Chicka Chicka Response: Palm Trees + Letters

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom: Childhood Classic

This is the week of our snowbird migration. We are trading our summer pine and birch tree backdrop of sunsets over the bay in northern WI for that of our brand new sun-rising vistas over oceanic, Floridian palm trees. I am the poster child for "Follow your Bliss." This is the eighteenth year of my company with the dueling bylines: 'have-guitar-will-travel' and 'changing-the-world-one-song-at-a-time.' 

I have grown into dreams that I didn't realize existed when I launched my enterprise back in the '90s. I go where I get invited and I share my original songs for children and their picture book format that I've created as author/illustrator. While on location in WI, CO, OH, FL, TN. etc. etc. I document the excellence-in-education that I observe during my school and library author/illustrator visits. Then I gather up those images of excellence here, to share with the wider world. I'm living the dream. There are palm trees on the horizon a week from now. 

My not-so-hidden-agenda, is that while you land here via your pin or google-search for back-to-school bulletin boards, you discover my existence, get acquainted and take a chance on one of brainstorms, ultimately expanding your collection, coming back for more. I've just decided that I am going to have a *SALE* every Sunday on one of my projects. If it's good enough for Target and Kohl's (retail shopping success) it's good enough for the polka-dot, music, Artsie rainbow lady. 



There was such a great response to last week's sale of my "Red, White and Blue" for Patriots Day/Constitution Day, that I will move forward with rotating sales to begin every Sunday. Stay tuned for weekly announcements here. 

This week I am featuring the digital version of my classic, "You're Wonderful" and placed it on discount. 'Cuz this week is all about classics. I thought about putting the picture book version on sale, but realized that's not the brightest decision during the week we move into our new house. Let's make my life easier and go digital this week. 
Now let's give you what you came here for: Classic Chicka Chicka. 

For those of us raised in the midwest the palm tree will always be a signal siren song of the exotic. Far away locale. Breeze over the water. Throw in some Lois Ehlert graphic glory, some brilliant polka dots on the cover and you've got a sure-fire hit. Add the rhymes of Martin and Archambault and you've got a classic. You knew is was a classic the first time you picked it up. The fact that the palm tree sports alphabet letters dancing about? Educational powerhouse of our time! 

Let's get this Boom Boom RoundUP started! 

*Yes. I have included affiliate links to the book's variations and realia for your shopping convenience, with my appreciation for your support. 

The photos you are about to see show the passion of early childhood educators as they take this favorite picture book and 'translate' it into bigger-than-life backdrops in their classrooms. Palm trees sprouting in reading corners bigger than bulletin boards! Let's get started with this image from Colorado. I saw it just last week in urban Denver, with the Rocky Mountains just beyond the classroom window. FIVE STARS! Can you see that the pieces are laminated? Easy storage for years of fun ahead. 

What happens in the mind of a four, five or six year old, when they realize that the book they hold in their hands has morphed onto the walls that surround them? The images on the pages in their lap are now overhead as though transported by magic wand. The world on the page can be extended and expanded and explored. Get me to school where the most amazing things happen! 

"Chicka, Chicka Boom Boom..... Look who's in Mrs. T's Room" (Kindergarten Bulletin Board) 

You know that a picture book has been deemed a classic when the 'realia' starts showing up in Educational catalogs. The Lakeshore version  of the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Alphabet Tree is an absolute invitation for young fingers to take letters and march them up and down the palm's trunk. In the process of that play, letters will be identified and inevitably the rhymes of the book will be retold. CLASSIC!

You're going to LUV this next 3 D Chicka-Chicka Boom Boom Tree. 

If you want to take a tour around the rest of this amazing Kindergarten classroom, 

you'll have to go back in time to my visit in FL. 

Look at this A.MAZ.ING BULLETIN BOARD! 

I LUV the palm leaves for this Chicka Bulletin Board! 

This design would be a perfect Back-to-School bulletin board!

It's time to begin winding down the images from my various visits across the country. Let's conclude with this 3 Dimensional classroom palm on display last spring while I visited the notorious home of the blogger "Kindergarten Smorgasboard." Meeting my cyber-blogging friends in real life is incredible. Meeting them on their home turf -- with me in polka dot performance mode? PRICELESS!!! 

I asked Greg if he had created any of his signature 'silly hats' for the CCBB classic and for his permission to share here via this RoundUP. Today's his actual birthday! So it's an extra special birthday shout out to a couple of articles at HIS blog.



Go to this article to see Greg modeling the hat amidst a backdrop of a gazillion CCBB ideas, including a FREEBIE 'Roll and Cover' activity that you can download directly from his blog. There are printable pages for palm trees, coconuts and more! You'll need dice for the 'rolling' and crayons for the 'covering.' 

What do we LUV about Kindergarten? 
CLASSIC picture book response worthy of both bulletin board AND refrigerator alike! 
Greg offers this project above from his blog at a second article filled with rigor-in-action. In this article you're going to see how Greg weaves COCONUTS into their classroom's first scientific explorations together. 

Talk about launching the new year! 

Once I got Greg's articles into this RoundUP I knew that expanding it further would make your lives easier, so I put out the 'all call' for inspiration to my KBN [Kid Blogger's Network] blogging sorority as well. The articles that follow are simply brilliant and I'm so grateful to the authors for their permission to include these images with the links to their insight as well. 


Let's get started with this scrumptious invitation at "Growing Book by Book" for creating these mouth watering Coconut Boom-Booms.' What a perfect baking AKA science experiment to conclude in the perfect snack post reading ever! 



While we're still on the yummy channel, perhaps you want to recreate the actual palm tree itself in an edible format. Pop over to "The Chaos and the Clutter" to see how she ties together the creation of these beauties with an AMAZING magnetic letter game for the perfect one, two literacy punch. Talk about sensory learning! 

Are you in LUV with the blog: "Getting Messy with Ms. Jessi"??? You will be after just this one article. Pop over to see how she includes a TON of alphabet activities into this culminating Chicka Boom project. You're going to adore the sensory table and playdough inspiration, PLUS she has additional favorite ABC books to suggest! 



Now let's take a look at the personalized variation taking place at the blog, "Toddler Approved" ..... I know that many readers appreciate the step-by-step specifics with projects and you'll get that from Kristina. Get over there to see how the fine motor skills of scissor snipping play such a pivotal role in this project! 

This month "The Good Long Road" has joined with other bloggers to focus on contributing to projects devoted to reducing Childhood Hunger in our midst. What an incredibly critical project to take on. You simply must click through to see how she uses Chicka Boom Boom as a catalyst to organize others around this issue. Go see how a Co-op group of bloggers has gone 'orange' on behalf of reducing hunger for children. 

"The Educator's Spin On It"  is the blog where 'parenting with purpose' is the ongoing byline. By clicking over you have the opportunity to visit an entire throng of Bill Martin articles by way of an ongoing Virtual Book Tour. This article alone will keep you busy all day as you plan your year ahead. 

I'm crazy about this book and I'm cray-cray over puppets. BUT I'm cray-cray-crazy for this follow along, DIY tutorial for creating your OWN glorious, yet simple, puppet outlined over at the blog "TwodaLoo"...... so hurry over  and create your own version. {Don't have a sewing machine? How about using a brown knee sock for a base? Then follow the rest of the instruction from that simplification.} 



Looking for a larger-than-life exploration of the ABCs on a palm tree background? Then you need to see all the fun cavorting at the blog, "Learn Play Imagine" where imagination and Cricut combine to make this amazing delight. 



I'm such a fan of "UpCycling" the bits and pieces that accumulate in the family recycling bin. See how those core tubes can become the base of a palm tree over at "Juggling with Kids." As you read this article you'll see how the skill of matching uppercase and lowercase letters is being addressed on the coconut tree! 



Whether it's fighting childhood hunger or 'simple' letter recognition I hope that you've been inspired to use this classic picture book to stretch the skills of the children in your life. 
Again. Thanks to all of the bloggers for your examples and willingness to share! 

I don't know that my picture books will ever be translated into Educational catalog 'realia' (be still my heart) but my work has been translated by kiddos across the country in their own incredible ways! These amazing interpretations are the subject of my blog articles and travels. I hope that you have a moment to dig around a little bit here, to see what I'm talking about.  



If you've appreciated this picture book RoundUP, I bet you'll appreciate my earlier Eric Carle tribute. By all means pin this next image for your future exploration. 



Here's the link to the Dr. Seuss RoundUP, currently my #10 read article of all time. 



As a self-published author/illustrator, I am still on the word-of-mouth marketing plan. 
Your pin, tweet, +, share are the kindest ways that you can help me get the word out!
Thanks for your help!  

I may be coming to your region this year. 
I'm willing to come share my work at your school or library! 
Or what about a SKYPE visit? 
Integrate technology and literacy all in one snap!