In a collaborative effort between FCS agents, Community and Leadership Development, and Community Arts, a new disaster recovery and wellness curriculum for children was planned and compiled for soft launch at Homemaker’s Association Conference in Lexington, KY on May 6, 2025 to a small group of 13 individuals. 

Disasters, both natural and man-made can have significant physical and psychological effects on children, as well as their caregivers. The goal of this program is to help parents open conversations with their children about what has happened and how they are feeling in the wake of the disaster. The vehicle chosen to begin these conversations is a children’s book written by LeVar Burton, formerly of the popular TV show Reading Rainbow, called “The Rhino Who Swallowed the Storm.” In this charming illustrated book, a young rhinoceros finds himself overwhelmed by a storm that takes away all that he loves. Trying to swallow the storm only deepens his sorrow, so Rhino journeys in search of healing and renewal, and eventually finds it through his friends.

Knowing that research shows expressive arts provide important non-verbal outlets for children to communicate complex feelings, facilitating emotional regulation and resilience, Community Arts Senior Associate, Jessica Evans, joined the team, developing expressive art activities that would connect to the source text, and be accessible to young children and their caregivers, all while providing wellness benefits through creative expression and mindful practices that can help in emotional regulation. 

The resulting Facilitator’s Guide, After Swallowing a Storm: Caregivers Helping Kids Cope with Disaster Trauma, presents Learning Activities, Movement Activities, Expressive Art Activities and a take home lesson that meet the following 3 objectives:

Objective 1: Enhance caregiver-child bonding and communication during stressful situations, such as after disasters. 

Objective 2: Equip caregivers with tools to help children express and understand their emotions after a disaster. 

Objective 3: Guide parents in teaching children about community support and identifying trusted helpers.   

The "Follow Your Feet” sensory art activity helps young children take figurative and literal steps toward identifying and sharing feelings with loved ones while incorporating tactile and expressive art play and color mixing to engage their senses and become grounded. By guiding children through movement, color, and sensory play, they build emotional intelligence, social connections, and self-awareness in a fun and meaningful way—encouraging them to follow their feet, trust their emotions, and connect with those who care about them. 

The "Buzzy Helper Bees” Art Activity shows children how friends and community members can be relied upon in times of need. This activity uses collaborative art-making and color associations through mixed media to help children understand the importance of friendship and community, encouraging conversations with parents about recognizing and relying on trusted helpers in times of need. 

Each activity was piloted informally with a parent and child volunteer and subsequently modified for increased success. Variations to each art activity were also included in the facilitators guide to provide accommodations for children with sensory issues, for groups of different sizes, and for affordable or recycled materials. 

The collaborative team is now collecting feedback on the “Rhino” Facilitation Guide from attendees at the Homemaker’s Conference and other colleagues with plans for further revision and possible future inclusion into “In the Face of Disaster” Toolkit and other applications.