Chicka Chicka Boom Boom!

The Book
There are so many great activities and ideas available on the web associated with the book, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault. If you are looking for a way to get your child interested in the alphabet and the concept of letters, this is the book you need. The illustrations by Lois Ehlert are simple and appealing with bold colors and fun patterns. And of course the story is adorable. All the little letters (lowercase) climb up the coconut tree, but soon there is not enough room and they all fall down. Then all the capital letters described as mamas and papas uncles and aunts come running over to console their babes. Despite their fall, the little letters (now a bit beat up) try again and climb the coconut tree. In addition to the book, Scholastic Video Collection has an adorable animated retelling of the story with the catchiest little tune set to it.


The Activities

For the first activity, I went to makelearningfun.com which is an awesome website for free printables and activities for kids. Activities are organized based on theme and activity type, and for teachers there are circle time ideas, literacy connections, and math. Awesome, awesome website....Check it out! For this activity I used play-doh and letter cookie cutters. Adelle is working on name recognition and so I focused on the letter A only. For older kids multiple letters may be more appropriate.
You will also need to print the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom play-doh mat from makelearningfun.com or make your own. Her is the link. http://www.makinglearningfun.com/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.makinglearningfun.com/Activities/chickachickaboom/CCBBplaydoughMat-color.gif
It is necessary to laminate the mat in some way. If you do not have a laminating machine, a plastic report cover will work or you can cover the mat with clear packaging tape. I was out of laminating sheets so I glued the tree onto card-stock and used packaging tape. From there the activity is quite simple. Help small children cut out play-doh letters with the cookie cutters and watch as they march them up and down the coconut tree. It is also helpful to repeat the name of the letter or letters that you are focusing on several times. For example, I would cut an A and each time say "Another A for Adelle. Put it on the tree." When you read the story again point out the letter you worked on to connect and reinforce. For that matter, anytime you see the letter in print, point it out to your child. I find the grocery store the most convenient place to do this given the print rich environment (advertisements, labels, etc.) As your child observes you noticing print and distinguishing letters, they will soon develop an essential concept associated with reading which is print carries meaning! Before long your child may begin letter recognition all on their own with shocking comments like, "Look mommy A for Adelle." as she points to the Aldi sign. When this type of connection occurs independent of your guidance, you know you have began to build strong foundations for reading success!

Activity 2: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Tree

As a primary reading teacher, I have seen some incredible Chicka Chicka Boom Boom trees created for classroom use. Given that my "classroom" is fairly small due to the nature of my work (individual and small group instruction) I decided to make a small scale tree for Adelle's enjoyment this summer and part of my classroom decor this fall.

To make this tree I used two Folgers coffee cans and a holiday pretzel container for the base. I painted the coffee cans with brown spray paint and left the base because I thought the colorful letters looked cool inside. I cut a hole in the back of the base and melted the edges with a lighter so little hands would not get cut when reaching in for a letter. The letters are actually foam bath toys I found in the Target baby section for around $4.00. The image on the front is a scanned copy of the book cover laminated and cut to size. For the top I used colored poster board for the leaves. I taped long pieces or floral wire to the bottom of the leaves for support. To attach the leaves to the tree, I glued floral foam (painted brown) to the top can and stuck the wired leaves in. When the leaves were where I wanted them I reinforced with hot glue at the base of the wire. The coconuts are plastic balls painted brown. And there ya go....my version of the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Tree. Adelle loves running the letters up and down the tree and sliding them down the leaves. So fun!!!