If You Give a Cat a Cupcake
When does a cupcake with sprinkles lead to an exciting day at the beach,
the park, and the museum?
When you give a cat a cupcake!
Cause and Effect. What if Cat were to ask for something other than sprinkles to go with his cupcake? If that one event were to change, would the story take an entirely different course? Explore the cause-and-effect process with your students by trying out an alternative version of Cat’s story.
Have your students sit in a circle while you sit in the middle holding a ball. After you say the opening words “If you give a cat a cupcake, he’ll ask for,” pass the ball to a student and have him or her fill in the next part of the story. Perhaps Cat will ask for a fork to eat his cupcake with or a bib to tie around his neck. After the student makes a suggestion, have him or her pass the ball back to you. Continue the story with the new idea. So if Cat asks for a fork, you say, “When you give him the fork, he might,” and then you pass the ball to another student, who provides the next part of the story.
Keep passing the ball (and the ideas!) back and forth and see how silly and creative your students can be.
Working Out. Cat may enjoy eating cupcakes, but he stays healthy by working out on the treadmill, lifting weights, taking karate, and rowing.
Plan a day of physical fitness for your
students to remind them of the importance
of taking care of their bodies. Go for a walk or a
jog as a class, have students complete an obstacle
course, or have them play a sport, like Frisbee or kickball.
Consider inviting a qualified parent volunteer to visit your class to teach aerobics, karate, tai chi, yoga, or Pilates.
Museum Scavenger Hunt. Cat visits the dinosaurs and the Hall of Apes when he goes to the science museum.
Organize an informational scavenger hunt for your students to complete during a field trip to a local museum. Go to the museum in advance of the scheduled trip and create a series of questions for your students to answer based on the various exhibits and displays. If the museum includes a dinosaur exhibit or a Hall of Apes, be sure to include them in your scavenger hunt.
Is the Price Right? Teach your students about money and the pricing of various consumer products with this activity.
Bring in pictures or actual samples of the following items from the story: a cupcake, a jar of sprinkles, a bathing suit, a pail, a treadmill, a ticket for the merry-go-round, a ticket to the science museum, and a pair of shoes. Show students one item at a time and have them guess how much each item costs. See whose guess is closest to the actual retail price.
After going through the items, have students add up all the true costs to see how much Cat’s adventures would cost in your town or city.
The Art of the Cupcake. Celebrate If You Give a Cat a Cupcake with a cupcake party! Bake cupcakes for your students, but leave the treats undecorated. Then set up a station in your classroom with frosting, sprinkles, and candies and invite each student to decorate his or her own cupcake. Alternatively, give each student a piece of card stock with an outline of a cupcake on it. Then have students decorate their cupcakes with markers, crayons, glitter, confetti, and other art materials. After students cut out their personalized creations, decorate a wall in your classroom with these delectable works of art.
