Every October hundreds of hot air balloons fill the skies over Albuquerque and Rio Rancho. They have bright colors and funny shapes that make us smile. This floating parade like no other is one of my favorite New Mexico traditions.
My parents didn’t believe me when I told them waking up at 4am to sit in the middle of a dew covered field and watch hot air balloons would be worth it. And at first, they thought the highlight of the day would be the hot mini donuts we shared as we huddled under our blankets on the dark field.
They’d never seen the Albuquerque balloon fiesta before. But when the sun started peaking over the Sandia’s and the first balloons began inflating, they were like children- laughing and smiling. Neither one could contain themself. They pointed out balloon after balloon that caught their attention.
Balloon fiesta season is one of my favorites in Albuquerque, and when I’m providing speech and language therapy I incorporate it when I can.
If you’re a parent or caregiver of a child who receives speech and language support at Belmar Therapy, another clinic, or even through a school, you might enjoy some of these simple activities. They’re not a replacement for working with a licensed speech therapist, but they are some fun activities that may enrich your enjoyment of the balloon fiesta.
1. Planning the Day
Many older students (middle school and high school ages) are working on metacognitive and executive functioning skills related to their speech and language. This includes things like planning, memory, monitoring our own learning, and focus or attention.
If you’re going to the fiesta, invite your child to help you make a plan. Start with the end in mind and work backwards from there.
This kind of planning seems obvious to many adults, but sometimes young adults and teens need to be taught explicitly how to do it. And working it out can employ some great higher level language and cognitive skills.
Here are a few ways to organize yourself:
- Discuss before and day of activities. For example, “Before going we need to get tickets, pack snacks and chairs, arrange for the park and ride, etc.” vs “On the day of the event we need to arrive at X time and bring $5 for a breakfast burrito from one of the vendors.”
- WH-question brainstorming: Spend time thinking of all the different who, what, when, where, why, and how questions you can in relation to the event. Then spend time researching the answers.
- Create an itinerary: Plan your day using an hour-by-hour itinerary. For each item you add to your schedule, discuss it with your child to make sure you agree on major details. For example if you add “Breakfast at 8am,” you can discuss things like, “Where will we eat? How much should we budget for it? When should we leave breakfast to get to our next event?”
2. I Spy…Balloons!
I spy is a great game for almost any age. Whether you’re on the ground at the Balloon Fiesta park or watching from a nearby park, take turns “spying” different balloons.
Depending on age and ability, add more or fewer details. Colors are great details to notice, but see if you can describe places (“I spy a balloon low on the horizon” or “I spy a balloon above the Sandias.”), shapes, sizes, and categories.
3. Sense Delicious Treats
If you’re at the balloon fiesta itself (or even if you’re watching from afar), you’re probably going to enjoy some snacks. Practice describing those treats using your five senses.
I love the mini-donuts because you can smell the cinnamon, you can see the golden sugar, you can feel how hot they are when you first buy them, you can hear the crackling of the paper bag… and of course you can taste the sweet deliciousness.
4. Expanding What They Say
One of the simplest ways to help grow your child’s language is by adding just a little bit to whatever they say. At the balloon fiesta this is pretty easy because children are talking up a storm about all the captivating sights.
So, if your child says, “Look, a balloon!” and points, you can acknowledge what they said. And then add just a word or two. “Yes! It is a red balloon.”
If your child points out the Creamland Dairy balloon, “A cow balloon,” you can add “You’re right. It is a cow. The cow is black and white.”
It doesn’t have to be much, just a word or two expand their description of something they’re already interested in.
5. Find Balloons With…
As you’re enjoying the view, you can try grouping balloons based on different features. For example, you can tell your child, “I found a green balloon. Can you find two more?”
Get creative with the categories you see. “I found a horse balloon. Let’s find 3 more animal balloons.” You can find all the cartoons, all the balloons that look like people, any balloon that has ears, etc.
One of the cool things about the balloon fiesta is just how many different types of balloons there are.
What Really matters
Whichever of these activities you use (or don’t), the most important thing to teach your child about the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is to enjoy it. Enjoy the eccentric parade of color across the sky and enjoy your time as a family. Talk. Have fun. Laugh.
And if you need speech therapy in Albuquerque, feel free to leave that us. That will leave you more time and energy to enjoy the Balloon Fiesta.
