people run away screaming, other people look and think ‘cool’ and move on. But when we stop and LOOK AGAIN – and explore,  we find out just how fascinating our world really is.  We will explore  the way bugs live, eat, grow, reproduce and interact with the rest of the world. Bugs are endlessly amazing

Center of Science and Industry (COSI) – Virtual Reality program 

Students will learn about the history of VR Technology by exploring artifacts all the way back to the early 1800’s.  Then experience a VR program that will take them to the bottom of the ocean where they can explore and interact with many different ocean animals.

Castles & Catapults – archeology with Can You Dig IT

Engage in epic battles with other participants, by using handmade catapults and building castles out of everyday objects! Students will defend their castle and try to take down their opponents’ castles while learning about history and culture.

Out To Lunch 

All 5th and 6th graders will receive an overview of O & M  before heading to the South Cafe and Market Place for lunch! Each child will be able to order and purchase their meal choice from several options. 

Ask an Adult with Albinism

An opportunity for preteens to ask a volunteer panel about adult life living with albinism.

Kimberly Paglia ~ Rubies Coordinator

Kimberly Paglia returns to the NOAH Conference Team for a third time with more than 20 years experience in the field of visual impairment. She was in charge of youth and young adult programming at the Keystone Blind Association for 10 years, including weekend events, summer camps, and extended field trips to Disney, Toronto, and Philadelphia. Since 2014, Kimberly has worked for the Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV as a Teacher of the Visually Impaired and Certified Orientation & Mobility Specialist (TVI/COMS), working with children from birth to age 21. Kimberly lives in Western PA with her husband, Tony, and their three children. When she’s not teaching or spending time with her family, she enjoys drawing comics and writing & recording her original music with her band, Bellhouse.

Tony Paglia ~ Rubies Assistant

Tony Paglia is a licensed clinical social worker with 20 years of experience who works for Penn State Shenango in Sharon, PA, where he provides collegiate mental health counseling and coordinates services for students with disabilities.  This is his 3rd NOAH conference, having assisted with the teens & tweens program at NOAH since the Orlando, FL conference in 2022.  He and his wife Kimberly reside with their family in Mercer, PA.

Kimberly Paglia ~ Emeralds Coordinator

Kimberly Paglia returns to the NOAH Conference Team for a third time with more than 20 years experience in the field of visual impairment. She was in charge of youth and young adult programming at the Keystone Blind Association for 10 years, including weekend events, summer camps, and extended field trips to Disney, Toronto, and Philadelphia. Since 2014, Kimberly has worked for the Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV as a Teacher of the Visually Impaired and Certified Orientation & Mobility Specialist (TVI/COMS), working with children from birth to age 21. Kimberly lives in Western PA with her husband, Tony, and their three children. When she’s not teaching or spending time with her family, she enjoys drawing comics and writing & recording her original music with her band, Bellhouse.

Tony Paglia ~ Emeralds Assistant

Tony Paglia is a licensed clinical social worker with 20 years of experience who works for Penn State Shenango in Sharon, PA, where he provides collegiate mental health counseling and coordinates services for students with disabilities.  This is his 3rd NOAH conference, having assisted with the teens & tweens program at NOAH since the Orlando, FL conference in 2022.  He and his wife Kimberly reside with their family in Mercer, PA.