Green Eggs and Ham Egg Hunt

Green Eggs and Ham Hunt 

I am preparing for this egg hunt at school next month as part of our Dr. Seuss Carnival to celebrate our read-a-thon. The egg hunt is held in the library. 

Kids have to find two eggs that rhyme and may keep the prizes inside. We have Dr. Seuss erasers, pencil grippers, stickers and magnetic bookmarks. I ordered the prizes and a huge pack of Green Eggs from Oriental Trading Company. 

We used 8 rhyming words to match. Fox/Box, Tree/See, Sam/am, House/Mouse But you could try other words from the book. We only put one word per egg.

I tried another version for my kids at home where you put a word on top and a rhyming word on the bottom then have your kids match them up. 

This would be a fun activity for St. Patrick's Day in the classroom or at home.

A few years ago I created this free printable Green Eggs and Ham game. Click here to see the details and get the link to the free printable.  Look for the PDF file on this page.

I Spy Christmas Books and Activity

Our Christmas books are scattered around our house for the holiday season. My kids pulled out the I Spy style books today. 

They love looking for Seymore, the wooden toy robot, in Can You See What I See? Night Before Christmas by Walter Wick. 

After reading the book we played the I spy game with our Christmas village. 

They take turns saying what they spy and the rest of us have to find it.

I spy a boy sledding

I spy a clock

I spy a tree

I spy the church

I spy the baby Jesus

I spy something red

...and so on.

Then we play I spy on our Christmas tree.

I spy a snowman

I spy an Eiffel Tower

I spy a Star Wars ship 

I spy Santa Claus....

Here are a few of our other I Spy Christmas books.

Look-Alikes Christmas, Look and Find on The Night Before Christmas and I Spy Little Christmas. 

Try finding one of these books at your library, or just play the Christmas I Spy activity with decorations around your home without the books. 

Merry Christmas!

Tea Party in London Inspired by Matilda by Roald Dahl

My daughter just finished the book Matilda, by Roald Dahl.  She received a copy of the book while she was in London during her Happy Meal Chef apprentice experience with McDonald's.  They took her to The Stupendous Afternoon Tea served at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Mercer Street Hotel in London.

The Matilda musical is currently playing in London (right next door to the hotel) so the hotel created a scrumptious tea service inspired by the story.

Just listen to a portion of the menu:  Ludicrously Lovely Lemon Loaf Cake, Tremendously Terrific Trifle and Fantastic Fondue.

Don't worry, Miss Trunchbull won't make anyone eat an entire chocolate cake like she did in the story.  My daughter had a lovely time at the tea. 

My daughter Elayna and friend Sarah enjoying the tea treats. Both are Happy Meal Chefs for McDonald's.

We've had the Matilda movie on our shelf for years but our daughter started watching it a few years ago and it scared her too much. She is older now (age 9) and really loved the book, especially the surprise ending. Now she is ready to pull the movie out again.

You could try making your own treats at home to go along with this story.  Try making up your own amazing alliteration on the menu to make it even more fun.

Peach Ice Cream Recipe and Books

It’s peach season!  We love peaches and books about peaches. 
This summer my husband read James and the Giant Peach to the kids at night. 
We have been on a Roald Dahl kick lately and I’ll share some of his other books and treats to go along with them this month.
We made peach ice cream to go along with this book.  Kids can help pour the ingredients in and mix it together. Then let your ice cream maker do the hard part. It tastes amazing! My husband created this recipe. It is not the healthiest but it is a once-a-year treat we look forward to, to celebrate our local Peach Days.

Recipe for Homemade Cinnamon Peach Coconut Ice Cream:



To print: Right click image above to save then paste into document program to print.

PEACH BOOKS
JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH by Roald Dahl
My daughter is not fond of scary stories (she doesn’t even like most Disney princess movies because they have a witch) so I wasn’t sure how she was going to like this book because it is a little strange.  My husband did a great job of stopping to explain things as they read so she realized the aunts in the story were crazy, not scary. She laughed and didn’t want to stop reading when the chapters ended.

One of my husband’s childhood favorites is Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. My daughter memorized the entire book as a poem for a school book report in 2nd grade. Our kids love this book.  I happened to find a copy of the classroom size version (2ft x 3ft)  for 50 cents at a thrift shop. This is definitely one you’ll want to have in your library.

This weekend we get to go visit Grandma to celebrate Peach Days in Brigham City, Utah.  We’ll be stopping at the fruit stands along the highway, reading books with Grandma and making more peach treats.
Sharing this over at SNAP!

Celebrate Poetry Month with Shel Silverstein

HarperCollins children’s books is calling this: SHELebrate Poetry Month. They have a FREE 16 page packet you can print to go along with Shel Silverstein’s book Every Thing On It.  The packet has name tags, bookplates, so-doku (Shel style), and a variety of activity pages with images from Silverstein. Click here to download the packet.


Shel Silverstein is one of the most classic, recognizable, children’s poets (next to Dr. Seuss). I loved reading his silly rhymes that made me giggle as a child and make my kids and I laugh together as we read them now.

The book Every Thing On It was the first posthumous book by Shel Silverstein published last year.

HarperCollins has great parent and teacher/librarian resources. They have a list of their children’s books with free printable guides to coordinate. They also have a list of activity ideas to go with many of their books.

Read and write some poems today. Do it now, don’t delay!

Polar Express Ticket Bookmark and Bell

The Polar Express, by Chris Van Allsburg, is a Christmas classic we read each holiday.  My kids love the story book and movie.

"TICKETS PLEASE"
Everyone needs a ticket to ride on the Polar Express.  Let kids pretend to be the conductor and punch holes in these tickets to use as bookmarks.

We just used red construction paper but laminated it at the end to make it stronger and more durable. You could also use gold paper if you have it to be more like the movie. Card stock would be best.



I marked the word “BELIEVE” with x’s on the bookmark. Tell kids to try to punch out the x’s. I used a black permanent marker to draw a quick border and some words. Then I laminated the ticket and added one hole punch on one end so I could tie the bell on the side.
I found this 9-pack of bells for $1.00 at the Dollar Tree. I easily tied them to the bookmark.

Make one for every child in your family so they all have a ticket and a bell to hold while reading the book. This would also be a great classroom project for schools during the holidays.


Add a link in the comments below if you want to share other activities that go with this book.
Happy Holidays! Thanks for stopping by ObSEUSSed!


Sharing this project here:

Lost Stories of Dr. Seuss: Bippolo Seed Book and Seed Activities

Have you heard about the seven lost stories of Dr. Seuss to be published in a book next week?  “The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories” is a collection of short stories written by Dr. Seuss long ago and published in magazines. Now the collection will be in this book.  I can’t wait to read these stories and share them with my kids.
Watch for it on store shelves Tues. Sept. 27, 2011 or pre-order it .  I preordered mine on Amazon for $9.00. (I have Prime membership because I have a monthly subscription buying diapers so I get free 2-day shipping and great discounts on Amazon store products. Their prices change often.)

  

This video by Random House shows how the stories were found and compiled by Seussologist, Charles D. Cohen. (I love that title and think he deserves it, he is far beyond obSEUSSed).

The seven stories all sound Seussical with a few morals thrown in as typical Seuss style would have it.  If you want to see a quick overview of what the stories are about, check out the publisher’s description on Mr. Schu’s blog, Watch, Connect, Read. 

THE BIPPOLO SEED:
I’m not positive what the Bippolo Seed story is about, other than a feline persuading a duck to do something wrong. So I thought I’d just share some ideas for seed activities to try with your kids to get them thinking about seeds.

SEED SCAVENGER HUNT:
My daughter’s 2nd grade homework this past week was to go on a SEED SCAVENGER HUNT to collect a variety of seeds in an egg carton. Our house is filled with produce from local Farmer’s Markets and our own garden right now. Some examples we found:

• peach pits
• strawberry seeds
• pumpkin seeds
• dandelion seeds
• sunflower seeds
• Watermelon seeds
• cantaloupe seeds
• green pepper seeds
• tomato seeds
• popcorn kernal
• Mustard seeds
• Celery Seeds

I added the Donut seed to her carton as a joke.  Show your child a Cheerio and ask them if they think it is a real seed that could grow a donut / doughnut (I’m never sure which spelling to use). Talk to them about the difference between baked goods vs. what seeds produce.



Jelly Bean Seeds?
Here is another fun idea that I saw at Easter time on Meet the Dubiens blog that would be fun to try while discussing seeds.  Have your child plant jelly beans in a pot, then the next morning lollipops appear. Depending on their age you will probably want to explain the reality of the magic trick.



Keep your eyes open for the new Dr. Seuss book The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories at your local bookstore or library. And have fun with some seeds this week.




Linking this idea to the Play Academy

Dr. Seuss Hop on Pop Activity Twin Sheet Tutorial

To prepare for Read Across America Day (Dr. Seuss' Birthday) on March 2, we are reading Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss.

I decided to bring Hop on Pop to life by drawing POP on a sheet so the kids can HOP on him.

They had a SEUSStastic time!

See below for how to do this.

Creating a Hop on Pop Twin Sheet

Check your local thrift store. I found a 'looks new' pastel yellow sheet set for $3.00.

Use the fitted sheet for this project.

If you don't want to attempt freehand sketching, you can always try getting an overhead projector and making a copy of the page on transparency paper then tape the sheet to a wall to trace the image. Way too hard for such a simple line drawing in this case. The kids won't pay that close of attention. It is the thought that counts.  Just try doing it with a pencil first if you are worried.

Visit the page tabs at the top of this blog for more Dr. Seuss activity ideas to get ready for Dr. Seuss' Birthday.

Read Along:  On March 2, Dr. Seuss' Birthday, I'm so excited to participate in the Read Along at Helping Little Hands. Polly is featuring a different book & activity each day from a variety of blogs. Click the button below to see more.

Linking to:

More great children's play activities at the Nurture Store blog.
Tatertots and Jello, Weekend Wrap-up
Get Your Craft On, with Today's Creative Blog
Skip to My Lou, Made By You Mondays
Tip Junkie's, Tip Me Tuesday
Fingerprints on the Fridge, Feature Yourself Friday

Red Ted Art’s Blog, Kid’s Get Crafty
Hookin’ Up with House of Hepworth’s, Thursdays
 Polly Want A Crafter, Monday Craft Linky
Somewhat Simple's, Strut Yourself Thursday

Funky Polka-dot Giraffe’s, Too Cute Tuesday