Balloons Over Broadway: the Story of the Thanksgiving Parade

Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade (Bank Street College of Education Flora Stieglitz Straus Award (Awards)) eBook : Sweet, Melissa: Amazon.ca: Kindle Store

Have you ever been to a parade? Today, we read the story of Tony Sarg the puppeteer. He was one of the first people to design and create the floating balloon ‘puppets’ commonly used in the Macy’s parade in New York City! This parade has been going on since 1924 (almost 100 years). Below is a photo of one of the first balloon puppets designed by Tony:

The Puppeteer Who Brought Balloons to the Thanksgiving Day Parade | Arts & Culture | Smithsonian Magazine

Some questions to consider:

-How has the design of the balloons changed over the years? Why do you think they have made these changes?

-Why do the designers use helium instead of another gas (like oxygen)?

-If you were going to design a balloon float, what character/creature would you design?

 

Mystery Fruit & Vegetable Investigation: SCI-FRI

Today for SCI-FRI, our class and Ms. Ramen’s class investigated some unusual fruit and vegetables! Many of these fruits and vegetables are commonly used in different cultures and found in different countries across the world. We used our observational skills to draw a diagram and describe each of the fruit and vegetables. Do you recognize any of these fruits/vegetables?

Above, left to right: pink pineapple, mo qua, rambutans

Below, left to right: pomegranate, young coconut, apple pear

After we made our observations, we cut open the fruit and vegetables to examine the inside. We noticed there were many different colours and shapes of seeds. Many of us have tried these fruits and vegetables before!

 

Above, left to right: lotus root, custard apple, papaya

Below, left to right: dragon fruit, bitter melon, mangosteen

Some questions to consider:

-Why are some of these fruits and vegetables commonly eaten in some countries and not others?

-How could we learn more about all the interesting, tasty, and unusual fruits and vegetables in the world?

 

Our Powerful Choices:

Today, we read a book called One Boy’s Choice. This book explores the power of our choices to impact the lives of others; the child in the story must choose between releasing a fish (for the good of the environment) or keeping the fish (to show off to his friends).

One Boy's Choice: A Tale of the Amazon: Menezes, Sueli, Siems, Anika: 9781662650031: Books - Amazon.ca

What are some actions that we might take that have positive outcomes (or negative consequences) on others?

World’s Most Expensive Pizza: How Much Would You Spend?

As part of our investigation of pizzas around the world, we learned about the “most expensive pizza on Earth”! Check out these 2 examples below.

The C6 – Stevestson Pizza, Richmond, BC, Canada – $450

If you ever find yourself in Richmond and have an extra $450 in your pocket, perhaps you might want to try this luxury pizza! The C6 features lobster thermidor, black Alaskan cod, prawns, smoked salmon and Russian Osetra caviar – one of he world’s most expensive caviars. Would you ever try this pizza?

Louis XIII – Salerno, Italy – $12,000

The most expensive pizza in the world serves 2 people… so in a way this only $6,000 apiece. The dough is made from organic flour, is dusted with Murray River pink salt and takes 72-hours to prepare, which allows it time to rest before being cooked.

The toppings are as excessive as you’d expect with three rare types of caviar, Norwegian lobster, and 7 types of cheese.

Have you ever tried caviar? What would you put on your ‘luxury’ pizza?

Learning at Home: Prosthetic Design & Technology

This week, we’ve been discussing the important role that Terry Fox has in Canadian (and world) history! We know that when Terry Fox ran his Marathon of Hope, he was often uncomfortable and in pain because of his prosthetic. A prosthetic is a tool that someone with limb differences/amputations can use. You might also see people using a mobility aide (such as a wheelchair, cane, or walker). For example, Terry had a prosthetic leg used for walking and running:

Terry Fox's Transformational Run – PodiumRunner

The technology and design of mobility aides and prosthetics has improved so much since Terry Fox was alive! We are developing new ways to make these tools more comfortable and functional. Some people even get creative with their designs, such as this inventor in the video below who created a prosthetic arm out of Lego:

Some questions I encourage you to discuss at home:

-Why is important to continue developing better technology/designs for prosthetics and mobility aides?

-What is a tool or piece of technology that doesn’t exist (yet) that you think could help people with diverse needs/abilities?

Reminder: Terry Fox Day

Hello, learners! A reminder that tomorrow we will be taking part in our Terry Fox Run. This run helps raise funds and awareness for cancer treatment. Ms. Lynka, our school librarian, shared a video and stories about Terry Fox this week. Please feel free to watch the video below, a Canadian Heritage Minute, about Terry Fox:

Don’t forget to dress for the weather tomorrow!

Learning at Home: Writing Prompt

As we approach October, the month where we learn about all things superstitious, spooky, and scary, check out this video of a very ‘scary’ black cat. After watching the video, feel free to write about…

  1. What is something that terrifies you? Is this fear based on something (a memory, a movie, etc.)? What might happen if you had to face this fear?
  2. Why do you think black cats are considered ‘bad luck’? Many black cats are not adopted from shelters. What could we do to challenge this stereotype and help people love black cats instead?
  3. What was your favourite toy when you were younger? Do you still have it?