The Birthday Book

This is a very easy book to make and the kids love it.  Buy a cheap months chart from the teacher store, you can usually get them for .99 cents at back to school sales.  Cut the chart apart and glue each month to a piece of cardstock.  Laminate all the pages and bind into a class book, then write each child's name on the correct page with a Sharpie.  You can also add the student's pictures to each page before laminating and create a cute book cover using clip art or birthday notepads and stickers.  I keep this book in our "Class Books" box in our classroom library and I also let the birthday child take it home in the birthday backpack. 

  Birthday Read Alouds

I have a selection of various birthday books that I allow the birthday child to choose from and then I read the chosen book to the entire class.  The latest book by Laura Numeroff; If You Give a Pig a Party is also an excellent birthday book.

The Birthday Box

The birthday box is a very simple and easy storage solution to house your birthday supplies; I decided to create the "birthday box" when I ran out of storage in my classroom.  It's not only a great storage solution, it also makes a nice decorative and conversation piece.  Wrap the bottom of a copy paper box in birthday wrapping paper, then wrap the lid separately, don't forget to add a decorative bow on top.   Inside the box there are birthday read alouds, birthday vests, birthday cards and prizes, and a musical birthday cake.

Birthday Vests

My mom is very handy and she makes me these cute vests for my classroom.  I have leader of the day vests so it was only natural that I had birthday vests too.  The birthday child chooses which vest to wear for the day. 

Birthday Presents

I give the birthday child a birthday pencil and a birthday card.  This year I am also giving a birthday book to each child for their birthday.   I have accumulated enough free books through Scholastic bonus points that I can give each child a book for their birthday. 

Birthday Cake

This plush musical cake is a big hit with my students every year!  If you squeeze the cake it plays the Happy Birthday song.  The birthday student wears the vest and sits in my chair in front of the class, then squeezes the cake and we all sing the song to the birthday child. 

Birthday Chart

This is a wonderful idea from teachers.net that I found several years ago and have been using ever since.  The small bags hang easily above our white board with push pins.  I wrote the names of the months on the front of each bag and glued a die-cut to the front.   I found craft sticks in the shape of girls and boys (Something Sticks) ,  wrote each child's name and birthday on a stick, and placed the sticks in the appropriate bags.   We take the correct bag down each month and place the sticks in our calendar pocket chart on the correct day so we know when the birthdays are.

Birthday Bag

The birthday child is allowed to take home one of our birthday bags.  Inside of each bag there is a book, a stuffed character, a cassette player with birthday songs (not pictured), and an instruction sheet.   In addition to the Happy Birthday Moon bag pictured above, the bags we currently have are:  Dora's Birthday Bag, Clifford's Birthday Bag, Biscuit's Birthday Bag, Arthur's Birthday Bag, and Corduroy's Birthday Bag.