Recap of Recaps: October 31–November 5

Submitted by Joanie Goforth

Here is a small sampling of recaps from programs across the system that took place from October 31–November 5:

Rangoli Sand Art at the Cumming Diwali Crafts and Demonstrations program

Patrons join in for Dandiya (stick dancing) at the Sharon Forks Diwali celebration

Diwali Crafts and Demonstrations at Cumming Library

41 children, 59 adults

"We had a wonderful turnout for today's Diwali program. We began with a video made by one of our TAB members, then two dance demonstrations from past and current TAB members. All the volunteers were dressed in beautiful traditional clothing from India. Six women from the community demonstrated how to make a Rangoli sand design, explaining what they were doing and why. We learned that you can tell how

a wife has been treated by her husband if you look at the Rangoli design. Apparently, a messy design means he has not been very nice! Staff set up five different craft areas representing each of the days of Diwali: Diyas painting, Bandanwars (tissue paper garland), Rangoli sand art, fake sparklers (using straws, colored Mylar, and Mylar emergency blankets), and Diwali cards to hand out to loved ones. Numerous families asked where they could purchase the supplies for many of the crafts and thanked us profusely for helping celebrate DIwali. I could not have done this program without the amazing TAB members who helped me prepare and present it. A huge shout out goes to the super awesome Sebastian, our intern, for helping with set up, photos and all kinds of other stuff." –hosted by Sariah Homan

Native American Storytelling with Ryan LittleEagle at Hampton Park Library

3 children, 7 adults

"Ryan LittleEagle started his talk explaining that the different tribal nations are like separate countries and each have their own history, stories, and traditions. The Sioux are divided into 3 tribes: the Dakota, the Lakota, and the Nakota. Ryan talked about the creation story of the Lakota, a courting story complete with a bit of flute playing that gave the origin of the flute, and talked about spirituality. He mentioned that most Native Americans in North America aren't polytheistic - they believe in one creator and that the creator's spirit infuses everything around them. They don't worship nature, they respect that they are a part of it and try to live within that cycle. Ryan also set up a table and  set out different Native American items for patrons to look at and even touch when he was done speaking. There were a lot of good questions at the end and several people sat down to peruse the books I set out on Cherokee lore and Native American tribes.” –hosted by Jennifer Forbes

Conversational English at Post Road Library

5 adults

“We had 5 attendees at Conversational English this week, 2 returning and 3 new individuals. Countries represented were Brazil, India, and Venezuela. We started off the session discussing how everyone celebrated Halloween (if at all). We followed that up with a few "this day in history" facts and some tongue twisters. Our main topic for the evening was fall, starting with what we like about fall and how fall is both similar and different in Georgia compared to everyone's home countries. We read a script, taking turns reading out loud to practice pronunciation, that was all about fall including the changes of the leaves, the shortening of the days, and apple picking. This was followed by some questions about the script to make sure everyone understood what we had read. A couple individuals also tried summarizing what we read in their own words, which was fantastic and they did an amazing job! Participants answered some fun conversation starter questions, such as "What's the first thing you would do if you won the lottery?" and "What is your favorite month of the year and why?" Overall, it was a great class!” –hosted by Morgan Shaffer

Diwali at Sharon Forks Library

300 children, 272 adults

“We had more than 500 patrons join us for two incredible dance performances at this year’s Diwali celebration. Audience members of all ages were captivated by the skill and dedication these young dancers and their teachers put into the performance. FCPL’s CSA and trained dancer Shweta demonstrated Dandiya, a dance from the state of Gujarat. She performed a short piece, then gave audience members sticks and taught them several basic steps. Everyone loved it and dancers of all ages and skills joined in on the fun. Families could create an elephant wall hanging, paint a diya, get a henna tattoo, color coloring sheets, and create a Kolam design. Educational pieces were displayed throughout the library explaining the symbols, customs, and traditions for “the festival of light.” Patrons were also asked to share their favorite traditions on an interactive bulletin board. Families were given a box of traditional treats as they left the celebration..” –hosted by Sarah Reynolds

Outreach Visit to Chattahoochee Elementary School

80 Children, 7 adults

“As a precursor to the Leap Into Literacy event on November 1st, Katie and I went to Chattahoochee Elementary on Halloween and did a "night animals" themed storytime and puppet show. It was so much fun! We had them up and dancing and moving between stories and they were such a great audience. As always, the "Night Animals" puppet show was a great hit! At the end of the program as we were cleaning up, a member of the cafeteria staff said she watched the whole thing and thought it was so much fun! Halloween, dancing, storytimes and puppet shows just bring out the inner child in everyone!” –contributed by Christine Conroy