Story of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloons Comes to Life at B-V
Buchanan-Verplanck third graders recently read “Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade” by Melissa Stewart, learning about how Tony Sarg (1880-1942) created the first parade balloons for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Afterward, they created their very own version of parade balloons!
When Sarg immigrated to New York City, the Tony Sarg Marionettes began performing on Broadway. After hearing about the puppets, R. H. Macy’s department store asked Sarg to design a puppet parade for their holiday windows. After that, he was asked to create a parade that would include all of the different traditions of the many immigrants that worked for Macy’s. Through trial and error, Sarg eventually designed the balloons that would become an iconic piece of New York history.
All third graders were given the task of designing a parade balloon. First, they made a sketch of their idea. Next, they had to list what materials they would need to decorate their balloon. Like Sarg, students tried different techniques. Some covered their balloons with newspaper and watered-down glue, some with paper mache, and others simply decorated directly on the balloon.
“The students had a great time decorating and showing off their balloons,” said third grade teacher Amy Calavieri. “This is the third year I have done this activity with my students, and I am always amazed at the different types of balloons they create!”
Valier Haviland's students planned to write to Macy's to see if they are interested in using any of their ideas for next year's parade.
Third grader Caiden Basso said, “The balloon activity was a lot of fun! I liked painting and gluing, and I liked bonding with my classmates and learning more about them.”
Cavalieri’s students also made “arrays” to show multiplication/division strategies that looked like NYC buildings. “We put these up so we could have a ‘skyline’ for our parade, and a backdrop for our group photos,” she said.