Casey Alexander
Dr. Seuss Celebration
I work for the public library in my town. One of my favorite programs that I host is an event to celebrate Dr. Seuss. Even though his birthday is in March, we usually celebrate in February to coincide with a local theater production of Cat in the Hat. We can promote their show and include their actors for costumed visits for our families.
We organize the event much like an Open House and set up our large program room with several stations so families can arrive at their convenience. A staggered entrance is also helpful for crowd control. The event is open for approximately 1 ½ hours with a book reading from our special visitor the Cat in the Hat two times in the middle. This way families can begin the stations early and end with the storytelling while others arrive for a storytelling and then complete the stations.
We set up six stations:
Go fishing! I display photos and clip art form Dr. Seuss’ One Fish Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. I have several tall plastic containers and 4 “fishing rods” which are long dowels rods with magnets tied with red yarn. Using a button maker – minus the pinbacks – I created several metal letters. Fishing for the letters is plenty of fun but we also create several paper strips with letters. The idea is to fish out a letter and then try to match it to the correct space.
Thing 1 and Thing 2 Sorting. We create several tall tubes (about 8 inches) and glue clip art featuring Thing 1 and Thing 2. I use pvc pipe cut to size because it lasts longer and is easier to store, but regular cardboard tubes will also work. I wrap each tube in either red or blue paper or left it white. We put out several trays and place 2 tubes in each tray. Then we place an assortment of colored pom poms – red, blue and white. The goal is to pick up the pompoms and sort them into the appropriate tube, children may either use plastic tweezers or clothespins.
Cat in the Hat stacks. I paint several plastic containers either red or white. The children take turns stacking the containers, trying to see how tall they can make their stack. My containers collapsed into each other, so I had to glue foam squares in each one. I’ve also seen this done with simple solo cups.
Everyone loves a craft! I alternate crafts each year. One year we create a Cat in the Hat mask using a paper plate on a stick, a die cut hat and pipe cleaner whiskers. The next year we will create a Thing 1 or 2 headband using strips of paper. https://thejoysofboys.com/thing-1-hat/
Flannel Boards. We put out two flannel boards and then have laminated photos/clip art from several Dr. Seuss books. We also include some felt cutouts that we have from ocean rhymes and farm stories since they work with One Fish, Two Fish. and Mr. Brown can Moo!
Sensory Path. Large motor skills are also very important, so we’ve started to include a path along our programs to help children stretch their muscles. Some activities include standing UP, UP, UP, walking with left foot, right foot, and hopping along 10 red apples.
We also set out several Dr. Seuss themed puzzles for interaction. Many of the kids just ignore the directions and make up their own games. I love this! What makes these stations so successful is that the guidelines are there for children who want a challenge, yet they also work for a child who just wants to play. Both opportunities provide learning opportunities!
