Dr. Seuss Birthday Ideas
Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, was born on March 2, 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts. His children's books (he wrote more than 60), although simple, are enlightening, inspiring, and well-loved by readers of all ages in more than a dozen countries. Celebrating his birthday is a fun way to honor his life and legacy and encourage children to read. Here's some ideas for observing the day in the classroom or at home. For each activity, be sure to read the applicable book first, because that's what it's all about. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
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Tasty Treats
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How do we celebrate any birthday? By making a cake, of course. Baking is a great way to help kids learn about measuring, fractions, and following instructions. You can decorate the cake with lots of colorful frosting, with the primary colors Seuss used in his illustrations. Another yummy idea is to make green eggs and ham for breakfast. Green eggs are easy to make: just add some drops of green food coloring to a bowl full of raw eggs and scramble as usual. Pan-fry ham steaks, and you have a meal fit for Sam-I-Am.
Crafts
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"The Cat in the Hat" is one of Seuss's most popular books, and you can easily make a tall striped hat, just like the naughty cat wears, out of red and white construction paper and poster board. Another craft that's easy for kids to make and fun to play with is the oobleck from "Bartholmew and the Oobleck." Mix two cups cornstarch, one cup water, and green food coloring. Put the "oobleck" on a sheet of wax paper so that you can manipulate it. You could also use green Play-Doh if you don't have the time or materials to make your own.
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Art Activities
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Kids can choose their favorite Seuss book and create a new book jacket for it using construction paper and crayons or markers. Just fold the paper to look like a book jacket, and kids can add their own illustrations. You could use stickers or stencils for the title and even have kids write their own reviews or a short biography of Dr. Seuss for the inside cover or back. Also, kids could draw their own "mixed-up animals" like the elephant-bird in Horton Hears A Who.
Movies
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In addition to reading Seuss's books, you can find many film and television versions of his stories. Some of the best movies based on Seuss's work are: Horton Hears a Who (20th Century Fox, 2008), The Cat in the Hat (Universal Studios, 2003), and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Universal Studios, 2000). All are available on DVD.
Critical Thinking Activities
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If you are dealing with older kids, you can utilize the societal elements of many of Seuss's books to facilitate debate or writing. For example, after reading
The Sneeches and Other Stories," you could host a lively debate on discrimination. Both "Yertle the Turtle" and "Bartholemew and the Oobleck" touch on abuses of government power, which you could connect to despotic leaders in history. "The Butter Battle Book" could be used to research or discuss nuclear arms buildup and nuclear war, and "The Lorax" could be used for debate or discussion of environmental issues.
Theater
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Seuss's books are much better when read aloud, and they lend themselves to what teachers call "Reader's Theater," which is more or less acting out the text. You could choose a favorite Seuss book, design sets, make costumes, and create a play. This activity could work with almost all age groups, depending on the book chosen and level of adult help, of course.
Language Arts Activities
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Two of Seuss's books are especially inspiring when it comes to writing projects that encourage higher level thinking and creativity. After reading"Oh, the Places You'll Go," have kids write an essay or a list (depending on their age) of the places they wish to go in their lives. Don't limit it to geographic locations, but leave the possibilities wide open: college, the Olympics, even outer space. After reading "If I Ran the Zoo," have kids choose a place (the school, the house, the country...), and write about what they would do differently if they were in charge.
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References
- Photo Credit D Sharon Pruitt
