1-2-3 Come Do Some Lorax and Mustache Activities With Me

I'm clueless, as to why the mustache theme started in the first place, and continues to be so popular.  However, I'm a firm believer in using what's a "hot button" for children to help grab their attention and then engage them in learning.

Since the Lorax sports a wonderful big-yellow fluffy mustache, I designed some activities featuring this colorful creature.  Today's blog features some of my most popular Lorax-themed downloads.

Making a mustache/moustache to launch a writing prompt, is an interesting and "Suessical" way of doing things, that I think your students will enjoy. Make a sample, cover your nose, and ask your students in a deep voice: "I mustache you, would you save a Truffula tree?"  Thus begins the fun writing prompt "craftivity."

While children are working, you can play the "Let It Grow" song from the Lorax movie.  Click the link for the Lorax YouTube song video.

For an adorable bulletin board, take everyone's photograph wearing their mustache and put it next to their writing.   Flank the board on either side with 2 colorful truffula trees.

Mrs. Lodge, a very creative librarian, used PVC pipe to make some beautiful truffula tree trunks. 

You can also make the truffula trunks out of pool noodles and then stripe with colorful Duct tape.  I especially like these green and blue ones that EmBellish made for her 1st grade classsroom.

While you're "truffulling" why not whip together some truffula pencils. 

Writing about saving a truffula tree, with a truffula pencil will certainly add to the fun.

These were made by Jin Yong. Click on the link to get directions over at Under The Cherry Tree Blog.

Since the Silly Shaped Penguins, Owls, and Chicks have been such a huge hit, I designed some featuring the Lorax.    His easily recognizable, bright-orange oval-ish shape and yellow mustache, is perfect for other shapes too.

For an interesting and fun shape review during Seuss Week or March is Reading Month, make a set and use them as anchor charts or big flashcards.

Toss in some math, by graphing everyone's favorite shaped Lorax. Simply hang your Lorax samples in a row on the white board. 

Have students write their  name under the one that they like best, or have students choose their favorite shape and make their own. 

If you want to add a bit of keepsake-value to their shape, have children use their hand prints for the mustache.  Add wiggle eyes, and accordion-folded, construction paper arms and legs. 

Suspend the Lorax shapes back-to-back from the ceiling, or mount them on a bulletin board flanked by truffula trees. Your caption could be: "Reading Really Gets Us In Shape!"

To introduce the emergent reader shape booklet, also in the packet, tell students that the Lorax ate some leaves from the truffula tree and has Truffula-itis, which made him lose his normal shape. 

They can help him return to the real Lorax oval shape, by completing their Shapely Lorax emergent reader, circling the capital letters, adding end punctuation, tracing and writing the shape word, and then tracing and drawing the shapes etc. 

Click on the link to view/print the Lorax Shape Packet.

Finally, I used the Lorax's face to make a clock, and the truffula trees to show digital time.  There are 2 different games in the "It's Truffula Time" packet.

In the first game, students play in groups of 2-4, taking turns spinning the Lorax clock.  Whatever analog time they land on, they trace the digital time on their truffula tree trunk. 

Students can also use the Lorax spinner clock, to write numbers on their mini-clock recording sheet.

For this game, they can substitute dice for a spinner, rolling first 1 die for clock times 1-6, then adding two dice for the rest of the times to the hour.

Run the trufulla tree tops on colored copy paper and have students cut and glue their tree top to their digital answer sheet. Click on the link to view/download the Lorax Truffula Telling Time packet.

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for visiting.  Our week of Seuss is almost over, so it's time to start working on some activities for St. Patrick's Day. Wishing you a colorful and creative day.

"I like nonsense.  It wakes up the brain cells.  Fantasy is a necessary ingredient to living." -Dr. Seuss