Our last week in France was spent looking at a French invention – the hot air balloon! This was another super fun storytime . . . I hope you enjoy the plans!

The Hot Air Balloon

Bonjour! Let’s sing our song together! (Come on everybody and clap your hands, stomp your feet, jump up high, swing your arms, spin around, sit right down) Come and  watch me spin the globe . . .

Spin globe. Where is France? It is in Europe! Find France on map/globe, sing Continent Song.

Continent Cheer (GGM #3)

Suitcase — balloon, duck, sheep, rooster, cotton balls (clouds), basket,

Today we are going to talk about French inventions. Do you know what an invention is? It is something that somebody makes that has never been made before! In this case, we are going to talk about the invention of the HOT AIR BALLOON!  Did you know that the people who made the first hot air balloon were from France? They were. Let’s read a book about the first Hot Air Balloon ride.

Read “Hot Air: The (Mostly True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride)” by Marjorie Priceman.

Do the Hot air/Cold Air experiment found here.

Read “Hot Air Balloons” by Mari Schuh.

Sing (to the tune of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”)  NOTE: I copied off a picture of a hot air balloon on different colored paper for this. Then I cut them out and gave each child his own “hot air balloon”. When I sang the song, I had all the kids stand up who were holding the color hot air balloon that I sang about. We did this several times and the kids seemed to enjoy it.

“Pretty balloons in the air,

Lots of colors we see there,

Red and yellow green and blue,

Can you see the colors, too?

Pretty balloons in the air,

Lots of colors we see there”

 Read “Sally’s Great Balloon Adventure”  by Stephen Huneck

Craft: Fingerpaint hot air balloon craft.

NOTE: I used stamp pads instead of paint for this craft . . . we had a set of washable large ink pads for crafts with our craft supplies.

(Play French songs when craft is going on)

Stamp Passport.