Happy Birthday Dr. Seuus!
In celebration of reading & the birthday of the great Theodor Seuss Geisel “Read Across America” events take place every March 2 in many schools across the United States.
The National Education Association started this movement 20 years ago! My kindergartner had a Seusstastical Day in his classroom! Mrs. Giles encouraged everyone to dress-up as a storybook character from one of the the 44 books Seuss authored and illustrated.
My little man was the mean, old, Mr. Grinch!
At the school crosswalk this am the Police Chief threatened to arrest him. Officer Pickel said he didn’t want anyone messing with Christmas presents to be on the streets. Ha!
Little sister came today! She was Cindy Lou Who.
The classroom was full of kids dressed as Thing #1,#2,#3, kids wearing shirts with “one, fish, two fish…”, and the Cat in the Hat even made several appearances.
Mrs. Giles asked parents to send in a few themed treats. Goldfish, Swedish Fish, Grinch Cupcakes, Seuss Cheese sticks, Lorax-themed Oranges, and my favorite….Green Eggs and Ham (pudding colored green & vanilla wafers) filled the bellies of the enthusiastic little ones. Aren’t they cute? The parents are so clever.
Note the imperfection of the Grinchcakes. They were “made with love” (& the help of my kids) not “made by an expert”. Ha. That’s because I gave up on perfection awhile ago!
Mrs. Giles had few read-aloud + activity stations set up.
One was a hand print painting station for Horton Hears a Who! inspired by this picture.
She also had a science station where the kiddos created Oobleck Gook from Dr. Seuss’ book, Bartholomew and the Oobleck. The kids were enthralled as they each created their own concoction.
I used to be a teacher and am thankful that she lets me come in to volunteer in her classroom. It has been such a blessing. I wish I could show you pictures of all the kiddos & activities, but privacy rights are in place (which is a great thing:). So that is why the only kiddos featured in this post are mine.
But know….
The single. most. important. gift we can give our children is the gift of us reading aloud to them. From birth onward!
Here are a few facts:
Research Facts:
- The last 30 years of reading research confirms this simple formula—regardless of sex, race, nationality, or socioeconomic back- ground—students who read the most, read the best, achieve the most, and stay in school the longest.
- In 1983, the U.S. Department of Education created its first Commission on Reading to explore the reading decline. Its 1985 report (Becoming a Nation of Readers) included these findings: “The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children.”
- Hart and Risley’s landmark study, Meaningful Differences, showed affluent children heard 45 million words by age four, working class heard 26 million, and the poverty child heard just 13 million—that’s a 32-million word gap!
Cheers for Celebrating Reading!
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
P.S. Did you know Seuss wrote many of his books based upon political issues? Here are some amazing lesson plans for you upper grade teachers!
P.S.S. My child might be green for days. We used an old-fashioned “recipe” for face-painting from my mother-in-law. Face cream + food coloring. He is still a bit tinted. Ha!
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