We are all big Dr. Seuss fans in this house. I grew up loving his books and I love getting to share them now with my own children. Since March 2nd is Dr. Seuss's birthday, I've planned a full week of books and activities to help us celebrate that I will share with you in a minute, but first a few fun facts about Dr. Seuss:
-Dr. Seuss's real name was Theodore Geisel.
-He used the pen name Dr. Seuss when illustrating his own stories. He often used the pen name Theo LeSieg when someone else illustrated his stories. Theo is a nickname for Theodore, and LeSieg is an anagram for Geisel.
-Green Eggs and Ham was written using only 50 different words.
-In the movie, The Lorax, the main character is named Ted after Theodore Giesel. The main character's crush is named Audrey, after Theodore Giesel's wife.
Bartholomew and the Oobleck
Read Bartholomew and the Oobleck together. It's a fun story about a little boy who must save his kingdom from a sticky goo called oobleck. Then try making some oobleck of your own!
For this activity you will need:
-2 cups of cornstarch
-1 cup of water
-A few drops of food coloring
-A bowl
-A spoon
Be aware, this project is messy! Start by adding a few drops of food coloring to the water. The oobleck in the story is green but you can pick whatever color you want. Mix the cornstarch and water in the bowl and stir with the spoon until it's completely combined. It should have a somewhat solid consistancy when squeezed or when you apply pressure to it, but a runny liquid consistancy otherwise. If you've never made this awesome goo before, your in for a treat. It is so neat! It's what is refered to as a non Newtonian fluid because it does not follow Newton's laws of viscosity. It's really neat stuff!
The Foot Book
Start by reading The Foot Book together, it's one of my favorites for preschoolers. Then try this simple footprint painting.
For this activity you will need:
-a yellow or white sheet of construction paper
-blue and red washable paint
-a paintbrush
-a black marker
-feet!
This is another messy one. You may want to lay down some newspaper or an old plastic tablecloth to protect your floor or workspace (I like to use the cheap plastic party tablecloths from the Dollar Tree). This activity is pretty quick and simple though. Start by painting the bottom of one of your child's feet red and help him/her make a foot print on the construction paper. Wash that foot off and do the same with the other foot but with blue paint. Wash up and when the paint is dry you can add a quote from the story with black marker. I like the opening line of the story "Left foot, left foot. Right foot, right. Feet in the morning and feet at night."
The Cat in the Hat
What Dr. Seuss week would be complete without The Cat in the Hat? Read The Cat in the Hat (and The Cat in the Hat Comes Back if you want to). Then make your own Cat in the Hat!
For this activity you will need:
-a paper plate or a similar sized circle of white paper
-two googly eyes
-a sheet of white paper cut to look like a tall top hat
-a few strips of red paper
-a red bowtie cut from red construction paper
-6 black whiskers and two black triangle ears cut from black construction paper
-glue
-scissors
-6 black whiskers and two black triangle ears cut from black construction paper
-glue
-scissors
Start by having your child glue the red paper strips onto the hat to make the red stripes. Then glue the googly eyes onto the paper plate (or circle of white paper) and draw on the cat's nose and mouth. Glue the hat onto the top of his head. Glue on his ears, whiskers and bowtie. And there you have your own Cat in the Hat.
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
Read One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish together, then make your own red fish, blue fish hand print painting!
For this activity you'll need:
-a sheet of light blue construction paper
-red and blue washable paint
-some markers
-a paint brush
This activity can be a little messy, you may want to lay down newspaper or something to protect your work space. Using the paint brush paint one of your childs hands (palm side) with the red paint. Help your child position their fingers so the thumb is sticking up and the pinky is hanging down.
-a sheet of light blue construction paper
-red and blue washable paint
-some markers
-a paint brush
This activity can be a little messy, you may want to lay down newspaper or something to protect your work space. Using the paint brush paint one of your childs hands (palm side) with the red paint. Help your child position their fingers so the thumb is sticking up and the pinky is hanging down.
Press your child's painted hand onto the blue construction paper, thumb up and pinky down. Wash the paint off your child's hand and then repeat the process with the other hand except with blue paint this time. Wash up and let the hand prints dry. Then using the markers, give the hand print fish eyes and a mouth. You can add other details too like the ocean floor, plants, etc....
The Lorax
The Lorax is my personal all time favorite Dr. Suess book. I love the illustrations and it's a story with such an important message. Read The Lorax with your child (and watch the movie too if you want). Then take a trip to your local nursery and pick out a tree to take home and plant. Use this opportunity to talk to your child about the importance of trees. Older children can even spend some time researching photosynthesis or the oxygen cycle. Ducksters has some great information for kids on these topics here and here.
Enjoy your reading!
What is your favorite Dr. Seuss book?
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