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This year has been full of fear, uncertainty, and grief. We’ve grown used to events being cancelled, but when news came out in September that Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade might be cancelled, it was another sign that the pandemic is far from over. Reading the book, Balloons Over Broadway and doing follow-up activities about Thanksgiving Day parade history can bring joy to our kids during this hard time.
How Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Will Be Different This Year
On a normal year, three and a half million people gather in the streets of New York City to watch Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. This American tradition will look different this week due to the pandemic. We’ll all gather around the television set or computer screen instead.
The number of participants has been reduced by 75% and no children under 18 will be in the parade. The high school and college marching bands will have to wait to perform next year.
The giant balloons typically need 80-100 people acting as “handlers” to lead them down the streets. This year the balloons will be anchored to innovative specialty vehicles. Sounds like a lesson in how technology and engineering solves current day problems!
Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet
Melissa Sweet takes you on a journey through the life of Tony Sarg, the man behind the giant balloon puppets in Macy’s parade. From a young age Tony liked to tinker and figure out how things moved. His love for puppets led him to make marionettes in London and later in New York on Broadway.
Tony’s first job with Macy’s was to create a puppet show for its big shop window. That led to the bigger job of helping out with the first parade. When asked to do something spectacular to replace the frightening live animals in the parade, Sarg gets an inspiration that changes everything. He’s not discouraged by obstacles, but uses his ingenuity and imagination until he finds solutions. The giant balloons successfully make their way to the skies and the crowds cheer in awe.
Before Reading Balloons Over Broadway
- Use a puppet to introduce the story. Show the cover of the book and read the title. Ask your child how a puppet might relate to the book.
- Talk about the meaning of Broadway if your child is not familiar with it. Locate New York on a map.
During Reading of Balloons Over Broadway
- Discuss key vocabulary that may be new to your child: marionette, immigrant, articulate, helium
- Notice details in Melissa Sweet’s illustrations. Talk about the different mediums she uses and how she uses size, color, and perspective.
After Reading Balloons Over Broadway
Think and respond
- How did Tony’s love for figuring things out as a kid help him when he grew up?
- Tony Sarg said this about himself, “I have never done a stroke of work in my life.” What did he mean by that statement?
- What kinds of problems came up over the years as the parade grew, and how were they solved?
Balloons Over Broadway Activities
Go to the source
Learn more about the Thanksgiving Day Parade from the makers. Visit Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade for access to STEAM videos and printable worksheets. You’ll find everything you need to know about this year’s special two-day production.
Read more parade books
- Thanksgiving Parade Board Book by Kelly Asbury (toddler and primary grades)
- Milly and the Macy’s Parade by Shana Corey (elementary grades)
- Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade by Robert M. Grippo (upper elementary grades and above)
Explore marionettes and rod puppets
- Watch the “Lonely Goatherd” clip from The Sound of Music to see marionettes in action
- Make a simple marionette using your favorite stuffed animal. You’ll need two rulers, some yarn, and binder clips
- Make an Indonesian rod puppet following the directions from Nurture Store
Watch balloon videos
- Do you know what the giant balloons are made of today? Learn how the giant balloons are manufactured, from conception to inflating them on the big day.
- Explore balloon properties in these activities from Science World.
- Get a peek at some of the giant balloons that have graced the skies over the years in this vintage footage from the parade.
Make balloon creations
- Design a balloon based on a character from a favorite storybook. First, plan it out on paper. Then, get a party balloon, construction paper, scissors, markers, and tape and make a model.
- Learn about pulleys. Create a pulley system to solve a problem, like Sarg did when he was a boy when he didn’t want to have to get out of bed to feed the chickens.
Illustrate parade history and culture
- Make a timeline of balloons that have been in the parades over the years.
- Make a map of the parade route.
- Learn about street carnivals from all over the world that were the inspiration for Macy’s parade.
Free Resources
Balloons Over Broadway Activity Kit from Houghton-Mifflin Books.
Map the parade route activity from Teaching with Jillian Starr.
Word search, memory match, read aloud video, and more from Reading is Fundamental.
Do your kids have a tradition, like so many others, of watching the parade while the turkey’s in the oven? Thanksgiving may look very different this year in our families, but the parade will go on. This Thanksgiving Day Parade will be like no other. Do some Balloons Over Broadway activities to learn the history of the parade, and help your children have a better appreciation for those spectacular balloons they’ll witness from home.
