Balloons Over Broadway is my new favorite November read aloud. It is written and illustrated by Melissa Sweet. This nonfiction book is about Tony Sarg, the man who designed the giant balloons in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. It takes you on a journey of Tony Sarg’s early fascination with puppets to the creation of the giant, iconic balloons that float down the streets of New York City every year. This book is a must for your November read aloud collection. Head over to Amazon to buy Balloons Over Broadway now. Keep reading below for some fantastic Balloons Over Broadway activities.
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Balloons Over Broadway Read Aloud Activity
Some parts of this book can be a little hard for kindergarteners to understand. I recommend reading it before your lesson to be ready to explain some of the harder vocabulary words. Write some text dependent questions on sticky notes and attach them to your book. A couple of examples can be How did some of the animals in the parade make the children feel? and What were some of the balloon creatures Tony helped to create? Text dependent questions are great for building comprehension.
Interactive Read Aloud
Looking for lesson plans and text dependent questions already thought out for you? Our 3 day interactive read aloud for Balloons Over Broadway is just what you need. It not only includes detailed lesson plans for all 3 days with text dependent questions for each day, but also 14 differentiated writing pages, story elements anchor charts and an adorable Balloons Over Broadway craft activity.
Balloons Over Broadway Writing Activity
After reading the book, ask students to imagine what balloon they would create for the parade. After discussing their thoughts, show them how to draw a picture and write a sentence about their balloon. Use our free writing templates for this Balloons Over Broadway activity.
Math Parade Balloon Graph
Show your students the last few pages of the book to review the different types of balloons in the parade. Have them decide on their favorite balloon. Then create a class graph to show their favorites. After the graph is complete, ask questions such as:
- Which balloon has the most votes?
- Which balloon has the least votes? How many votes does it have?
- How many more votes does the dog have than the elephant?
Balloons Over Broadway Inspired Science Experiment
When your students see a balloon floating around the classroom, they will already be excited for the lesson! Get a helium filled balloon for this science activity. Before starting the experiment, talk a little about helium, and how this balloon is filled with helium and that’s why it is floating. Helium is a gas that is lighter than air, so it makes balloons float.
Tell your students about the science experiment. Use our free Scientific Method chart to show the steps of a science experiment. The question will be: How many cubes will weigh the balloon down enough to keep it from floating away? Have students hypothesize how many unifix cubes (or any small objects) it would take to hold the balloon down. Start attaching the cubes to the string. Once the balloon is settled, count how many cubes are attached to conclude the experiment. This cute unicorn balloon took 5 unifix cubes to hold it in place.
Balloon Art
For a fun art project, students can create their own balloons for a class parade. Blow up some balloons before starting this lesson (this is a good project to send home with a parent to do the night before). Make sure the balloons aren’t too full of air, so they won’t pop easily. Using markers, students can create their own balloon creatures by adding eyes, a mouth and other features. You can also give them tissue paper, party streamers, or any other items that they can glue on to their balloons. Once the balloons are complete, your students can parade them around the school to show off their creations.
Balloon Popcorn Balls Snack
For a balloon themed snack, give your kids some popcorn balls and call them “Balloon Popcorn Balls.” You can buy these on Amazon or make them using popcorn, butter, and marshmallows. You can get the popcorn balls recipe here.
Teacher Approved Videos about the Parade
Use these videos any time throughout the day to teach students more about the parade and the wonderful balloons.
What is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? 3: 49 This video shows the history of how the Thanksgiving parade started.
How Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade BALLOONS are Made 5:55 This video is all about how the balloons are made.
More Fun Read Alouds with Activities
Check out some of our other popular blogs of read alouds with great activities, like Leaf Man Activities for Kindergarten or Awesome Elmer the Elephant Activities.
