The Colors of the Wind (Windsock Craft and Charity Book Drive)

This weekend, we finished up our Book Drive for Reach Out and Read.  I’m waiting on the final count but feel confident there were well over 700 books collected, possibly quite a bit more, over triple the number I was able to collect last year.

We owe our success to the support of Lovin’ Logistics and Joel DeGregorio, owner of the Mt. Sinai The UPS Store franchise. He provided not only a public drop-off for the books but also incentive coupons for book donors.

Reach Out and Read is an evidence-based, non-profit organization, that provides literacy support for at-risk families during well-baby appointments at clinics. What amazes me is that by just giving each child, 0-5, two books a year, creating a print-rich environment in the waiting room, and providing read-aloud tips to the parents, this program is able to raise literacy rates among our most vulnerable populations of children.

As a capstone to our successful book drive, I led a story and craft time at The UPS Store, which was free and open to the public.

Rainbow Windsock Craft

Materials:

• rainbow template printed on 11 x 17 paper
• crayons
• crepe paper streamers
• glue stick
• single hole punch
• yarn or a chenille stem

Directions:

1. Color in the rainbow template and decorate in any other way you wish. At home we probably would have added Glitter! because Glitter! makes everything more fun. Note: I don’t usually use a lot of templates with young kids but I like the idea of working some literacy skills into a craft for a literacy charity!

2. Add glue along the bottom edge of the windsock. Notes: If you would like a neat edge, glue the crepe paper streamers on the reverse (non-decorated) side of the windsock body.  We like Elmer’s Disappearing Purple Glue Sticks because the kids can see if they need to apply more glue.

3. Add crepe paper streamers in rainbow order to the bottom of your windsock.

4. Roll the windsock into a tube and staple or tape the edges together. Punch holes at the top directly across from one another. Thread through yarn. Note: You can also thread rainbow beads on the yarn!

5. Hang somewhere windy and enjoy!

Thank you to our friends at The UPS Store!

I read the same books we read at our Rainbow Play Date (What Makes A Rainbow? and The Leprechaun Who Lost His Rainbow) and added this lovely poem from the anthology, If You See a Fairy Ring: A Rich Treasury of Classic Fairy Poems:

The Rainbow Fairies
by Juliana Horatia Ewing

Two little clouds one summer’s day
Went flying through the sky.
They went so fast they bumped their heads,
And both began to cry.

Old Father Sun looked out and said,
“Oh, never mind my dears,
I’ll send my little fairy folk
To dry your falling tears.”

One fairy came in violet,
And one in indigo,
In blue, green, yellow, orange, red,–
They made a pretty row.

They wiped the cloud tears all away,
And then, from out the sky,
Upon a line the sunbeams made
They hung their gowns to dry.

Disclosure: December through February I participated as a paid The UPS Store Brand Ambassador and in conjunction with the Lovin’ Logistics campaign at Collective Bias. Although I have completed my involvement with this campaign, I wanted to update everyone on the charity event and share this craft! All opinions are my own.