Arts Disaster and Crisis Preparedness Conference 2026

Children are particularly vulnerable in disasters, not only from direct exposure, but from watching their caregivers stressed and struggling. They often react by acting out, or by experiencing increased anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress. What helps most is a caregiver who feels equipped to stay calm, keep communication open, and help children identify and express their feelings.


This workshop presents an arts-based curriculum developed through Cooperative Extension that gives caregivers these tools. The curriculum uses The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm, a children's storybook by LeVar Burton and Susan Bernado, to open conversations between adults and young children about disasters, emotions, and community support. Research shows that storytelling can reduce anxiety, improve self-concept, and strengthen parent-child communication by creating imaginative spaces for emotional expression. The curriculum also includes movement and visual art activities, grounded in research on expressive arts as non-verbal outlets for children processing complex feelings, and guided reflection on who children can turn to for help, which is also a crucial protective factor against isolation and anxiety.


As currently designed, the delivery model works through Cooperative Extension. County Extension Agents and volunteer Homemakers experience the curriculum themselves first, then lead hands-on training with caregivers and parents of early elementary-aged children. The goal is not for Extension agents to work directly with kids, but to build caregiver confidence and capacity by giving parents the book, the questions, and the activities to use at home with the kids they are raising. Workshop participants will experience the curriculum firsthand, reading and discussing The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm together, trying the Buzzy Bees visual art activity, and moving through several of the movement exercises that are part of the curriculum. Participants will also examine how the delivery model was built and why. We will end by exploring together how arts-based organizations fit in a model like this, and what their role might be as partners in community-based disaster readiness.