a birthday cake is no ordinary cake activity kit

8/12/2019 A Birthday Cake is No Ordinary Cake Activity Kit

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An activity to accompanyA Birthday Cake Is No Ordinary Cake,written and illustrated by Debra Frasier, Harcourt 2006

Visit www.debrafrasier.com for more downloadables.

Supplies:

1 Chinette large paper dinner plate each1 small yellow cake plate each1 bendable colored plastic straw each1 gold or yellow pipe cleaner each1 brad with long tabs, each

Downloads:

Download the following from www.debrafrasier.com (Click onA Birthday Cake Is No Ordinary Cake,scroll to projects)

Clock Face: print one each on 8 1/2 x 11 in. white paperCenter Name Circle: prints 4 per sheet, each person needs 1 circle, copy onto red paperClock Hand with Earth: prints 6 per sheet, each person needs 1, copy onto white CARDSTOCK

Tools:

scissors for each or to sharemarkers or crayons1 or 2 hole punchesglue sticks to share1 or 2 black marker for names1 or 2 rolls clear packing tapesurface to color on (table, cardboard, old catalogs) for each participant

Optional extras: star wire, (cut to diameter of plate), stapler, alternative clock hands (drilled plastic spoonsor tongue depressors are great), plastic owers, wire butteries, stick on stars, articial owers, leaves orpetals, anything decorative for outside rim, though nothing additional is necessary.

Prep:

Punch center hole in large and small paper plates (How to nd the center? Trace bottom of plate onto tis-sue paper. Cut. Fold in quarters. Crossing point is center. Overlay on plate, mark.) An awl or scissor pointworks nicely.

Copy Clock Face, Center Name, and Clock Hand

Cut out the above if younger children presentCut straws to three inches below the plastic bend

Paper Plate Birthday Cake Clock

Get Ready!

Suggested for parent & child teams, or individuals 2nd grade and up


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1. Fill out name and birthday on small red round clock face.

2. Cut pizza slices off edge of yellow plate to make Sun.

3. Color white clock faces. Start with four globes and the markers for the Solsticeand the Equinoxes. Explain the meaning of these seasonal markers. (See below.)Color the candles.

4. Glue clock faces to back of large Chinette Dinner Plate

5. Draw a line across the plate edge at each Solstice and Equinox, dividing the platelip into four seasonal sections.

6. Color each seasonal section a different color, or stripe in different colors.

7. Cut out clock hand. Color Earth.

Directions

11. Punch a hole in plate rim at your birthday.

12. Cut plastic straw three inches below bend.

13. Make straw candle: double gold pipe cleaner and slide folded end through straw until flame peeks out top.

14. Thread into punched hole and bend so the shorter endthe candle leans out of the way of the turningclock hand.

15. Tape candle to back of plate.

16. Add wire star trim? (Staple in place.) Or ribbon? Or artificial flowers?Or star stickers? Silk petals? Try drilling a plastic spoon for the clock hand,or a Popsicle stick, or a tongue depressor.

8. Stack all parts on top of clock face with the clock hand on the bottom, then Yellow Sun plate,Red small clock face with name.

9. Stick brad through all layers and attach to plate snugly.

10. Find YOUR birthday on the white clock face.


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Directions, continued

Now! Set clock hand on today. Rotate the Earthfrom today to YOUR birthday, marked at candle.Thats how far the Earth needs to travel to yournext birthday cake! Try anyones birthday. Addcandles for the whole family, add your cat, yourdog, your teachers!

This simple project teaches the very complex concept of the Earths circle around the Sun in one years time.

It is helpful, before starting this project, to use a globe to physically act out the Earths daily turning, spin-

ning day into night, every 24 hours.

Next, add the wide circle the Earth is making around the Sun every 365 days. (Mention Leap Year only if thegroup is older.) Emphasize that the turning and circling never stops, and the circle is not a perfect circle. It issquished (or elliptical) just a little. Explain that the solstices, December 21st, in winter, and June 21st, in summer, mark the place where the Earths imperfect circle swings the farthest from the Sun. The equinoxes markthe days when the Earth is closest to the Sun, September 21st, the beginning of fall, and March 21st, the firstday of spring.


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Clock Face


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Clock Face

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Clock Hand with Earth


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Create a celebration in a boxAll ages.

Encourage a classroom or local community to bring a sealed cake mix, icing, and

candle package for a foodshelf celebration box.ReadA Birthday Cake Is No Ordinary Cakewhile decoratingbirthday boxesYou provide the boxes, decorating tools, and food shelf delivery.

Supplies needed:

Cake boxes or other small boxes to decorate (White cake boxes fold flat and are easy to color but any boxeswill do.) Provide an array of the following: Markers, stickers, crayons, tape, ribbon, scissors, glue, magazinesfor collage cutouts, crayons, ribbon, glitter pens or inkswhatever is on hand. Optional additions: aluminumbaking pans, napkins, cake plates, small books or toys

Photograph the boxes. Add to your website. Pass the idea to classroom, churches, or scout troops.

Easy to follow instructions can be downloaded from:www.debrafrasier.com/cla_sup_downloads/bdaycake/makecake.pdf

DonateCake!

Box Project for Foodshelves


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Host an all-school or classroom dream birthday cake contest. InA Birthday CakeIs No Ordinary CakeDebra Frasier creates confections out of collaged paper.Offer a contest for flat, collaged, 2-D cakes, like Debras, or add a little 3-D effectby using the 3-D Cake directions. Consider making giant cakes of stacked boxes,(square or round) or using roll-paper for big paper cakes. Read the story anddiscuss the science concepts in the book. (See Counting Circles essay at back ofbook.) Suggest that contest cakes represent the four seasons, the Sun, the Earth,the equinoxs and solstices, the classmates sun-circles, OR simply go creatively crazy!

3-D cake instructions outlined here:

www.debrafrasier.com/docs/bdaycake/makecake.pdf

For awards consider classroom cupcakes, or cookbooks, or wooden spoons, orprinting on an invitation, or ribbons or trophies. If everyone is to win, consider

awards for Most Original, Most Delicious, Most Colorful, Biggest, Most ScientificConcepts, Most Likely-to-be-Eaten, Most Student Representation, etc. If you area club or a troop, consider a REAL cake baking contest and invite another groupto share the results.

DreamCakes!

Host a Contest for Dream Birthday Cakes


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Lets Celebrate!

Lets Celebrate!

A Birthday Cake Is No Ordinary CakeWritten and Illustrated by Debra Frasier

Harcourt, 2006

A Birthday Cake Is No Ordinary CakeWritten and Illustrated by Debra Frasier

Harcourt, 2006

a birthday cake is no ordinary cake activity kit

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