PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Janet Morris Telephone: (301) 600-7003 E-mail: JMorris@frederickcountymd.

gov The Very Hungry Caterpillar Party The Very Hungry Caterpillars 44 Birthday is upon us! The book, written by Eric Carle, was first published in March 1969 and has been used by parents and teachers for decades to help teach their children a variety of subjects. Join us as we celebrate this beloved picture book and explore its ability to teach science, art and healthy eating through a variety of caterpillar activities. This program will take place on March 20, 2013 at 2:00 PM at the Urbana Public Library. It is for children ages 3 to 5 years old with a parent, registration is required. To register for this program go to: www.fcpl.org or call 301-600-7003.
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Program Proposal: Title: The Very Hungry Caterpillar Party Age Group: Children ages 3-5 with an adult. Registration is required. Date: March 20, 2013 Start Time: 2:00 PM End Time: 2:50 PM

Library: Urbana Regional Library

Location: Urbana Library Community Room

Other Information: Our programs are very well attended, so I would ask patrons to register and limit attendance to 20 children and their parents. That way, we know how many people to expect and could plan accordingly for the activities and crafts. Total Cost for Program: $20 for food. Craft supplies are already available. Potential Community Partners: Frederick Memorial Hospital Outreach and Rose Hill Manor. How This Program Meets FCPLs Mission: Part of the mission of the FCPL is to connect people to ideas, experiences and information. This program meets our mission by introducing children to literacy and STEM activities in a fun and interesting way. Often parents do not see the potential science and math lessons that are in picture books. Through this program we hope to introduce parents to fun and engaging ways of sharing books with their children to make a home library connection.

Program Overview: Introduce and read The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. Use flannel story along with the book. Explain the 4 stations that have been set up in the room. Have children break into groups. Stations: #1. Healthy Eating Match Game and Snack: The children will be given pictures of healthy and unhealthy snacks and asked to sort them. They will then make a healthy caterpillar snack using apples, raisins, pretzels and a strawberry. Parents will be offered a chance to pick up healthy eating pamphlets from Frederick Memorial Hospital Outreach. #2. Life Cycle of a Butterfly: Using basic materials we will make a chart of the life cycle that the Very Hungry Caterpillar went through. We will then act out the life cycle by curling up into ball for the egg, squirming on the ground for the worm, crawling into a sac for the cocoon, and climbing out of the sac holding scarves as a butterfly. #3. Create a Very Hungry Caterpillar Book: Each child will be given a stapled together caterpillar book. The child will then be allowed time to draw items that they want their caterpillar to eat through. We will then make a pipe cleaner caterpillar for the child to poke through the holes in their storybook while retelling their story. #4. Art like Eric Carle: The children will be offered the chance to decorate caterpillars or butterflies using tissue paper and glue collage. While this is not entirely the process that Eric Carle uses to create his illustrations, it will offer an introduction to the art of collage. PLANNING PROCESS 3-4 MONTHS BEFORE PROGRAM: Meet with Urbana Branch Supervisor and Childrens Department Staff to propose the program and discuss program details. Choose a tentative date. Reach out to potential community partners. Discuss program and expectations. Set a date. Develop a list of supplies necessary for the program. Obtain approval for purchasing supplies. Reserve event space. Create program description in Evanced calendar. 2 MONTHS BEFORE PROGRAM: Create Program: Choose activities, crafts and snacks. Reserve flannel board. Contact FCPL Webpage coordinator and send him program information to post on the FCPL webpage. 2 WEEKS BEFORE PROGRAM: Check Evanced calendar and make sure the program is accepting registrations. Create and hang flyers and posters to promote program. 1 WEEK BEFORE PROGRAM: Post event on FCPLs Twitter and Face book accounts. Pick up flyers from Frederick Memorial Hospital Outreach. A FEW DAYS BEFORE PROGRAM: Gather craft supplies for the program, purchase food. DAY OF PROGRAM Set up Community Room. Arrange and set up tables for the activity stations. Print out registration list. PROGRAM EVALUATION: Patron comment forms.