Today was a storytelling day. I got up at 4:45 AM to be ready to leave at 5:30 for my show at the Philippi, WV Library.
Yesterday was a long, long day of setting up, pricing, organizing, etc. I was tired, tired when I got home but there was still more packing to be done--getting the van (that awesome multi-purpose vehicle!) loaded up for storytelling. I had to refresh the stories in my mind a bit because I've been away from them for two weeks, but by this morning I was back in storyteller mode.
Driving across our state in the early hours is unbelievably beautiful. The morning fog was tinged with pink as the sun began its day, and there was very little traffic to interfere with just enjoying the drive. I'd hoped to be able to drive across the two-lane covered bridge in Philippi but it is still closed for repairs. However, the library was as bright and welcoming as ever, and I had a blast with the children who came for the program. We played with the stories, adapting them to suit ourselves, and in the end even the cool 7th graders were right in there, playing and laughing! Stories do that--they bridge the age groups, make us remember what it is to make-believe, to be spontaneous.And music to my ears, the librarian said as I was leaving, "We'd love for you to come back next year!" Ah yes! I'd love to.
I needed to hurry back to finish work on the booth. Well, hurry is a figurative term since it's a 3 1/2 hour drive each way from home to Philippi. I decided to take the interstate route, because I wanted to try to get to Clendenin, to see the library for myself. Somehow, I could not accept that it was truly ruined. I loved that little place and the community it served, and for the past 20+ years have felt attached to it and my friends made during the time I worked there. It was such a pleasure to visit, to see how vibrant it was, how it was the true heart of the community, and to see the familiar faces of staff and sometimes a Board member or patron that I remembered.
Here is what I wrote about that attempt this evening on Facebook:
"I tried to go into Clendenin today, to see the library. I regret that decision very much. There was little traffic coming off the interstate so I thought maybe it wasn't too bad to get into town. Wrong. A little ways down the road traffic was all backed up. I wanted to turn around and forget it, but there was nowhere to turn. The sides of the road were gouged out. Tiny Doctor's Creek, I think it was, had washed out a virtual canyon. Everywhere, everywhere was destruction. The streets, what's left of them, are mud and dust. It's unbelievably sad. All the pretty, well-kept homes, now mud-crusted, broken, and the yards filled with huge piles of debris. I did finally find a place to turn around, never got to the library. The little town I loved, that was like a second home for me, was unrecognizable. And everywhere people were working so hard, looked so tired. It was heart-breaking. I need to go back, but I will go when I can offer some real help. They're going to need it for a long time."
My words still cannot convey what my eyes could not believe. I wanted to look away; I was ashamed to be there and not be helping. I realized that not only the town but the outlying areas, and the homes of people I know, were also destroyed. The water was so deep--the debris is still high in trees.
I took no photos; that was not my intention. It seemed wrong to even look.
So friends, continue to send your prayers, support and good thoughts to these communities. They need them. They are going to need a lot of help to get their lives back to some semblance of order. These places will never, can never be the same. Maybe in time, they will come back better and stronger. That will be my prayer.
Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.
Showing posts with label Summer Reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Summer Reading. Show all posts
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Thursday, June 16, 2016
Such Beauty There Is: Stories, Friends, and Scenery, Day1
The past two days were storytelling days, but also a mini-vacation for us. We traveled to central and then to southern West Virginia on this trip, and re-visited places we haven't seen in some years.
Our first stop was Craigsville, in almost the heart of the state. We arrived early so we had time to stop at the tiny Dairy Bar--I mean tiny! There was room inside for exactly 4 booths, and there was an outside pavilion with more seating. We ordered the medium root beer floats, and I am so glad we didn't go for large because they were huge, and delicious. It's been a long while since I had a root beer float and it tasted just fine.
Then it was time for storytelling. This was my first visit to the vibrant Craigsville Public Library and I was so impressed with the amount of support they receive from their small, scattered community. This is a very rural area, miles from a Wal-Mart or other major retailer but the library was the place to be, apparently. The staff help make it so with their friendly service and welcoming smiles.
The kids here were great. We played with stories, really--masks, puppets, kazoos, and other props allowed us to make believe and make each story our own creation.
This year my stories focus on fruits and vegetables--who knew there were so many good stories about them? I'm also teaching the kids to sing The Eggplant That Ate Chicago and to use kazoos with the song. Each child gets a kazoo to take home.
I hope parents aren't raining down curses on me for that! If you don't know the song, here is the Top Ten hit from the 60's:
We were so lucky to be able to meet up with our friends Granny Kate and Mark, who suggested lunch at Mumsie's Iron Skillet in Richwood, just a few miles away.
Then we were off to Hinton to stay the night at a new place, Three Rivers Studios, a building still being renovated but offering nice little studio apartments for rent. Here's a peek inside:
Lots of photos on the way there, but here's one for now. I'll post more tomorrow.
Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.
Our first stop was Craigsville, in almost the heart of the state. We arrived early so we had time to stop at the tiny Dairy Bar--I mean tiny! There was room inside for exactly 4 booths, and there was an outside pavilion with more seating. We ordered the medium root beer floats, and I am so glad we didn't go for large because they were huge, and delicious. It's been a long while since I had a root beer float and it tasted just fine.
Then it was time for storytelling. This was my first visit to the vibrant Craigsville Public Library and I was so impressed with the amount of support they receive from their small, scattered community. This is a very rural area, miles from a Wal-Mart or other major retailer but the library was the place to be, apparently. The staff help make it so with their friendly service and welcoming smiles.
The kids here were great. We played with stories, really--masks, puppets, kazoos, and other props allowed us to make believe and make each story our own creation.
This year my stories focus on fruits and vegetables--who knew there were so many good stories about them? I'm also teaching the kids to sing The Eggplant That Ate Chicago and to use kazoos with the song. Each child gets a kazoo to take home.
I hope parents aren't raining down curses on me for that! If you don't know the song, here is the Top Ten hit from the 60's:
We were so lucky to be able to meet up with our friends Granny Kate and Mark, who suggested lunch at Mumsie's Iron Skillet in Richwood, just a few miles away.
Then we were off to Hinton to stay the night at a new place, Three Rivers Studios, a building still being renovated but offering nice little studio apartments for rent. Here's a peek inside:
Lots of photos on the way there, but here's one for now. I'll post more tomorrow.
Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.
Sunday, June 12, 2016
It's Summertime, and the Livin' is Good
How can I tell it's summer?
1. Library Summer Reading programs--I did my first one on Friday and it was such fun! All about vegetables, believe it or not. Vegetable riddles, vegetable songs, vegetable stories! The Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library was a great place to be on a hot, hot afternoon. A small audience, but big fun.
2. The West Virginia Writers Conference--I did not present or submit the year. I've been lazy about creative writing for the past few years and am only recently getting back into my writing groove. But the conference is THE place to reconnect with writing friends, and it was all I could have asked and more.
3. Late nights--I arrived late Friday evening after my performance in Clarksburg and a 2 1/2-hour drive, and found the conference in full swing. Well, maybe not workshops and such, but the meet-and-greet was going strong. We stayed late, just catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. Saturday morning I was up and out for a workshop with the stellar poet and musician Doug Van Gundy. His session was on finding poetic inspiration in music, and it was not anything like you might expect. Listening to pieces, then describing the person who might have loved the music, or a setting the music took us to...very good stuff. The evening offered a concert by Doug and his music partner Paul Gartner, known together as Born Old. Their music is old-time and just plain excellent. Here's a quick clip of Doug from an afternoon break on the porch at the conference:
We stayed until the wee hours of Sunday morning and honestly I hated to leave even then.
4. River watching--the Ohio continues to fascinate me, even though I'm pretty much afraid of water of any depth. We had a leisurely morning, getting up late and having a very late breakfast, then went to Marietta to tidy up our booth and (most important) pick up our monthly check. The booth certainly needed the attention! Sales have been excellent and the booth was a right mess. I didn't need to bring anything new in, just rearrange and straighten up what was already there. When we were done we picked up some lunch and took it down by the river to eat, and stayed a good while just watching the boats, the water and the people. It was so relaxing. Then we took the slow way home, following the river as far as possible south before turning east to home.
5. Gardens! Veggies are coming in beautifully now--lots of broccoli, cabbage, onions and new potatoes. Larry pulled the peas and planted pickling cucumbers and another row of carrots and beets, and replanted lettuce because the last planting did not germinate. Lettuce seeds seem to be very difficult to get to sprout in the last few years and I wonder why? What has changed? We're certainly not doing anything different.
6. Firepit evenings--now that we're finally caught up on spring yard chores and some of the house things, like painting the deck and porch, we can stop work a little earlier and enjoy the evenings. The cicada go to bed early, thank goodness, and the air becomes blessedly cool and soft. Such easy pleasure.
This week summer programs happen in earnest with 3 library programs scheduled this week in various parts of the state, followed by he West Virginia Folk Festival on the weekend. And then, I take a week off for Allegheny Echoes creative writing workshop in the beautiful mountains of Pocahontas county, WV.
Such bliss it will be, to only write, listen to some of the best music in the country in the evenings, and enjoy the beauty of the mountains, the Greenbrier River, and the fellowship of many friends.
So, this is how I know it's summer, even if the calendar doesn't agree. What says summer for you?
Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.
1. Library Summer Reading programs--I did my first one on Friday and it was such fun! All about vegetables, believe it or not. Vegetable riddles, vegetable songs, vegetable stories! The Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library was a great place to be on a hot, hot afternoon. A small audience, but big fun.
2. The West Virginia Writers Conference--I did not present or submit the year. I've been lazy about creative writing for the past few years and am only recently getting back into my writing groove. But the conference is THE place to reconnect with writing friends, and it was all I could have asked and more.
 |
| photo by Susan Korstanje of WV Writers |
3. Late nights--I arrived late Friday evening after my performance in Clarksburg and a 2 1/2-hour drive, and found the conference in full swing. Well, maybe not workshops and such, but the meet-and-greet was going strong. We stayed late, just catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. Saturday morning I was up and out for a workshop with the stellar poet and musician Doug Van Gundy. His session was on finding poetic inspiration in music, and it was not anything like you might expect. Listening to pieces, then describing the person who might have loved the music, or a setting the music took us to...very good stuff. The evening offered a concert by Doug and his music partner Paul Gartner, known together as Born Old. Their music is old-time and just plain excellent. Here's a quick clip of Doug from an afternoon break on the porch at the conference:
We stayed until the wee hours of Sunday morning and honestly I hated to leave even then.
4. River watching--the Ohio continues to fascinate me, even though I'm pretty much afraid of water of any depth. We had a leisurely morning, getting up late and having a very late breakfast, then went to Marietta to tidy up our booth and (most important) pick up our monthly check. The booth certainly needed the attention! Sales have been excellent and the booth was a right mess. I didn't need to bring anything new in, just rearrange and straighten up what was already there. When we were done we picked up some lunch and took it down by the river to eat, and stayed a good while just watching the boats, the water and the people. It was so relaxing. Then we took the slow way home, following the river as far as possible south before turning east to home.
5. Gardens! Veggies are coming in beautifully now--lots of broccoli, cabbage, onions and new potatoes. Larry pulled the peas and planted pickling cucumbers and another row of carrots and beets, and replanted lettuce because the last planting did not germinate. Lettuce seeds seem to be very difficult to get to sprout in the last few years and I wonder why? What has changed? We're certainly not doing anything different.
6. Firepit evenings--now that we're finally caught up on spring yard chores and some of the house things, like painting the deck and porch, we can stop work a little earlier and enjoy the evenings. The cicada go to bed early, thank goodness, and the air becomes blessedly cool and soft. Such easy pleasure.
This week summer programs happen in earnest with 3 library programs scheduled this week in various parts of the state, followed by he West Virginia Folk Festival on the weekend. And then, I take a week off for Allegheny Echoes creative writing workshop in the beautiful mountains of Pocahontas county, WV.
Such bliss it will be, to only write, listen to some of the best music in the country in the evenings, and enjoy the beauty of the mountains, the Greenbrier River, and the fellowship of many friends.
So, this is how I know it's summer, even if the calendar doesn't agree. What says summer for you?
Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Summer Reading: Shakin' It Up!
Tomorrow I begin my summer programs at area libraries, bringing my new program, Shake It Up: Stories from Everywhere to Make You Dance, Sing, and Listen!
It's been such fun to put this one together. The national library theme for this summer is On Your Mark, Get Set, Read!, focusing on wellness, fitness, and sports. I've taken a slightly different spin on this theme with stories about fruits and vegetables, and tales that get listeners involved by dancing, moving, and chanting. Weaving between the stories will be some interesting history about the origin of the foods we eat. Sound like fun? I think it will be!
I have packed up a bunch of friends and props, and we're ready to roll for the first program of the summer tomorrow at the Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library in Clarksburg, WV at 5:30pm.
I wanted to bring along fresh fruits and vegetables to display, but after thinking about various ways to do so, decided in the end on the fake variety for my programs--it's simpler, lighter, and less potential for a mess if something gets smashed.
So I am changing hats again to become The Storyteller, and I am looking forward to traveling to see friends old and new.
Here's my schedule for this summer. Please come by if you can when I am in your area!
June 10: Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library Summer Reading Program, 5:30 pm
June 10-12: WV Writers Conference, Ripley, WV
June 13: Middlebourne Public Library Summer Reading Program, Middlebourne, WV 1:00pm. Public program.
June 14: Craigsville Public Library, Summer Reading Program, 1:00pm. Public program
June 17-18: WV State Folk Festival, Glenville, WV. Performing at 2:00pm on the 17th in the Oral Traditions Tent
June 19-25: Allegheny Echoes, Marlinton, WV. Creative Writing workshop
June 28: Gilmer County 4-H, Glenville, WV. Private event.
June 30: Philippi Public Library ARTZ program, 10am
July 2-4: Fairplain Flea Market, Fairplain, WV--setting up as a vendor selling antiques, vintage and junk!
July 7: Moundsville Library Summer Reading program, 11am, Moundsville, WV Public event.
July 7: Benwood-McMechen Library Summer Reading program, 2pm, Benwood, WV Public event.
July 8: Paden City Public Library Summer Reading Program, Paden City WV, 12:00noon
July 8: Sistersville Public Library Summer Reading Program, Sistersville, WV 2:00pm
July 12: Louis Bennett Public Library Summer Reading Program, Weston, WV 10:30am.
July 26: Spectrum Tours, Tamarack. Private event.
August 6: Museum Day, Ohio River Museum, Marietta, OH. Times TBA
Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.
It's been such fun to put this one together. The national library theme for this summer is On Your Mark, Get Set, Read!, focusing on wellness, fitness, and sports. I've taken a slightly different spin on this theme with stories about fruits and vegetables, and tales that get listeners involved by dancing, moving, and chanting. Weaving between the stories will be some interesting history about the origin of the foods we eat. Sound like fun? I think it will be!
I have packed up a bunch of friends and props, and we're ready to roll for the first program of the summer tomorrow at the Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library in Clarksburg, WV at 5:30pm.
I wanted to bring along fresh fruits and vegetables to display, but after thinking about various ways to do so, decided in the end on the fake variety for my programs--it's simpler, lighter, and less potential for a mess if something gets smashed.
So I am changing hats again to become The Storyteller, and I am looking forward to traveling to see friends old and new.
Here's my schedule for this summer. Please come by if you can when I am in your area!
June 10: Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library Summer Reading Program, 5:30 pm
June 10-12: WV Writers Conference, Ripley, WV
June 13: Middlebourne Public Library Summer Reading Program, Middlebourne, WV 1:00pm. Public program.
June 14: Craigsville Public Library, Summer Reading Program, 1:00pm. Public program
June 17-18: WV State Folk Festival, Glenville, WV. Performing at 2:00pm on the 17th in the Oral Traditions Tent
June 19-25: Allegheny Echoes, Marlinton, WV. Creative Writing workshop
June 28: Gilmer County 4-H, Glenville, WV. Private event.
June 30: Philippi Public Library ARTZ program, 10am
July 2-4: Fairplain Flea Market, Fairplain, WV--setting up as a vendor selling antiques, vintage and junk!
July 7: Moundsville Library Summer Reading program, 11am, Moundsville, WV Public event.
July 7: Benwood-McMechen Library Summer Reading program, 2pm, Benwood, WV Public event.
July 8: Paden City Public Library Summer Reading Program, Paden City WV, 12:00noon
July 8: Sistersville Public Library Summer Reading Program, Sistersville, WV 2:00pm
July 12: Louis Bennett Public Library Summer Reading Program, Weston, WV 10:30am.
July 26: Spectrum Tours, Tamarack. Private event.
August 6: Museum Day, Ohio River Museum, Marietta, OH. Times TBA
Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Tellin' Them Tales!
It's a busy time for storytelling around here, and I've been doing my share. Here's some photos of the action from three of my programs in the last week:
Paden City Library Summer Reading Program yesterday:
Blackwater Falls, Saturday evening:
Williamstown Public Library, last Thursday:
No photos from the WV State Folk Festival unfortunately, as my Main Man wasn't there to handle the camera for me.
Next up: Gallipolis, Ohio Bossard Memorial Library this afternoon, then on Wednesday I'll be up in the tippy-top of West Virginia in New Cumberland at the Swaney Memorial Library. Thursday you can find me in Philippi at their public library for their ARTZ Festival, and at Lost Creek, WV at the Southern Area Library for another Summer Reading Program presentation.
Hope to see you at one of these events!
Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.
Paden City Library Summer Reading Program yesterday:
Blackwater Falls, Saturday evening:
Williamstown Public Library, last Thursday:
No photos from the WV State Folk Festival unfortunately, as my Main Man wasn't there to handle the camera for me.
Next up: Gallipolis, Ohio Bossard Memorial Library this afternoon, then on Wednesday I'll be up in the tippy-top of West Virginia in New Cumberland at the Swaney Memorial Library. Thursday you can find me in Philippi at their public library for their ARTZ Festival, and at Lost Creek, WV at the Southern Area Library for another Summer Reading Program presentation.
Hope to see you at one of these events!
Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Here Comes Summer: Jack and Appalachian Programs and Travel, Oh My!
It starts tomorrow!
My first program of the summer reading season is today at 1:00pm at the Williamstown Library in Williamstown, WV. It will also be the first time I've performed at this library. Nervous? A little--a new show always has me worried until I roll it out. Even with practice and planning, I just fret and try to see every detail in advance.
This year my program for the libraries "superheroes" theme is Jack: the Appalachian Superhero! Jack is my man when it comes to stories--I love the mischief, the cleverness and the imagery of the Jack tales. So much fun to tell! The trick is to be sure I have versions for all ages, right down to preschoolers. I work through the stories, finding ways to adapt them and have a variety on hand so that I can adjust according to who is seated in front of me. In most libraries, the audiences tend to be all ages, from the babies to the grandparents and that calls for creative thinking and performance on the part of the storyteller.
I think we're going to have a good time. Jack will be getting into all sorts of situations but I know him--he'll come out of all of them smelling like a rose.
I follow up this first summer reading presentation with two days of Appalachian stories and ballads, first at the West Virginia State Folk Festival and the following evening at Blackwater Falls State Park. A day of rest Sunday to celebrate both my birthday and Father's Day, and then next week a full week of Jack and travel. So I've spent the last few days getting things ready at home--the house clean, laundry done, rugs washed, jam made, peas put up, some food prepared in advance, groceries stocked up, bills paid, paperwork caught up. I also I finalized my stories, finalized my display and packed up my puppets. No booth work this week, but I have them all in pretty good shape, knowing there would be little time to care for them for the next few weeks.
I'm wishing my van was back. Another promise that it should be ready, but I'm not feeling too certain of that. I'm very disappointed in Lee Myles Transmission of Parkersburg--17 days is truly unacceptable and this long wait has only added anxiety to my life that I don't think was entirely necessary. It is, however, one of those things I can't change so all I can do is accept it and move on. A rental car may be in my future this weekend and that just means more expense for this already costly breakdown.
But let it go, right? I have good things to look forward to--lots of attentive faces, lots of smiles and lots of laughter. Life is good.
So come on summer! I think I'm ready. I hope.
Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.
I think we're going to have a good time. Jack will be getting into all sorts of situations but I know him--he'll come out of all of them smelling like a rose.
I follow up this first summer reading presentation with two days of Appalachian stories and ballads, first at the West Virginia State Folk Festival and the following evening at Blackwater Falls State Park. A day of rest Sunday to celebrate both my birthday and Father's Day, and then next week a full week of Jack and travel. So I've spent the last few days getting things ready at home--the house clean, laundry done, rugs washed, jam made, peas put up, some food prepared in advance, groceries stocked up, bills paid, paperwork caught up. I also I finalized my stories, finalized my display and packed up my puppets. No booth work this week, but I have them all in pretty good shape, knowing there would be little time to care for them for the next few weeks.
I'm wishing my van was back. Another promise that it should be ready, but I'm not feeling too certain of that. I'm very disappointed in Lee Myles Transmission of Parkersburg--17 days is truly unacceptable and this long wait has only added anxiety to my life that I don't think was entirely necessary. It is, however, one of those things I can't change so all I can do is accept it and move on. A rental car may be in my future this weekend and that just means more expense for this already costly breakdown.
But let it go, right? I have good things to look forward to--lots of attentive faces, lots of smiles and lots of laughter. Life is good.
So come on summer! I think I'm ready. I hope.
Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.
Monday, June 16, 2014
Fizz! Boom! Fun!
My program is a mixture of stories and experiments. The experiments pick up on some aspect of the story--blowing up balloons with baking soda, optical illusions, and everything in between. Good crowds came out at the small-town libraries in Sistersville and Paden City, WV; almost every chair was full in Sistersville and in Paden City the staff scrambled to get out more chairs as people piled in.
My display table before the program began--lots of kitchen items, the puppets, the fiber optic lights (for demonstrating why we can't see stars during the day), and paper towels for potential cleanup.
And here you can see most of the rainbow after my volunteers added the liquids to the cup.
We played with cabbage too-well, with the liquid that remains when red cabbage is cooked. I modified the story of the Giant Turnip to be a giant cabbage instead, and my volunteers worked hard to pull the cabbage out. All were fascinated by the way the cabbage liquid changed color with the addition of bases and acids.
Bear, one of the first puppets I bought when I began storytelling, belonged to my youngest son Tommy for several years before before being allowed to go storytelling with me. He's still one of my favorite puppets. Tommy is 28 now, so you can see Bear has been around a long time. Here we are telling the story
Sody Saleratus. It is an old mountain story and gave me the opportunity for more audience participation and to try another experiment, blowing up a balloon with the soda/vinegar interaction.
Yes, it works! You have to be careful though or the balloon will blow up. Fortunately it stayed intact during both demonstrations.
Then it was on to Paden City; waiting for the crowd to come in and wondering who would be there and how many would come. Display set up varies depending on the tables available and I always carry extra table covers just in case I make a mess or need more.
Story selection and presentation varies too, depending on the age of the audience and their reactions. A storyteller is always reading the audience for clues and stories can shift and change, be longer or shorter, based on those readings.
Telling the story of how the elephant got his long trunk with a group of eager volunteers. This story leads into optical illusion experiments.
I will be back on the road this week, presenting this program for Shady Spring Library in Raleigh County, WV. I will also be telling Appalachian tales for a church camp near Huntington, WV and spending a couple days at the West Virginia Folk Festival at Glenville, WV as coordinator and presenter for the Oral Traditions Tent. I hope to see you somewhere along the way.
Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.
Sunday, April 6, 2014
A Busy Thursday
Is it jello? Is it a sundae?
No, it's a rainbow in a jar! My first attempt, which didn't come out as well as it could have, but later versions worked very well. This was my practice batch as I practiced my presentation for the WV Library Association's Spring Fling. Storyteller Jo Ann Dadisman and I shared ideas for ways to include science with folktales to help the librarians with their plans for summer reading.
Downtown Sutton is charming with brick streets and many restored buildings.
I hope someone will share photos they took so I can post them here. We had a great time experimenting with making a chicken cluck with a plastic cup, making water and light bend, making the rainbow in the jar and blowing up a balloon with baking soda along with lots of other easy experiments. Every attendee left with a handmade bookmark (by Jo Ann), a bag of candy for all sorts of candy experiments (from me), and handouts with stories, experiments and ideas from both of us.
After the drive home and my evening walk, I returned to find things much greener than when I left in the morning. The day's showers helped, I'm sure, along with temperatures in the 70's.
I love spring!
Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.
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