Cooperative Living March/April 2019 - 36

Kids'Korner | Story, photos and artwork by Anne M. Dellinger, Contributing Columnist
Bring on Spring, but don't
forget your umbrella
f you are currently living in the earth's Northern
Hemisphere, you know that winter is starting to melt
into spring. Have you noticed brighter, warmer days,
chirping birds, peeping frogs, flitting butterflies and bees? It's
time to get outdoors! Spring cannot be celebrated in the house!
But before stepping out, check the forecast. Mark Twain
once said, " In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds
of weather inside of 24 hours. " Even though this is an
extreme exaggeration, the weather in March-April often goes
from great to yucky pretty fast. A warm, sunshiny morning
can suddenly disappear into a blustery, rainy afternoon
followed by a miserable sleety/freezing-rain evening.
The best plan is to be prepared for the worst situation
(like getting soaked and chilled to the bone at a spring
soccer match or baseball game). So, stuff
a windbreaker into your backpack and
then toss in your own personal,
portable roof ... an umbrella,
of course!
Even though the umbrella can save the
day, it is often forgotten or misplaced and
nowhere to be found when a downpour
begins. (Most households have two or
three hiding somewhere in a closet or
under a car seat.)
In 2013, Thomas Edward Knibb decided that everyone
needed to be reminded of the importance of this disregarded
weather-accessory by establishing March as National
Umbrella Month.
Perhaps he thought that by celebrating the merits of the
umbrella in March, everyone would begin preparing for the
inevitable " April showers that bring May flowers. "
Drenched in History
You might be surprised to learn that the first umbrella,
also referred to as a parasol, was designed to provide shade
only, not rain protection. Umbrella comes from the Latin
word umbra, which means shade or shadow. It was created
over 4,000 years ago from palm leaves or feathers attached
to a long stick. Ancient art
and artifacts of Egypt,
Assyria and Greece
often show slaves of
early cultures
holding a
" sunshade " over
their masters to
protect them
from the sun.
34 | Cooperative Living | March-April 2019
I
This earliest
invention for sun
protection looked
nothing like
today's umbrella.
We have the
Chinese to thank for
designing the more
familiar collapsible umbrella.
Around the 4th century B.C., using
leaves and branches, they fashioned a
curved canopy supported by ribs and a center shaft. Later on, the
covers were made of cloth, silk and paper. At some point in time,
the Chinese began adding a layer of wax and lacquer to the
paper parasols and the first waterproof umbrella was created,
giving both sun and rain protection. This souvenir parchment
umbrella from Hong Kong reflects its early beginnings.
'Taking Cover' Wasn't for Everyone
For much of the umbrella's history, it was a status symbol
that only gave protection to the noble and wealthy. When the
umbrella finally made its way into the rainy climates of
Northern Europe, it was used only by women.
Men shunned it because they considered it a
decorative, lady's item.
For centuries, generations of men would
put on extra flannel underwear and
several layers of socks for rainy weather
rather than use an accessory that
wasn't " manly. "
Then, one day in London during
the mid-1700s, Jonas Hanway decided to go against the
social customs of that time and bravely stepped into the
rainy streets holding his " portable roof. "
As the first man to carry an umbrella in public in England,
he was bullied, chased and ridiculed. But he endured the
abuse and persisted with his cause by carrying his
umbrella every day for the next 30 years.
It took a long time but Hanway's rain-repelling revolution
gradually caught on. The males of London finally became
convinced that using an umbrella had little to do
with masculinity and everything to do with
staying dry and comfortable. In the end, he
popularized umbrella use so much that
English gentlemen often referred to their
umbrellas as a " Hanway " ... a fitting
tribute to this man of courage.
Not all heroes put on capes ... this one
carried an umbrella!
co-opliving.com
KIDS! CLIP AND KEEP YOUR KIDS' KORNER COLUMNS IN A THREE-RING BINDER AND YOU'LL HAVE A NOTEBOOK CHOCK FULL OF FUN IDEAS AND ACTIVITIES FOR THE FUTURE!

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Cooperative Living March/April 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living March/April 2019