Balloons Over Sto-Rox: Lessons Lead to Parade

Third graders at Sto-Rox recently recently learned lessons about history, immigration and Thanksgiving, capping it off with a balloon parade. According to 3rd Grade teacher Julie Blanc, students used the book ‘Balloons Over Broadway’ to incorporate cross-curricular activities.

Our first two units in Reading address both immigrating to the U.S for new opportunities and the importance of tradition,” said Blanc. “We began with reading the story and discussed how Tony Surg immigrated to the US from England for an opportunity to work at Macy's. Macy's decided to thank their workers, who were primarily immigrants, with a parade to thank them for their hard work.”

Surg’s innovative and collaborative efforts are what led to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. In Sto-Rox, students worked with each other and used problem-solving skills to design and create their own balloons. Students got to show off their balloons during a parade through the Primary Center. Check out photos from the parade, below.