Breakfast with The Cat in the Hat: New Episodes March 1

I have a confession: I eat breakfast with The Cat in the Hat every morning. I send two of my kids off to school then sit down with my breakfast and two-year-old to watch The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That! on PBS. The thing is, I’m know I’m not alone. I know quite a few other mothers who do the same thing.  The show is adorable with its silly rhymes and songs and I’ll admit I’ve even learned some new things.

My view of The Cat in the Hat every morning. Yes, I’m obSEUSSed.

In celebration of Dr. Seuss’ 109th birthday on March 2, PBS will air two brand-new episodes of THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THAT! this Friday, March 1 (check local listings).


On-Air: Kids will join the Cat, Nick and Sally in two brand new episodes - “Rumbly Tumbly / Planet Name Game,” featuring a super shrunken trip into Thing One's stomach as well as a whirlwind trip to each of the eight planets, and “Top of the Sky / Jiggle Bones,” folloing the Cat, Nick and Sally as they travel to Audrey the Astronaut’s space station and visit Dr. Giggles to see why bones are important. 

Online & Mobile: Viewers continue the fun with the Cat in the Hat in the new “Swirly Whirly Pearl Hunt” online game, which is filled with aquatic creatures of all colors, shapes and sizes, and players can catch a ride on the Thinga-ma-jigger to travel deeper and deeper through silly, Seussian schools of fish. Video clips from both episodes will be available for free online at pbskids.org/video and on the PBS KIDS Video App starting March 1.



IF YOU CAN’T WATCH FRIDAY:
My 7-year-old son will be at school Friday when the new shows air. He loves learning about planets right now and would really enjoy the Planet Name Game episode so I’m glad they offer the online and mobile clips (and games) so he can watch part of the show.
Remember to mark your calendars for Friday or view it online.

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

World Read Aloud Day: Read Along Video of Children's Pirate Book

Ahoy Mateys!  In honor of "World Read Aloud Day" we wanted to share one of our favorite children's books to read aloud.
The Castaway Pirates, by Ray Marshall, is my son's favorite book right now.  We shared this video back in September for "Talk like a Pirate Day" but I thought it be appropriate for today to encourage others to pick up a book and read it aloud.

As soon as I started reading The Castaway Pirates, a natural Pirate tune started to come out from the rhyming sentences. Will the shark eat the pirates with stinky toes?  Watch our video below to find out. The ending of the story makes us laugh everytime. The pop-up illustrations, by Wilson Swain, are amazing. The video below is of me reading parts of the book with him so you can hear how we sing the book.  My son loves singing along and watching out for the shark.

Published by Chronicle Books, you can buy the book or print a Pirate Paper Doll on their site.

Did you know?

A federal study[i] found that only 1 in 7 adults are able to read anything more than a children’s picture book or instructions on a pill bottle.

According to another survey, only 55 percent of children ages three to six are read to by family members every day.[ii] Parents would be amazed to learn that every year they read to their child each day, it increases that child’s future potential income by $50,000. [iii]

             

i U.S. Education Department National Assessment of Adult Literacy, 1992-2003
ii The School Readiness Survey of the 2007 National Household Education Survey
iii Children’s Reading Foundation

World Lit asks: What would you miss most if you could not read or write?

There are so many things but my first thought is I would miss sharing adventures with my kids to far off places and whimsical worlds.  I'm so glad my children can learn about the world while hearing my voice from the comforts of my lap.

What about you? What would you miss most if you could not read or write?

Justin Bieber Reads The Cat in the Hat

To celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday (March 2) check out this video at home with your kids or at school in the classroom. 'The Cat in the Hat" by Dr. Seuss. Reading by Justin Bieber for the BookIt Program.



I have young children so I am really not up on the Justin Bieber scene, but I do know he sings, has almost 8 Million followers on Twitter, has a trendy hair style and is supposedly THE thing right now.  He may appeal to tweens and teens but my kids really don't know or care who he is.  He could have used a little more coaching as far as using more voice inflection while reading. It might be best for him to stick to singing but he was kind to attach his name to the program and get a lot of viewers to help the BookIt Program raise funds for charity.

The moving illustrations helped make it tolerable to watch. I think I'll test screen it with my kids and see what they think but I'm not sure they'll last through 8.5 minutes of listening to Bieber's voice. I do have to say, as a parent and Dr. Seuss fan, I think I read this book aloud so much better.  Pull it out and read it with your kids this week, then have them watch the original movie by Dr. Seuss on DVD.

Stop by to check out the The BookIt National Reading Incentive Program. I remember the BookIt Program growing up. We would read books at school, track them on a form and redeem it for a personal pizza from Pizza Hut. They are still doing that today. Such a great program for schools if you have it in your area.

Teaching Children to Give Thanks this Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks. This is a great Thanksgiving book to remind kids to think about the things they are thankful for.
  

By Margaret Sutherland


This week, as we prepare for Thanksgiving, I am reminded of the story of two little boys who first thought to play a trick on a poor man by hiding his shoes.  Then one of the boys suggested to put a silver dollar inside each shoe instead. 
My cousin made a video of this story that shows the Grateful response of the poor man. See the video below. It reminds me that we never fully know the circumstances of others and should look for ways we can bless others lives. We should also teach our children to look for opportunities to serve our neighbors as a way to show our grattitude for what we've been given.

Read "Lessons I Learned as a Boy" by Gordon Hinckley.
This is a wonderful story to share with children during Thanksgiving.



Ahoy! A Pirate Book Sing Along Video

Ahoy Mateys!  In honor of "International Talk Like a Pirate Day" yesterday, we are sharing our favorite Pirate book. The Castaway Pirates, by Ray Marshall, is my son's favorite book right now.  We checked it out from the library about a year ago and kept renewing it until I finally realized I needed to buy it because he wanted to read it so often.  As soon as I started reading it, a natural Pirate tune started to come out from the rhyming sentences. Will the shark will eat the pirates with stinky toes?  Watch our video below to find out. The ending of the story makes us laugh everytime. The pop-up illustrations, by Wilson Swain, are amazing. The video below is of me reading parts of the book with him so you can hear how we sing the book.  My son loves singing along and watching out for the shark.

Published by Chronicle Books, you can buy the book or print a Pirate Paper Doll on their site.

PIRATE PARTY: For some printable Pirate party invatations, cupcake toppers and more, visit my friend's blog: It's a Tradition Pirate Edition.

FACEBOOK PIRATE: Another fun thing you can do in Facebook is change your settings to Pirate language. On your home page, go to account in the top right corner, go to account settings then click on the language tab. Find English (Pirate). Select then you will notice many changes to your status updates and more.


Avast ye Mateys, it's Pirate dress-up time.