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Grade: Pre-School
Subject: Language
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Amy and I love working together on projects and this is the one to which we both contributed. In my birthday bag (a plastic tote purchased at Target on sale at the end of the summer for $2.99)I have five books about birthdays:Moira's Birthday by Robert Munsch
Birthday in a Bathtub by Marcia Leonard
Arthur's Birthday by Marc Brown
The Secret Birthday Message by Eric Carle
Happy Birthday to You, You Belong in a Zoo by Diane deGroatI also have a birthday cassette tape: Birthday Sing Alongs
I also have poems printed up on "Birthday" paper and each child will get a poem to keep. These were found on the Kinder Korner website where i believe we got the idea for the birthday bag in the first place. I'm toying with the idea of making some kind of birthday game to put in the bag as well but I don't want to overdo a good thing!
Leslie gave a perfect description of the Birthday Bag. I bought a vinyl bag on sale at a crafts store and decorated it with birthday stickers. In addition to what Leslie mentioned, I am also including a Birthday Balloon Bouquet. I copied balloon patterns from the Mailbox Companion on-line. The week of the child's birthday (or before, if it is early in the week), I am going to have all the kids visit the writing center to decorate and cut out a balloon. Then I will ask them to dictate something about the birthday child. I will attach them to ribbon and send it home in the bag as well.
The children will be able to keep the bag only for one or two nights (to make it fair for others who have birthdays the same week).
During Circle time, we'll sing a cute birthday song...I may send a miniature copy with the child's name inserted into the blanks. The song comes from Scholastic's Thematic Poems and Songs and Fingerplays by Meish Goldish. I strongly recommend her poetry resources...I use them a lot! For this particular song, I re-typed and added a birthday border, enlarged it into a poster and laminated it for use with the group. I'll use sentence strips with the children's names to fill in the blanks.
Someone's Birthday
(to tune of London Bridge)Someone's birthday is today,
Is today, is today.
Someone's birthday is today,
And it's ______!Let's prepare a birthday cake,
Birthday cake, birthday cake.
Let's prepare a birthday cake,
Just for __________!Add a candle for each year,
For each year, for each year.
Add a candle for each year,
Just for __________!Make a special birthday card,
Birthday card, birthday card.
Make a special birthday card,
Just for ___________!Sing a happy birthday song,
Birthday song, birthday song.
Sing a happy birthday song,
Just for ________!Here is another version also sung to London Bridge. Have children stand in a circle with the birthday child in the center of the circle. The circle holds hands and walks around the child singing:
It's a birthday
Yes it is
Yes it is
Yes it isIt's a birthday
Yes it is
It's _______'s birthday!At this point the circle stops walking and the birthday child walks around to each child (representing a birthday candle) in the circle and blows while the circle sings:
Make a wish
And blow us down
Blow us down
Blow us downMake a wish
And blow us down
It's ______'s birthday!
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