Origami Umbrellas

webadmin — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 12:00:01 +0000

Spring is coming up quickly and with spring, we must be prepared for the rain! Thankfully March is also Umbrella Month! In honor of that, we invite you to make these colorful origami umbrellas with us! Follow the instructions below to create your own umbrella!

Materials:

8 square pieces of paper (can be different colors or the same)
Glue stick

Instructions:

Step 1: Begin with 1 sheet of square paper.

Step 2: Fold the paper in half forming a triangle.

Step 3: Undo the fold you’ve just done. When you open the paper back out, take the left side and fold it onto the middle seam you’ve just created.

Step 4: Reopen the paper and fold it in half into a triangle once again.

Step 5: Take the top tip of the triangle and fold it along the new seam you’ve just created.

Step 6: Take the top layer of the triangle you’ve just created and bend it back.

Step 7: Open the bottom triangle and place the piece you just folded back into the pocket.

Step 8: Repeat steps 1-7 with 6 more pieces of paper.

Step 9: Now take two pieces of your folded paper and place the small triangle into the pocket.

Step 10: Fold the excess over the flap and repeat this process with the other 5 pieces.

Step 11: When you have your final piece insert it into the first piece the same way. Now you have completed the top portion of your umbrella!

Step 12: To make the handle, take a piece of paper and roll it diagonally into a tight stem. When you reach the end place some glue on the paper before placing the last flap down to secure it in place.

Step 13: Using the tip of a pencil or toothpick, insert a hole into the center of the top portion of your umbrella.

Step 14: Place your stem through your hole until you have a small section sticking through the top.

Step 15: For our final step, cut a piece of paper as wide as the piece sticking up through the top of your umbrella. Wrap the cut piece around this section and secure it by gluing the first piece onto the stem and the last piece.

“Pictures can say a thousand words… but sometimes it’s easier to see how it’s done! Please check out the original video “How to Make an Umbrella for Kids” on Youtube for more detailed instructions.

Image Credit: All still images by Craft with Sahar via How to make an Umbrella for kids | Youtube.”

You can also check out these wonderful picture books related to umbrellas!

Jonas Hanway’s scurrilous, scandalous, shockingly sensational umbrella by Josh Crute

Sometimes in London it drizzles. Sometimes it mizzles. Other times it pelts and showers and spits. And Jonas Hanway hates getting wet. How can he go about his day as a proper London gentleman when his shoes are soggy, his coat is always collecting puddles, and his wig looks like a wet cat? Fed up with damp and dreary London, Jonas sails far away, to places where the sun always shines. But what he sees when he gets there is … scandalous! Shocking! Sensational! Perhaps also … quite genius? Now, all Jonas has to do is convince the rest of London that they need an umbrella, too.

Under the Umbrella by Catherine Buquet and Marion Arbona

When a grumpy man loses his umbrella on a cold and windy day, he stops to share a treat with a small boy.

The Umbrella by Jan Brett

Carlos goes into the cloud forest to look for animals, but he manages to miss seeing them even though they have an adventure with his umbrella.

The Umbrella by Ingrid & Dieter Schubert

A little dog finds an umbrella in the garden on a windy day. The moment the dog picks up the umbrella, it catches the wind and pulls the dog skywards. This is the start to a fantastic journey around the world. The wind carries the umbrellas and the dog all over the world, from the desert to the sea, from the jungle to the North Pole.

The Green Umbrella by Jackie Azúa Kramer

When Elephant takes a quiet stroll with his green umbrella, he is hindered by Hedgehog, Cat, Bear, and Rabbit, each asserting that his umbrella is truly their boat, tent, flying machine, and cane.

The Big Umbrella by Amy June Bates

A spacious umbrella welcomes anyone and everyone who needs shelter from the rain.

Floop’s New Umbrella by Carole Tremblay

Floop tries to find his friends to show them his new umbrella, but when it begins to rain, his friends find him.

The Umbrella by Lisa Lebedovich

A beautiful book about how the power of friendship can help overcome fears.

This Beautiful Day by Richard Jackson

Undaunted by the rainy weather, three children take their happiness outside and seem to chase the clouds away as they jump, skip, and dance together.

The Umbrella Queen by Shirin Yim Bridges

In a village in Thailand where everyone makes umbrellas, young Noot dreams of painting the most beautiful one and leading the annual parade as Umbrella Queen, but her unconventional designs displease her parents.

The Thingamabob by Il Sung Na

An elephant finds a “thingamabob” and experiments until he discovers what to do with it.

Let’s Celebrate Read Across America Together!

webadmin — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 12:00:46 +0000

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Did you know that March 2nd is Read Across America Day? It’s a day each year where we get to celebrate our favorite library activity… READING! And it’s the biggest celebration of reading in the country! And the entire month of March is National Reading Month!

Launched in 1998 by the National Education Association (or the NEA) and guided by a committee of educators, Read Across America’s mission is to feature titles and resources where children can see themselves reflected in, as well as allow them to see a world or characters that may be different from them.

Just like with adults, it’s important for readers of all ages to connect to the books they are reading. Being able to feel included, recognized, and a part of that world enhances the reading experience… and is just plain fun!

So how can YOU celebrate Read Across America Day and National Reading Month? By reading, of course! Read Across America has curated booklists that feature diverse authors and characters. You can find their “Book Love for National Reading Month” booklist here. Or check out their “Diverse Books with Trailblazing Women” booklist that celebrates National Reading Month and Women’s History Month here. You can find additional reading resources, prior month’s recommended books, and activities by visiting the official 2021-2022 NEA calendar here!

Need some more suggestions? You’ve come to the right place! Check out these amazing books featuring diverse stories today!

Picture Books

Bedtime Bonnet by Nancy Amanda Redd
Saturday at the Food Pantry by Diane O’Neill
Aaron Slater, Illustrator by Andrea Beaty
What Happened to You? by James Catchpole
My City Speaks by Darren Lebeuf
The Treasure Box by Dave Keane
Areli is a Dreamer by Areli Morales
Like a Dandelion by Huy Voun Lee
Dumpling Day by Meera Sriram
Our Favorite Day of the Year by A.E. Ali
If You Come to Earth by Sophie Blackall
Same, Same, But Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw

Early Readers, Chapter Books, and Graphic Novels

Just Roll with It by Lee Durfey-Lavoie
Dragons and Marshmallows: the Zoey and Sassafras series by Asia Citro
Alvin Ho by Lenore Look
Indian Shoes by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Planet Omar by Zanib Mian
Lift by Minh Lê
Sadiq and the Desert Star by Siman Nuurali
Princess Princess Ever After by Katie O’Neill
Piece by Piece: The Story of Nisrin’s Hijab by Priya Huq
Lowriders in Space by Cathy Camper
Measuring Up by Lily LaMotte
When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

Young Adult

Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel by Jason Reynolds
Paying the Land by Joe Sacco
Displacement by Kiku Hughes
Almost American Girl by Robin Ha
Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett Krosoczka
The Memory of Light by Francisco X. Stork
The Lines We Cross by Randa Abdel-Fattah
Same But Different by Holly Robinson Peete
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork
Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick
The Skin I’m In by Sharon G. Flake

books – Charles County Public Library