This program will be presented by the founder and director of Rainbow Child International, Sandy Taylor. Sandy has 35 years experience in storytelling. She has performed on my behalf dozens of times, and has been uniformly successful with all types of audiences.

Here is what Ona Bradshaw of Lowell School in Englewood in Cliffs, NJ said about Sandy's show:
"I have seen both Sandy's and Bruce's Holiday shows. I could recommend either one of them to any elementary school."

My Best, Bruce Segal

The following is an outline of Sandy's Program:

Winter holiday shows presented by Sandy Taylor include Hanukkah, Christmas, Eid al-Adha, Kwanzaa and other winter holiday celebrations of Light (see below). With props for each holiday, she shares some interesting points about the history of each holiday and demonstrates how the holidays are celebrated . There are stories for each holiday that include audience participation and some songs or dances. The theme overall is one of peacemaking, respect for others and using our gifts and talents to serve others.
 
The stories/dances: (One story will be selected for each holiday presented.)
 
Hanukkah: "The Wooden Sword", a Jewish folktale of faith and transformation or "The Palace of Bird Beaks", a story of King Solomon wisdom to know when he made a mistake and take proper action to correct it, or "When Night Ends and Day Begins", night ends and day begins when we see all people as our brothers and sisters. This last story can be followed by the song "Vine and Fig Tree" about living in peace with one another. 
 
Christmas: an Italian story, "The Clown of God" (This beautiful story is about a little orphan boy who had nothing but a talent for juggling and making people laugh. Many years following his rise to fame, he thought he lost all until he realized the great gift he had to offer.) 
 
Eid al-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice) : a Nasrudin story, "Feeding His Clothes" Nasrudin is the wise fool. (The lesson: When judging others by the way they look and how they are dressed, we miss relating to and having a relationship with "the person". ) 
 
Kwanzaa: "Seiwaa", a story from Ghana about a little girl who was teased about the scar on her face. She finds a way to get the kids to stop teasing. With faith in herself and with purpose, she uses creativity to bring unity to her community. As an alternative there is a tale from Ghana,"The Hawk and the Hen", which is about cooperating and working together. That story has a little dance that everyone can do by their seats. 
 
Other celebrations (although there may not be time for all):

1. India's celebration of light, Dwali, a beautiful hand poem about peace

2. Native American story or dance (all or a few may participate) for Solstice (all or a few may participate) 

3. Sweden's Santa Lucia Day, story of Santa Lucia 4. Mexico's La Posada, story of La Posada

The storyteller:  Sandy Taylor, storyteller, educator, author and director of Rainbow Child International, has been storytelling and teaching multicultural arts for over 35 years. She tells stories as a way of building bridges and opening doors to people and cultures around the world. Her stories draw her audience into an intimate connection with others, while presenting ways of being the best one can be.

 
For more information refer to her website:www.rainbowchild.com and click on programs.