4 Books to Celebrate Earth Day

We can celebrate our Earth all year by teaching our children to take care of it.

Grab a few of these books and try some activities to help your child love our earth.

Being obSEUSSed, I have to mention The Lorax story. A message about saving trees and standing up for our environment comes across to even toddler age listeners. There are newer Step Into Reading Lorax books with more current ways to help the earth.

Another new favorite is The Boy Who Spoke to the Earth. 

The illustrations in this book are so vibrant and captivating. I wouldn't mind having them framed and displayed on my walls at home. We went to a story scavenger hunt activity at the park for this book by Chris Burkard & David McClellan (Dreamling Books). 

My children loved the story of the boy who went in search of happiness. The boy searches each scene and asks to find happiness but the Earth reminded him he needs to "stand still for just a moment." I agree that sometimes we keep our children so busy playing and exploring outside but we may forget to take a moment to soak it all in and talk to our children about the beauty and importance of the earth. 

Dreamling Books, the publisher of The Boy Who Spoke to the Earth" took us on a story scavenger hunt. The kids ran to find clues around the park that led them to a prize. Parents can create their own Story Scavenger Hunt by creating small paper clues that lead to the next location then to a prize or destination (like a waterfall) at the end.

We are so lucky to live near these beautiful mountains. Our kids take it for granted sometimes. I always make a point to tak about them when we drive past them or look out the window at them. 

Our family enjoys the earth by geocaching. We go on hikes around our state or visit our local park to find little hidden treasure boxes. Anyone can join the fun using the Geocaching app. We also use a hiking GPS to find caches in remote areas without cell service. 

As we hike with a purpose, we also take time to notice the scenery, animals, bugs and other hikers. If we find trash along the trail we pick it up to dispose of properly. Our kids love these outdoor adventures. 

Old Turtle by Douglas Wood is another favorite of ours with detailed water color illustrations. The story is a fable of the way our earth was created. Animals play a big part of our earth. 

Look for animals at the park or an anima conservancy near you to learn more. Our children love our local Tracy Aviary. 

The fourth book I recommend is The Water Hole by Graeme Base. Hidden illustrations on pages get children interested in finding out why the water is disappearing on each page. The theme of this book will help you start a conversation with your child about water conservation. 

Talk about ways you can save water around home like taking shorter showers or smaller baths and turning water off while brushing teeth. 

We use leftover water in our dinner cups to water our plants.

What are some of your favorite books or activities to celebrate Earth Day? Leave a comment below.

*Disclosure, I received a free Boy Who Spoke to the Earth book in exchange for my honest review. 

Read Across America: School Readathon and Printable Reading Log

Our elementary school PTA hosts a two-week read-a-thon for the students.  The past few years the theme has been Dr. Seuss so we coordinate it around Dr. Seuss’ birthday (March 2) which is also Read Across America Day. I have been lucky to help with the Dr. Seuss reading weeks for the last 3 years.

Students track their reading minutes for two weeks.  The top grade and the top student in each grade receive prizes.  All the students are rewarded with a Dr. Seuss Carnival Celebration at the end of the two weeks. The Cat in the Hat from our local PBS station (KBYU) attends our carnival.

FREE PRINTABLE DR. SEUSS STYLE READING LOG

Here is a sample of the reading log with details specific for our readathon.


I made a blank sheet that you can add to or use it like it is. There is also a version with 4 post card sized hats on one page.


I drew this hat inspired by the Cat in the Hat. This is available as a Free Printable to be used for educational purposes only in homes or classrooms. Please do not repost this image (or any others on this site) without permission.  See this printable and more Dr. Seuss printables here.

Accelerated Reader Challenge

This year we held an assembly read-a-thon for 45 minutes for all students in the gym.
They could take Accelerated Reading (A.R.) tests on laptops on the stage to correlate with the 'Read the Most Coast to Coast' National A.R. Challenge the same day. We showed the number of words being tracked nationally up on a screen. We had 20 laptop stations set up and kids lined up to take tests for an hour.

Nearly 600 students sat on the floor trying to quietly read. We handed out large Tootsie Pop suckers as they came in the door to help them stay quiet and enjoy a treat at the same time. I've blurred some faces to protect privacy.

I spotted one child reading Dr. Seuss and holding The Cat in the Hat.

Dr. Seuss Style Flash Mob

At the end of the read-a-thon one teacher stood in the middle of the room as I turned on the music and she started to dance.  10 seconds later, more teachers and a few PTA moms joined in the middle of the room and started dancing with a few coordinated moves ('Can Can" kicks and "The Wave" with books + more). Quickly, the students jumped to their feet and started dancing along too.  The entire room was a dance party dancing to the tune of Black Eyed Peas "I've Got a Feeling" song. The words were changed to "Gotta Keep Reading, cause this book's gonna be a good book!"  See a sample of this song on YouTube.

Click here to see a short video on Instagram. The sound is not good. I will post a better clip soon.

When watching the video back I spotted several kids who just sat on the floor and kept reading in the middle of the dance party. They were so into their books. I love that! I'm not even sure they realized the Grinch was up by the stage.

School Dr. Seuss Decorations

Our PTA created Dr. Seuss character cutouts with Dr. Seuss quotes and hung them throughout the hallways.  The large truffula trees each represent a grade to track reading minutes. At the end of the first and second week of the read-a-thon, a small Dr. Seuss character will climb the tree representing the minutes read. The first tree says ‘Whoville’ and represents our preschool and special needs classroom.

I made a few Truffula Trees too out of tissue paper and foam pool noodles or black plumbing foam. 

Principal Stuck on Reading
Our principal is a good sport. He got ‘Stuck on Reading’ for our school read-a-thon. These photos are from 2014 but we will be doing it again with our new principal on March 12.
 In the middle of the two week read-a-thon we asked students to bring their reading logs back to check in. If they have been reading, they got a piece of duct tape and got to tape the principal to the wall during lunch time.

He read several Dr. Seuss books while the kids added tape.

We used a white painters outfit so his clothes wouldn’t get ruined. He also wore the red and white stove pipe hat like The Cat in the Hat.

See how he is standing on a stack of books?  Once he was taped well, we took the books out and let him hang there. Truly ‘Stuck on Reading.’

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE DR. SEUSS BOOK
We had five posters for popular Dr. Seuss books and asked the kids to sign their name and vote for their favorite.  I attached a cover of the books (from a bulletin board set) and a marker hooked to yarn so they could sign.  The kids had fun doing this while only 2-4 could be trying to tape the principal at a time.  It was also Fox in Socks Crazy Sock Day so there was a lot of energy buzzing around the read-a-thon for the day.  (What is your favorite Dr. Seuss book? Leave a comment below.)

Does your school do a read-a-thon? What kind of things do you do to motivate your students?  Have you ever had a read-a-thon at home?

Dr. Seuss Crafts, Activities and Party ideas by obSEUSSed

I’ve been busy the past few years celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday and Read Across America Day (March 2).  We actually celebrate all year long by making Dr. Seuss crafts, snacks, printable worksheets, activities and more. This may be why people call me obSEUSSed.

These are a few of my favorite projects I've created.  You can see more details when clicking the links below each collage.

• Thing 1 Thing 2 Cupcake printable signs (free printable)
• Truffula Tree elastic bookmark
• Truffula Tree and Cat in the Hat pencil holder cans
• Lorax Truffula Tree Cupcakes
• Dr. Seuss School Carnival with Cat in the Hat from PBS Kids {KBYU-local station} and fun signs for the party.

• Our Dr. Seuss reading nook in our playroom.
• Our Dr. Seuss {free printable} library card and how we display books.
• The {free printable} Dr. Seuss book mark with the ‘Fill your house’ quote.
• Tips on reading with your children.
• Again, the Dr. Seuss carnival photo booth.

ONE FISH TWO FISH and GREEN EGGS and HAM IDEAS:
One Fish Two Fish {free printable} fishing game for letter recognition.
1 Fish 2 Fish placemat {free printable} to practice counting.
1 Fish 2 Fish bathroom and dresser.
Green Eggs and Ham Egg Hunt and Rhyming Game
Green Eggs and Ham puzzle/cutting practice {free printable}.
Green Eggs and Ham snack tray.

HOP ON POP
We love having Hop on Popcorn at our school Dr. Seuss carnival.
Try this fun Hop on Popcorn sight word game.
Really Hop on Pop when you draw him on a yellow bed sheet.
The Cat in the Hat storage container also makes a great Valentine box.
Take a look around this sight and you’ll find more Dr. Seuss and more regular children’s book crafts and activities.

I have a list of 350+ Dr. Seuss activities on this page:

Plus I’ve collected more than 1,500 ideas on several Pinterest boards.  Check out boards for Dr. Seuss parties, classrooms, crafts, Grinchmas, activities and more.
Visit Victoria Saley @obSEUSSed's profile on Pinterest.

Dr. Seuss Costume Accessories Giveaway and Photo Booth Ideas

Get ready to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday with some fun photo prop costumes.

We got to check out some fun Dr. Seuss accessories from Pure Costumes.  They sent us the Lorax Truffula Tree Boppers headband, the Cat in the Hat headband and the Lorax Accessory Kit (includes hat, sun glasses and mustache).  We also have a set to giveaway (see how to enter below). Here are my kids photo booth style.
Costume Review:
All three products are very professionally made.  They are not indestructible though, so I had to warn my kids to be soft with them so they didn’t break the first day. 
The Cat in the Hat, tiny hat, was squished when it arrived.  I tried to fluff it but it wouldn’t budge.  I finally grabbed an empty toilet paper roll and cut about 1 inch off the end then used the remaining part of the tube to stuff in the tiny hat and it fit perfectly and helped it keep its form.
As with all photo booth props, you probably want a grown-up monitoring the use of props or kids will get out of hand with them. The mustache is held on with a plastic thread that hooks around your head. It may not be great to have multi-users with this one if kids lick it or stretch the cords. 
Over all, I’m excited to use these photo booth props at our upcoming school Dr. Seuss carnival next month.
Pure Costumes offered an extra set of these Dr. Seuss costume photo props to give away to one of my readers.

GIVEAWAY ENDED 2/25/15.
GIVEAWAY RULES:  This contest is open to U.S. residents with a U.S. postal address. Must be age 18 or older to enter.  Pure Costumes is responsible for the prize package and will ship it to the winner. Contest ends Wednesday, Feb. 25 at midnight CST.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

DISCOUNT:
Pure Costumes has also offered a discount code for any of my readers.  Use code: OBSEUSSED to receive 10% off your subtotal. It cannot be combined with other coupon codes and it expires 10/31/15. Take a look at all their fun costumes, perfect for celebrating Read Across America and Dr. Seuss’ birthday.

Disclosure: I received the 3 Dr. Seuss accessories to review for the purposes of this post.  All opinions are 100% my own.

Pure Costumes also has a fun free Dr. Seuss Printable.

They also have a simple Dr. Seuss Pinterest Contest happening. See more details on their site.

Dr. Seuss Pinterest Contest from Pure Costumes

Dr. Seuss Photo Booth:
I created a Dr. Seuss photo booth corner at our school Dr. Seuss carnival.
I used fabric (from Wal-mart) for the background and to cover the bench.
I’ve been collecting a variety of items and creating my own as props over the years.


At the carnival we had a station to make your own photo booth props.  My son made this headband and attached a Lorax mustache with popsicle sticks.
Another way to make a Lorax mustache is to get a yellow feather boa (can be found at craft stores).  I cut it into strips (it gets messy). Then I hot glued two craft sticks (popsicle sticks) together at an angle. Then I glued the feathers on.

I found this blank wooden had prop at Michael’s Crafts Store. My son helped paint red and white stripes on it. Then we drew black sharpie marker on the lines and added extra lines to help it look like the illustrated hat from The Cat in the Hat book.

For the Truffula Tree we found a craft feather boa at Joann’s Crafts and cut a circle from a strong poster board. I hot glued the feather boa into a circle to cover the poster board.  We found a piece of scrap wood in our garage and painted it yellow and again added the black lines with a sharpie marker to add illustration details.

I cut out a white piece of felt and used a black sharpie marker to write THING 1. Then I used a safety pin to attach it to my son’s red shirt.  The turquoise hair is actually an old pillow cover that got ruined so I kept part of the fabric to use as hair.
I found similar fabric on Amazon (search faux fur turquoise) you could make a bunch of little wigs or cut into strips to glue to headbands.
Pure Costumes has Thing 1 Thing 2 wigs and headbands too. I really want some of the headbands for our photo booth but they are out of stock right now.  Keep checking because these will be perfect for dressing up.

I got the READ banner from Oriental Trading and the tall Cat in the Hat display from a bulletin board set. (Amazon affiliate link.)

I made the Truffula Trees using a pool noodle (again drawing black lines with a sharpie marker), a plunger from the dollar store and a spiky poof ball made out of purple and green tissue paper.  You could make so many different colors.

We were lucky to have our local PBS station, KBYU, bring their Cat in the Hat character to our Dr. Seuss carnival.  This year I plan to set the photo booth props right next to his station so kids can dress up and take photos with the cat.

Costumes are a great way to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday and Read Across America day. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway above.