Pete the Cat Activity Guide

It's no secret audiences are LOVING Pete the Cat.  Kids are groovin' with our favorite feline, but don't let the fun stop at the theater!  Here are some great activities to keep the Pete fun going at home.


Hungry? How about a Pete the Cat snack?

Try this tasty graham cracker treat based on Pete's four groovy buttons!  What other snacks can you make that remind you of Pete?

Wish you had Magic Sunglasses? 
You can make your own with this fun project, and change the shape, style, and color to fit your magical needs!  What crazy-awesome world will you see?

Looking for a less ordinary project?  
Try the Pete the Catapult! This little catapult is a great family project.  Grab your own four groovy buttons and see how far you can make them fly.

And if you want to look a little more groovy...
It's time for a Pete that Cat hat! This hat also comes with instructions for a fun rhyming game.

So, what are you waiting for?  Get grooving today!

Beautiful Oops! Activity Guide

It's hard to find a better book for fun, messy, creative activities than Barney Saltzberg's Beautiful Oops!  So, put on some paint clothes, and get ready to make something awesome out of even your worst "mistake."

Straw Blowing Art
What's more fun than bendy straws AND paint?  Probably nothing.  Practice fine motor skills and see what your paint splatter turns into.  The possibilities are infinite!

Tearing Paper
How many silly ways can you tear a piece of paper?  Put on your thinking cap and your yoga pants to explore the crazy ways you can tear paper, and create an art project.

Baking Soda Paint
Creativity explodes with this recipe that creates fun, fizzy paint.  What will your shapes create?

Torn Newspaper Art
Don't toss yesterday's paper in the recycle bin.  Instead tear it into shapes, and let those shapes determine what you paint!  It's fun, and eco-friendly!

Do you have any other ideas for Oops art?  Love everything Beautiful Oops?  We would love to hear from you!

Get Silly with Sugar: Willy Wonka Activity Guide

Put your leftover Halloween candy to use and get in the candy factory spirit with these Willy Wonka themed activities before or after you see The Willy Wonka Musical.

If you're like Augustus Gloop and can't get enough chocolate, try your hand at making your own chocolate goop.

If edible wallpaper is your treat of choice, try your hand at this edible wallpaper.  It's the perfect project for cookie cutters and free hand cutouts.  The best part is, if you don't like your first attempt, eat it and start over!

Get scientific with some holiday mints, and learn all about the density of different kinds of candy.  What floats, what dissolves, and what does candy start to look like as it digests?  So many questions, Wonka helps you find the answers. 

If your life is lacking candy, don't worry.  Grab some string, sugar, and water and grow your own rock candy.  Make it extra fancy with the food coloring and flavoring of your choice.  How many colors can you create? 

You many not have your own fizzy drink that makes you fly, but what if you could make M&M's float?   Try this fun experiment, and think light thoughts!

Have some of your own Wonka inspired projects?  Share with us on social media! 

Dressing Up with The Night Fairy

There's nothing cooler than an awesome fairy costume.  So, with Halloween just around the corner and The Night Fairy taking flight on our new Second Stage in downtown Berkeley, we collected some awesome costume ideas to make your garden adventure with Flory, her animal friends, and foes even more exciting.

Accessorizing is key:

If you're looking for some classic fairy accessories to accompany the amazing outfit already in the dress-up box, try this tutorial for the perfect DIY wand and floral crown.

Don't forget to FLY:

If you're currently lacking the perfect set of wings, here's an easy tutorial to make wings for a fairy of any age and size.  Make some mom and me wings, or wings for the whole family!

Would you rather be another garden creature?

If you prefer eight legs over two, a beautiful garden spider is the way to go.  For a costume that will turn heads and only require a short trip to the hardware store, this tutorial will have you spinning a web in no time! 

If you'd rather fly than climb:

This cute bird cape is the perfect no-sew project.  Add a matching mask, or get clever with a headband, hat, or matching fabric braided into hair. 

Or, maybe you prefer life as a wallflower: 

Pick a favorite flower, or grab some friends to make a whole bouquet!  Copy your favorite flowers in your own garden, or what you see on weekend trips to the farmers market with this cute felt DIY costume. 

Whether you love to dress up during the Halloween season or year round, The Night Fairy is ready to inspire your next collection of garden fashions.  

Teddy Bear's Picnic Activity Guide

If you and your little loved the immersive experience of Teddy Bear's Picnic, keep the fun rolling with these at home activities and treats.


Read the Book


If you don't already have this classic story as a board book, now is the perfect time to read it while on a picnic of your own!

Bear Potato Stamps

Get out a potato and some butcher paper for this super fun painting activity.  Help your little one create a bear paw potato stamp, and start creating bear tracks!  Where is your bear going?  What will they eat when they get there?

Bear Map

Keep the tempera paint and butcher paper out for this great activity as you work together to draw out your bear-finding map!  Where does your bear hide?  What kind of plants grow in that area?  Do any of those plants grow near your home?

Teddy Bear Toast

If you're not sure what to bring on your bear-hunt picnic, teddy bear toast will be a quick and easy hit with the whole family, and your Instagram followers.  Mix it up with bears on toaster waffles, pancakes, or even rice cakes!  What kinds of bears can you make?

Do you have any other awesome Teddy Bear's Picnic activities or book suggestions?  Tell us about it in the comments our on social media!

Very Hungry Caterpillar Activity Guide

Who doesn't love the classic tale of the Very Hungry Caterpillar?  Well, to prepare for the Hungry Caterpillar Show, we've rustled up an array of pre-show activities for you and the littles to try!

Caterpillar Macaroni Necklace

The whole family can dress up for the show with this simple craft.

Get creative with dried pasta, string, and cut paper, making your own caterpillar.  Match the classic book colors, or design your own!

Caterpillar Chain

Countdown to your performance of Hungry Caterpillar Show, but building your own caterpillar chain!  Who can make the longest?  And of course, don't forget the googley eyes!

Story Stones

Are you familiar with story stones?  They're an amazing way to explore storytelling in a tactile way.  Enjoy painting rocks to tell the story of the very hungry caterpillar!

Leaf Caterpillar

Enjoy some nice leaf collecting and crafting with this fun project.  Who knows, maybe you'll see a few caterpillars while you're out there!

Got some other great craft ideas, or want to show off your creations on social media?  Don't forget to tag us!  @bactheatre. 

Rainbow Fish Snacks

What do we love more than The Rainbow Fish Musical?  Food, of course!  If you and your kids feel the same, heres a selection of great snacks to enjoy before our after your trip to the wild, aquatic world of Rainbow Fish.

Fish on the River

It's a new generation of ants on a log!  For a quick, simple and nutritious fishy snack, food.com combined celery, cream cheese, and goldfish crackers to create this line of fish swimming up stream.  Substitute cream cheese with nut butter or humus, for a savory, dairy-free protein boost!  

Under the Sea Cookies

These cookies are almost too fun to eat!  Explore the depths of the ocean by creating mini seascapes on sugar cookies.  Combine graham cracker  sand, candy rocks, and an array of gummy creates in these edible aquariums!

Jello Fish Bowls

For a snack that jiggles and wiggles, try these edible fish bowls!  Nilla wafer sand, berry Jello water and multicolor Swedish Fish create the perfect afternoon treat.  Add other gummy animals like sharks.  The possibilities for sea creature fun are endless.  Cast your spoon into this aquarium and catch a fish or two!

Do you have another other great Rainbow Fish themed snacks?  Other things you'd love to see on the blog?  Let us know in the comments! 

The Rainbow Fish Musical Preshow Activities!

It's time for a #summerofsharing with everyone's favorite sea creature: Rainbow Fish.
Here are some fantastic pre or post show activities to get you in the Rainbow Fish groove!

Paper Plate Fish
If you have some spare summer BBQ plates, this is the project for you!

Just make sure your workspace is ready for some glitter!

Fish Hand Puppets

 Write your own version of The Rainbow Fish Musical, or reenact scenes at home with these easy-peasy hand traced puppet!  It's the perfect group project!

Play Dough Fish Friends

This project is super easy, and fairly mess free.  Sculpt your fish and let them dry for a long lasting aquatic friend, or reusing the play dough again and again!  Are there other creatures in the Rainbow Fish story you can sculpt?

Whether you're gearing up for a weekend performance of Rainbow Fish, or want to keep the fun going all summer long, we hope these activities bring a little more Rainbow Fish into your life!

Construction Site Activity Guide

Do your kids love  Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site? Looking for the perfect pre or post show activity?

Grab your hard hats and get ready for some fun with these Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site activities

Counting
If you're focused on learning to count, this activity only requires your excavator, paper, and a handful of dried beans!

Painting

This project is a little messy, but tons of fun for the budding artist in your family!

Printables
If you're looking for more thorough preschool curriculum and activities surrounding the books, check out these free printables!

Sensory Bin
Get out some legos, beans, balls, and noodles to create a sensory bin that's eye catching fun for the whole family, like this one!

Enjoying these activities? Hoping to see more activities liked to our shows?  Let us know in the comments, or connect on Facebook and Twitter!

Fly Guy's Favorite Dessert: Dirt Cake

Flies love gross stuff: moldy bread, rotten meat, and stale Oreo cookies.  Just one of the many things we humans don't have in common with our fly friends.  But, what if, just for an afternoon we could enjoy gross treats just as much as these bugs do?

Treat yourself to some afternoon grub with dirt cake!

Photo Credit: Food.com

The perfect treat for spring time, get your kid's psyched for Fly Guy, the Musical with this no bake, easy to make dirt cake!

Photo Credit: Food.com

Ingredients:

• 1 Oreo package--double stuff or flavored will lighten the color of your top soil, but add fun flavor to the mix!
• 1 16 oz. instant pudding package--chocolate will leave your dirt extra brown, while vanilla or banana will make for light colored layers
• 1 16 oz Cool Whip--full fat is best to create extra fluffy dirt.  Our try non-dairy Coco Whip for a slight coconut flavor!
• Gummy worms, or other fun treats to bury in the mud!
• Fun container--clean plastic pot, lined terra cotta pot, or just some cups for serving!

Photo Credit: Food.com

How to make no-bake dirt cake:

1. Mix pudding per box instructions.
2. Grind Oreos into a soil-like consistency.  If you don't have a food processor, try putting the Oreos in a Ziplock and smashing them for extra fun!
3. Separate pudding into two portions.
4. Mix one portion of pudding with equal portion of Cool Whip.
5. Start layering!  Layer pudding, Oreo crumbs, Cool Whip, and the pudding mix in whatever order you like, making sure to leave a thick layer of Oreo dirt on top!
6. Garnish with creepy crawlers and enjoy!

Don't worry, if you think you made too much dirt cake, leave it on the counter for a few days, and Fly Guy will finish it for you!

Get your tickets for Fly Guy, the Musical, before he flies away!