Shape and Say

The Bubbly Birthday Bobby Blane was really looking forward to Saturday because he was just turning five years old and some of his best buddies were coming over to celebrate his birthday with him. Bret, Barry, Brenda and Bart were due to arrive at lunchtime. His mother, Barbara, would barbeque some burgers, make some bologna sandwiches and beat up some butter to put on their bread. Finally they would fill up their bellies with homemade banana cake. Bobby could hardly wait, but soon it was time for the party to begin! One by one, his best friends arrived with special birthday presents for him. Brenda gave him a brown basketball, decorated with black stripes. “Boing, boing,” went the bouncy basketball! Barry gave Bobby a shiny brass bugle. When Bobby blew some notes on it, “Buh-BUH,” the blaring blast scared all the blackbirds out of the yard! Bart’s present to Bobby was a set of Bristle Blocks since he knew that Bobby loved to build. Bobby immediately constructed a tall tower of blocks that he called his Birthday Building. Now the only present left to open was Bret’s. First, Bobby unwrapped the box and found a bottle of liquid soap. Then he discovered a strangely shaped object he had never seen before. At one end it was round like a bowl. The other end looked just like a drinking straw. “I’ve never seen this before, Bret. What is it?” he asked. Bret answered, “That is a special toy pipe for blowing bubbles. It is called the Bubbler. Look, I’ll show you how it works. This soapy liquid is bubble mix. First you put it in the Bubbler bowl and then you blow air into the straw, like this.” [Teacher/parent note: use the sound, not the name of the letter..] “B…b…b…b…b…” went the Bubbler “B…b…b…b…b.” As Bobby blew on his new toy, magical things began to happen. Frothy bubbles began to spill out of the top of the bowl and blow away in the breeze! The other children bounded all over the back yard, trying to catch them. “Oh, let me try too,” pleaded Brenda. Bobby knew it was good to share his toys with his friends, so he carefully cleaned off the part of the Bubbler where his mouth had been and let Brenda have a turn. She put some more bubble mix into the bowl and blew hard! “B…b…b…b…b…” Out came more beautiful, bouncy bubbles! Each of the children had a turn and then it was time for the birthday buffet. After stuffing themselves with bread and new- made butter, bologna sandwiches, barbequed burgers, blueberry ice cream and banana bread, they played happily together for the rest of the party with Bobby’s new presents. The sounded blasts on the bugle, built bridges with the blocks and bounced the basketball. But their favorite present was the Bubbler and they blew lots of bright, brilliant bubbles on it all afternoon. Can you blow some bubbles with them? What sound do these bubbles make when they come out of this B…B… Bubbler? So when you see this letter, you can remember the sounds of the bubbles it makes! [Teacher note: as much as possible, have the children repeat the sound during the course of the story, as you point to the letter shape on the poster or picture. If you can have a large cardboard cut- out of the letter, children can take turns holding it and blowing their “bubbles.” while the other children see the letter shape “saying its sound.”]