CLE Students Design Thanksgiving Parade Balloons and Floats

Watch out, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade… our Cottage Lane Elementary School students are ready to take center stage!

Over the last several weeks, students in fourth grade teachers Jackie Morris and Maureen Donnelly’s class and fifth grade teachers Pam Cooper, Denise Healy and Leanna Iobbi’s classes have brought their creativity to life by designing their own parade floats and balloons.

In Morris and Donnelly’s class, students first read the children’s novel, “Balloons Over Broadway,” and learned about the history of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, before brainstorming ideas for their own balloon. “This project brings excitement, imagination and creativity to our classroom. Students not only write a letter with thoughtful reasons to convince their audience that their balloon is a perfect fit for the parade but also bring their ideas to life as they step into the role of balloon handlers,” explained Morris and Donnelly. “Watching the students design and build their own balloon is always one of the most memorable parts of the project!” After designing their balloons, the class invited their families for a celebration last Friday to show off their hard work.

As a perfect send off to the Thanksgiving recess, Cooper’s class paired up with Healy and Iobbi’s class to build floats for their very own schoolwide parade this afternoon! During their morning meeting, Healy and Iobbi’s class talk about a notable historical event and when discussing the parade, students learned that the parade first began in 1924. “It has become a class tradition for us. We love watching the kids work with their friends to create floats based on things that matter to them,” noted Healy and Iobbi. “It is a great way for us to tie our ‘Today in History’ into current events.” 

As a reminder, schools will be closed for Thanksgiving Recess tomorrow, November 27 and Friday, November 28. Schools will reopen on Monday, December 1 (Day 4).

Happy Thanksgiving!