Books, Videos, and Lessons: Jackie Robinson for Kids

Bio of Jackie Robinson and Online Activities

Wondering when is Jackie Robinson Day? Jackie Robinson Day is April 15. Who is Jackie Robinson? He is one of the most famous baseball players in history. Do you know why? Yes? No? Maybe? Either way, you'll learn about Jackie Robinson with these online activities and videos on Jackie Robinson for kids. This is a great post for students to learn facts about Jackie Robinson. Enjoy!

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.*

Books, Videos, and Lessons: Jackie Robinson for Kids.

To learn the bio of Jackie Robinson, students can watch these videos about Jackie Robinson:

Watch this Video of Jackie Robinson from Brainpop.com. They also have a good video on Civil Rights. If you don't have a Brainpop account, you should! However, you can do a search for a password that you can use to watch the videos. You won't be able to keep track of all your hard work without an account. So, if you can't do that, here is a another video about Jackie Robinson from History.com.

Be sure to do the FYI and take the quiz on Brainpop. You'll also find lesson plans for teachers there. 

Keep scrolling for games and activities about Jackie Robinson.

No matter your age or grade level, you will enjoy this book, I am Jackie Robinson* by Brad Meltzer. It is a fun biography written from the point of view of Jackie Robinson as a child. Packed full of Jackie Robinson facts, this book is the perfect companion book to a lesson on Jackie Robinson.

Bio of Jackie Robinson and Online Activities.

Test your baseball game I.Q. - who is on first?

How good are you at batting? Try it out with this online baseball game from ESPN.

Learn how to play Baseball with this fun online game.

Play some free online baseball games for kids.

Jackie Robinson PDF book.

Downloadable Jackie Robinson worksheet from Education.com.

Free Baseball Worksheets from EnchantedLearning.com.

Can you answer these Jackie Robinson quiz questions?

Do you know the original lyrics to Take Me Out to the Ball Game? Listen here:

And, here's the version you've probably heard:




That's a lot of baseball history, let's move on to other lessons.


Language Arts Component:  
Since we're talking famous baseball, you'll want to read the most famous baseball poem of all time, Casey at Bat. Even better, listen to James Earl Jones recite the poem, Casey at Bat:





Watch the Disney clip:

Math Component:
Learn to simplify fractions with Baseball Math.
Subtraction with regrouping baseball math game.
Multiplication practice with baseball.

Art Component:

Here's a fun baseball diamond and Jackie Robinson paper craft from Crayola.com.

Science Component:
Bat Science Fair Experiment
Watch a video about the experiment here:
Baseball Experiment PBS
What Balls Can you Throw the Farthest Experiment
What happens when you refrigerate your baseball?


Recommended:

Get I am Jackie Robinson*

Albert Einstein Video and Lesson for Kids

Alma Thomas Art Project

ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products. *We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

Make Happy Birthday Cupcakes with this Cherry Recipe

Read Happy Birthday, Cupcake! and Make some too

Is it your birthday? These cupcakes are perfect for Valentine's Day too, but don't worry- you don't need an excuse to make birthday cupcakes. This recipe for cherry cupcakes, is perfect to pair with the book, Happy Birthday, Cupcake!, by Terry Border. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Cupcake! is a charming book. The main character is a Cupcake! The delightful photos throughout the book tell the story of a sweet Cupcake planning her birthday party with her friends. Her friends are various food items- each with varying needs. She takes into account each of them as she seeks to plan the perfect event. She shows kindness in realizing the limitations of her friends- like Ice Cream's propensity for melting...

Make Cherry Almond Cupcakes with this yummy recipe.

In then end, her friends surprise her with a birthday party to remember. This is such a cute story with an excellent message of friendship, feelings, and love. This picture book is perfect for the younger set. It makes a nice companion book for a birthday celebration. You can incorporate fun activities while talking about important topics like how to be a good friend.

Happy Birthday, Cupcake! by Terry Border.

One of our favorite activities is to bake together! This book lends itself well to a kitchen project. You can make cupcakes easily with a mix or make some from scratch. The most important thing is to spend time together. We enjoyed making Cherry Cupcakes- chosen by my son!

Delicious Cherry Cupcakes!

Here's a yummy recipe for the Cherry Almond Cupcakes that we adapted from one found on Food Network Magazine.

CHERRY ALMOND CUPCAKES Recipe

1 1/3 c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 stick butter, softened

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. almond extract

1/2 c. milk

1/3 c. maraschino cherries, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. 

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking power, and salt. In another bowl, cream butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth (about 1 minute). Add sugar and continue to beat until creamy (about 4 minutes). Beat in eggs, vanilla, and almond extract. Beat in the flour mixture in three batches alternating the milk. Beat on medium-high speed until just combined. Stir in maraschino cherries. 

Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Bake until the tops spring back, 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool in pan 5 minutes and then remove to rack to completely cool. 

How to Make CHERRY FROSTING Recipe

1 1/2 stick butter, softened

3 c. powdered sugar

pinch of salt

2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. almond extract

3 Tb. maraschino cherry juice (from the jar)

Extra cherries to garnish if desired

Beat butter, sugar, and salt until just combined. Add extracts and beat on medium-high speed until creamy (about 3 minutes). Beat in the cherry juice until fluffy (about 1 more minute). 

Ice cupcakes when they are completely cooled and add cherries or sprinkles to decorate.

Fun Activity Ideas for the Book, Happy Birthday, Cupcake:

• Plan a play date with a friend.
• Cut out paper cupcakes.
• Make a friendship tree, and write down activites that your friends would enjoy.
• Pretend to have a birthday party. 

Recommended:

Make Strawberry Cupcakes

Get Happy Birthday, Cupcake!*

Snowmen Cupcakes

ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

Baby Chick Crafts Projects: Companion Book

Learn Prepositions with Baby Chick Project

Looking for Chick Craftivities? These baby chick activities for toddlers and kindergartners are perfect companion book projects for the lift-the-flap- book, In Over and On the Farm, by Ethan Long. In need of baby chick craft ideas for Easter? This little chick is cute enough to give as an Easter card too. Enjoy!

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience.

Panda Craft Ideas: Companion Book Pom Pom Panda

Pom Pom Panda Gets the Grumps and Companion Crafts

Who doesn't love a cute, cuddly Panda! Maybe another grumpy Panda. Pom Pom Panda Gets the Grumps is a new book by Sophy Henn. What happens when you don't want company and you tell everyone to leave you alone? Read the book to find out and then make some companion Panda Crafts with these ideas. Enjoy!

This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links for your convenience.

Panda Craft Ideas: Companion Book Pom Pom Panda.

Pom Pom Panda is grumpy. Help young children understand that it is okay to feel grumpy. Everyone has a bad day now and then. Read the story, make some crafts, and start a dialogue on the grumpy panda inside all of us.

In the meantime, make some cute Panda Crafts with these fun ideas!

Panda Footprint Activity.

Cute Footprint Panda for Preschool from the Pinterested Parent.

Panda Bear Ornament Craft. Photo from LittleBirdee.com.

Make a Panda Bear Ornament for your Christmas Tree. Just change out the white cotton balls on the ears, arms, and feet for black pom poms. 

Paper plate panda craft. This panda is happy!

Paper Plate Panda Bear Shaker from Krafty Kid.

Recommended:

Get Pom Pom Panda Book

Preschool Activities

Mariah Carey Christmas Book Puppy Crafts and Activities

All I Want for Christmas is You, Children's Book Companion Craft

It was bound to happen. The most popular, modern day Christmas Song by Mariah Carey is now a beautifully illustrated book for children. If you know the Mariah Carey Christmas song, All I want for Christmas is you, then you almost know the story. Just insert a puppy! We've created some companion book puppy crafts for you. Scroll down for cute puppy craft activities and free printables. Enjoy!

This post contains affiliate links.

All I Want for Christmas Book with Companion Crafts.

Colleen Madden brings the puppy story to life with vibrant, fun illustrations.The pictures tell the story. The "You" in the story is a brand new puppy for Christmas. Forget sugar plums, this little girl wants a puppy!

The best part is... you can sing the story together! It makes for a great bedtime story that will become a cherished family tradition. To make your tradition more memorable, we found some companion book  puppy craft activities you can do during the holidays.

Over at Sweets and Brains, you'll find these adorable PUPPY COOKIES. Hop over and get the recipe and then bake some up with your kids.

In the story, the little girl is making a Puppy. If you look carefully, you'll see that it's a Christmas stocking. So, we made a similar Christmas puppy stocking out of construction paper. Made from simple shapes, it was super easy paper craft to make!

Puppy Paper Craft for Christmas.

                                    Upside down, he becomes a stocking! The ears become the feet.

We also found some cute, Christmas puppy printable coloring sheets at Coloring Home.

Recommended:

More Christmas Books about Puppies

All I Want for Christmas Book by Mariah Carey

Christmas Activities and Games for Adults

When is Roald Dahl Day: Activities

When is Roald Dahl Day?

It's Roald Dahl Day! Sept. 13, 2015. How will you celebrate? This year, we did several activities including, a "The Witches" party. We've included a list of our favorite Roald Dahl books which are perfect for Elementary Students. Scroll down to see how you can win a free copy of your favorite Roald Dahl book and a fun printable crossword puzzle. Enjoy!

Have a "The Witches" Party to Celebrate Roald Dahl Day or Halloween!

We found The Witches movie on Amazon. The movie has some scary moments, but we won't give those away. Depending on the child, the whole concept of the story could be traumatic. The Witches are everywhere wearing human masks! How can you tell a witch? She'll have purple, glowing eyes, among other things!

The Witches is an award-winning story by Roald Dahl about a boy, his grandmother, and a hotel full of witches. 

"This is not a fairy tale. This is about real witches."  

Books by Roald Dahl include The Witches and James and the Giant Peach.

After we watched the movie, we visited the Roald Dahl website and chose some fun ideas for lessons. We made posters that explain how to spot a witch. Beware! They are everywhere.

We have a fun idea to make human masks!

• Copy a photo of someone in the classroom or house, paste it to tag board, and then decorate it with markers or colored pencils. When done, cut out, poke holes in the ears, tie an elastic string through each hole, and wear it!

• To make it more fun, also make a witch mask and wear it underneath your human mask. Tee Hee! Now, that's fun!

You'll want to make some spooky treats and creepy snacks for your party. We found these cute witch broom donuts at Giggles Galore.

Witch Broomstick Donuts! Find the How to at Giggles Galore.

We don't want to give the story away. You'll have to read it and watch the movie to understand why we made a mouse craft. We have lots of recyclables around the house, so we turned a styrofoam cup and a plastic grocery bag into a cute little mouse.

Make a mouse craft with recyclables.

To make the little mouse, paint a styrofoam cup your favorite color. Poke a pipecleaner in the bottom, curl it around a pencil to make a curly tail. Roll up a grocery bag, place it inside the cup, and then tape on foamy or construction paper eyes, nose, and ears. Eek! That was easy. Preschoolers will enjoy making this simple mouse craft.

Then, each kid chose a Roald Dahl book to read. We chose The BFE and Monster....

Roald Dahl Reading List

Charity
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Danny, the Champion of the World
Enormous Crocodile
Esio Trot
Fantastic Mr Fox
George's Marvellous Medicine
James and the Giant Peach
Matilda
Museum
Revolting Rhymes
Short stories
The BFG
The Twits
The Witches

Hop over and like and comment on our Facebook Page post about Roald Dahl, and you can win a "The Witches" Prize pack and a Roald Dahl book. Contest ends Sept. 20, 2015.

Recommended:

Halloween Crafts on Pinterest

Room on the Broom*

Farm Craft Fun with The Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown

Make a Papercraft Barn for "The Big Red Barn" by Margaret Wise Brown 

This is a fun way to teach children about farm animals. Here is a simple craft for Preschool Curriculum: Make your own Big Red Barn and Silo with a paper envelope and cardboard toilet roll tube. Enjoy!

Farm Craft Fun with The Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown.

We made this project in our Messy Class. What better way to make a mess than red paint?

Here's a Cute Farm Cow and Barn Coloring Page

Big Red Barn Preschool Papercraft.

How to Make a Big Red Barn Paper Craft

You will need:

Greeting Card Envelope
Cardboard Toilet Paper Tube
Paint (Make your own Edible Recipe Here or Water Color Paints)
Cardboard Egg Cartoon
Markers
Construction Paper or Magazine
Glue (Make Edible Paste Recipe Here)
Margaret Wise Brown's The Big Red Barn Book

Perfect preschool Farm Book: The Big Red Barn.

Step one: SENSORY SKILLS

Open the flap on your envelope so it points to the ceiling when standing as pictured.

Step two: SENSORY SKILLS

Paint your envelope red or your favorite barn color. (Remember it is important to let little ones make choices.) Paint your Cardboard tube to match.

Cut out and Paint one egg carton cup with a contrasting color.

Step three: FINE MOTOR SKILLS: CUTTING 

While the paint is drying use construction paper or pictures from magazines to cut out animal shapes. You can trace the animals in the story on white paper and use them as shape templates for your littles to trace. Also, cut out barn doors.

Step four: SENSORY SKILLS

If you make your own edible glue this is a super fun, sensory experience. Paste doors onto barn as pictured. Attach Egg Cup to Cardboard Tube (SILO) and attach silo to envelope. You might want to add a piece of folded tape to secure the silo.

Step five: CREATIVE PLAY SKILLS 
This is my favorite part! Place your animal shapes in the envelope, read the story, and remove the animals making animal sounds as they appear in the story. 

Find a fun Snack for Goodnight Moon.


Recommended Reading:

Books about Farms for Kids: Little Blue Truck Board Book*

Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown*

Margaret Wise Brown Ideas from Mommy and Me Book Club.*


Tip: Our Favorite Edible Paint Recipe is MILK PAINT.








ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

Storytime ~ Teach Kids to Weave a Web of Wonder with Storytelling Curriculum Ideas

Storytime Woes?

Have you ever tried it with a room full of little people under the age of two?  What a fun experience, it takes a roomful of parents to keep everyone on target.  And, a room full of early elementary age children isn't much easier, if you're lucky they might stay on their squares, but keeping everyone silent at the same time is nearly a feat of wizardry.

Make a Monkey Mask, Treat, and Read Companion Story Preschool Activity

Do Monkey Around... with this monkey theme Preschool Activity

We made a mask, yummy treat, and had fun with preschoolers pretending to be monkeys. Pretend play is a great way to incorporate many elements of sensory play. Enjoy!

Our Messy Preschool Class had a blast making 
paper monkey masks and you can too.

One Tricky Monkey up on top.

                      Knives and Spoons make great sticks for the mask,

                            just tape it to the back and use as a handle.

Monkey Sight Word Game for Kindergarten/First Grade

How to make healthy monkey treat snacks for kids.

Banana Treats, cover in vanilla yogurt or p.b. and dip in your favorite  toppings.

How to make a paper monkey mask.

Recommended Reading:

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed*

Bananas and Chocolate Chips on a Stick Recipe for Kids

One Tricky Monkey Up On Top *
ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products. *We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)

Recycled Scrap Paper Craft Rainbow Fish Theme for Preschool

Recycled Rainbow Fish Paper Craft and Companion Story Ideas

If you are teaching children how to care for fish, this Rainbow Fish recycled paper craft is an easy, fun aquarium activity to make.

Visit the Manatee Viewing Center in Florida

The story: Rainbow Fish is different and the other fish aren't very nice until they get to know him in all his glittery glory. Did you know he wrote a second story, 'Rainbow Fish to the Rescue'?  We have some fun, preschool companion book activities for both here. Rainbow Fish is the perfect theme for preschool curriculum.

Marcus Fister's Rainbow Fish. Fun theme for preschool.

Scrap Paper Rainbow Fish Craft for preschool.

We made this fish from our scrap paper box. You can photocopy a picture of Rainbow Fish to use as a pattern. Tip: Use Wrapping Paper scraps to make a sparkly Rainbow Fish Craft.

Recommended Reading:

Aquarium Craft Activities

Fishing Activity

Rainbow Fish to the Rescue!

Paint with Spaghetti

Edible Paint Craft: Kissing Hand Preschooler Sensory Art

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn is the perfect Story for the First Day of School

This story is so sweet, a little tale about Mama and Baby Raccoon. Mama kisses her baby's hand before he heads for his first day of school. We've made a companion craft for preschoolers with a Sensory Play appeal that uses our special recipe for edible paint.

The Kissing Hand with Craft for Preschool and Kindergarten.

Chester Raccoon's Mom reassures him he will enjoy school. She takes his hand, gives it a kiss and tells him to touch his cheek when he needs a kiss. He gives his Mommy a kissing hand too. And, we've made one for you to share with your little ones.

How to Make an Edible Handprint for The Kissing Hand Book

Vanilla Jell-O Pudding Cups

Gel Food Coloring

Strawberry Gel Pie Filling

Sugar Sprinkles

And lotsa love...

Edible Paint Recipes

The Kissing Hand book.

Look, it's a craft. It's a dessert!  It's crafty, edible art!

This hand-print is 100% Edible and Yummy too.  Jell-O Pudding Cups make the perfect finger paint, just add a little gel food coloring. We let the kiddos mix in red and blue for a fun color mixing experiment, then we got some gooey, strawberry pie gel, plopped it in the middle to show where to kiss, and then added purple sugar sprinkles on top.  

It smells and tastes great and after six weeks this one still looks the same (no nasty rotting) so pin it on your fridge or better yet, frame it!

Recommended Reading:

The Kissing Hand

One Tricky Monkey

Three Clever Saint Patrick Day Craft Activities for Kids (boys like them)

Saint Patrick Day Activities for Kids Boys will Love

The Leprechauns have a parade and an Irish Feast in this Saint Patrick's Day Leprechaun book for kids. "The St. Patrick's Day parade is off to a very fine start. The Leprechaun family is marching with lots of heart! Share in their dancing, share in their fun. You'll have the luck of the Irish when this day is done!" Read the companion book and then do fun St. Patrick's Day activities and crafts. Enjoy!

The Luckiest St. Patrick's Day Ever.

Share in the Leprechaun joy and make your own St. Patrick's Day Parade with our fun ideas. Here are five, fun and clever ideas that even the most un-crafty boys will love from fellow pinners on Pinterest.  

1. GREEN SLIME from Our Best Bites

How to make green slime: A St. Patrick's Day craft for boys.

2.   Leprechaun Foot Prints (for tracking that guy) from Busy Kids = Happy Mom

Make Leprechaun Footprints and then go tracking him.

3.  Hunt for the Pot O' Gold_ Mission Impossible Style from Toddler Approved

Secret Agent hunting for the Leprechaun's gold.

Recommended Reading:

EASY HANDPRINT LEPRECHAUN

Holiday Plays for PreK - 4*

STINGY LEPRECHAUN GAME

The Night Before St. Patrick's Day*

The Luckiest St. Patrick's Day Ever*

ADS DISCLOSURE: We've partnered with some wonderful advertisers who may sponsor blog posts or send us samples to test. Some companies pay us to review their products.

*We also use affiliate links, if you make a purchase we get a tiny commission. Kids Creative Chaos participates in the Amazon LLC Associates Program*, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a mean for blogs to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon properties, including, but not limited to, amazon.com, endless.com, myhabit.com, smallparts.com, or amazonwireless.com. We also offer Tapinfluence, Google Adsense, SoFab, and Izea ads here. Thanks so much for helping us keep the lights on! :)