1-2-3 Come Do A Seuss Craft With Me

It's "March is Reading Month" and Seuss is on the loose!

"You may have heard of Thing 1 and Thng 2.  They are a bit silly and a pretty bright blue.

I wonder though, if you've heard of Thing Three.  I doubt that you have because that would be me!"

And so begins the introductory poem that I wrote for a super-fun, Seuss inspired, writing prompt craft that I feel confident your students will really enjoy!

An added bonus is that completed Thing 3 projects make an amazing bulletin board.
I’ve included 2 posters for the center of your display.

This is easy-easy “print & go” prep for you, with a lot of bang for your time.

The packet is very versatile so that you can easily diversify your lessons.

Pre K kiddos can make their “Thing 3” and leave it at that, or dictate their answer to one of the writing prompts.  

Students can color my Thing 3 pattern, or use the blank-face pattern and draw their own. 

I made matching turquoise hair for my example, but for more variety, give children a choice of rainbow bright or neon colors, which make for an especially vibrant display.

You don’t have to, but to make it even more of a keepsake, have students trace one of their hands on a folded sheet of complimentary-colored construction paper, then cut once to make two hands.

Glue them to the sides of the back of Thing 3’s “belly” circle. Bend them a bit forward for some 3D pop.

For beginning or advanced writers, there are 11 writing prompt pages.
Pick your favorite or give children a choice. 

Another option is to make a “Things Journal”, doing all of the writing prompts.

Students can create their booklet on one day, then each day afterwards, complete a writing prompt page. 

Time constraint? Making & assembling the booklet can be done as a homework assignment, then returned to complete the writing in class.

Finished booklets make a nice keepsake and your “Writing Block” is taken care of for several weeks! Woo hoo.

I’ve found that when students get to share things about themselves, they are excited to get right down to the business of writing.

These interesting prompts not only do that, but they are also thought provoking.
I’ve actually had students who have no clue what they’d like to be, or places they’d like to go. They simply have never really thought about it.
When I tell them “The sky’s the limit” imaginations take flight.

How much you want students to write is up to you; share one “thing” or as many as three per prompt, leaving enough room on the bottom to illustrate one of their thoughts.

I chose 3 examples to go along with the "Thing 3" theme.
Be prepared for some enthusiastic writers to ask if they can list even more “things”!

As a fun way to get to know their classmates better, have a time of sharing when everyone has completed that prompt for the day.

Another booklet option reviews the 5 senses.
You can do this “instead of” the writing prompt pages or in "addition to"; creating a journal that will now last 3 weeks!

Using your five senses to describe things you like seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching, makes for some wonderful descriptive writing too. Remind students to use plenty of adjectives.

As with some of the writing prompts, I’ve included my completed "5 senses" example pages, so that you can quickly & easily make a sample to share.

The student pages include a graphic for each of the 5 senses that they color.  Have them illustrate one of their thoughts on the bottom as well.

Today's featured FREEBIE also has a Seuss theme.  I designed this word work packet to go along with his book Green Eggs and Ham.

Did you know that Dr. Seuss wrote Green Eggs and Ham on a bet that he couldn’t write a book with fifty or fewer distinct words? 

After doing some checking, I discovered that the bet was made in 1960 with Bennett Cerf, the co-founder of Random House, and was for $50.  Ironically, even though Seuss wrote Green Eggs and Ham using EXACTLY 50 words, it's been reported that Cerf never paid up.

Green Eggs and Ham ranks in the top 3 best-selling Seuss books, so it's definitely worth reading.  I painstakingly found all 50 words in my copy, then alphabetized them in a handy list, as well as on an anchor chart poster. All but 8 of these words, appear on the Dolch word lists (6 of the 8 are nouns; the other six nouns in the story ARE on the Dolch noun word list!)  

Use the 50 word cards to play a variety of games like "Speed", Memory Match and "I Have; Who Has?". Students could also pick a partner, and play "Speed" against them, to see who can arrange their set of cards in alphabetical order first. The packet also includes a 2-page tip list of ideas, like Kaboom!

For writing practice, print, laminate and trim the cards.  Toss them into a Seuss hat and have students choose 2-3 and incorporate those words in sentences.  Remind them to use proper spacing, capitalization and end punctuation. 

So that children can practice long and short vowels, I've included two green eggs vowel sorting mats.

For some rhyming practice, run off the two "trace, write and alphabetize" worksheets, which use words that rhyme with Sam and green.  All of these activities are perfect for your Daily 5 word work block. 

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by.

March has roared in like a lion here in Michigan, so it's time for a cup of hot chamomile tea and a little reading by the fire. 

Wishing you a carefree, lamb kind of day.

"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather, mixed with a positive attitude." -Unknown

 1-2-3 Come Play Some Word Family Games With Me

Practice reading word family words in a super-fun way, with these Cat in the Hat Word Family Games.  The packet includes 39 word families.

Simply choose the word families that your students are working on.  Print the template page twice; once on red construction paper, the other on white. 

This way, after cutting the strips apart, you will be able to make two word family hats with an ABAB color pattern.

Laminate and trim one set, to use for an independent center, partner game, or whole group activity.  Students "stack their hat" puzzle piece "stripes" in alphabetical order on top of the "I can read these ____ word family words!" hat brim.

Glue the other set on a sheet of turquoise construction paper and put up as a display by your word wall, or a separate Cat in the Hat Word Family bulletin board.

To practice the word wall hat display, toss the word family mini cards into a Cat in the Hat hat, or other container.  (There are 39 of them.)  Children pick one. 

Whatever word family they get, is the one that they will read on the display.  Make it more fun by turning off the lights. 

Children can point to each word stripe with a flashlight, as they read the words in the dark.

The mini cards can also be used to tell students what word family they will use to complete their hat stack word family worksheet. 

Children write the words on a sheet of scratch paper, then write them in alphabetical order on their hat. 

Afterwards, they color the stripes with a red crayon, so that the hat shows the Seuss ABAB striped pattern.

You can also partner students up and give them both the same word family puzzle.  They compete against each other to see who can alphabetize and put their hat stack together first. 

They could also partner up with a person who has a different puzzle and take turns reading their puzzle to each other.  Afterwards, they can mix up the pieces and then swap.

You could also use the worksheet as a spelling quiz for whatever word family you're working on.  Say the word, then children write it on their worksheet. 

Well that's it for now.  Thanks for visiting.  My day certainly blew by me, as it took "forever" to get this 79-page packet done, and I'm chomping at the bit to get a few more things accomplished before lights out. 

Don't think that's happenin' though, as my bones are starting to yell "Enough!"  Wishing you a happy-go-lucky day. 

"Today was good; today was fun; tomorrow is another one!" -Dr. Seuss

1-2-3 Go Places With Me!

This Seuss-hat bucket, provides 2 different March, writing prompt "craftivities," perfect go-alongs with Seuss's Oh The Places You'll Go book.

On the large bucket, students think of 5 places they want to go.  They write the place, followed by what they want to see there, or what they want to do there.

On the small bucket, students think of all of the things they'd like to do. 

This can be for the month, year, in 5, 10, 20 years, or a "bucket list" of all they want to do before they die.  They include this time commitment on their hat.

Students can color their large bucket to look like an upside-down Seuss hat, or color the stripes the color scheme of the story: pink, powder blue, purple, light green, orange and yellow.

Completed projects make sweet bulletin boards for March is Reading Month or Dr. Seuss. Click on the link to view/download My Bucket List Seuss Writing Prompt Craftivities

Seuss Hat Candy Bar Wrappers:

If you're looking for a Seuss treat to give you students, I designed 4 different, Seuss sayings, candy bar wrappers. 

You can print them in color or in black and white. They fit a Hershey candy bar.

I made them this size so that you could slip in any other smaller size candy bars, a stick of gum, lollipop, packet of M&M's/Skittles etc.

If you don't want to tuck in a treat, then use the printed half as a bookmark.

These make a sweet surprise left on your students' desks, or use as a reading incentive or reward for March is Reading Month.

Click on the link to view/download the Seuss Hat Candy Wrappers.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN anything you think others may find helpful.  Scroll down for another Seuss-Hat activity.

"To teach, is to learn twice over." -Joseph Joubert

 1-2-3 Come Fly Away With Me!

This adorable hot air balloon is a quick and easy writing “craftivity.” The 3 sides of the balloon each hold a different writing prompt, that your students will enjoy doing.

One side says, A place I’ve been is . . .  I like it because . . . Another side says: My favorite place to go is . . . because . . . Finally, the 3^rd balloon says,  A place I’d like to go is . . . because. . .

To make these cuties, simply run off the balloon templates on a variety of colored construction paper.  If you want the balloons to be of the same color scheme as the book, then you need to run off pink, powder blue, light green, orange, yellow and light purple.

Students take one of each writing prompt and complete it.  Remind them to have spaces between their words, use proper capitalization and include end punctuation, so that you're covering those common core state standards as well.

Afterwards, students fold the balloons and glue, ½ of each one, to the other, so that the balloon now has 3 sides.   This is a lot easier for students to do, if you demonstrate how it’s done.

If you look closely at the photograph I took in the mirror, you can see the green side of the balloon in the picture as well as the back of the basket.

Run off the basket on brown construction paper. Students need a right and left basket, so that when they glue it together they fit, so that you can also view the basket from the front or back.

Punch a hole at the top of the basket, on either side. Tie a piece of yarn on both sides. So they don't show, these ends will be tucked inside the rectangular opening of the balloon.

It's nice if students can have 2 of the same photo, so their "body in the basket" also has a front and a back.  Insert yarn ends INSIDE the base of the balloon. You may want to use a bit of Scotch tape.

Punch a hole in the top of the balloon, in the middle, and tie on a piece of yarn. These look wonderful suspended from the ceiling.  Click on the link to view/download the Oh The Places You’ll Go Writing Prompt Balloons.

Thanks for visiting today. Feel free to PIN anything you think others may find helpful.

“The task ahead of you is never as great as the power behind you.” -Unknown

1-2-3 Come Do All Sorts Of Fun Activities With Elmer, Horton and Me!

I am so excited to share this 42-page Horton and Elmer activity packet with you.  I've been working on it all week, and it's finally done! Woo Hoo!

I've tried to design things around quite a few Common Core State Standards so you'll be able to review all sorts of things.

Since students have to compare and contrast, explain data etc.  I thought it would be fun for students to compare 2 of my favorite elephants: Horton and Elmer.

The packet includes:

• Horton 3 character, setting, event cards
• A Horton begginning, middle, and end graphic organizer or anchor chart
• Horton retell the story bookmarks
• Horton who, what, why, when, where, how anchor chart
• Horton who, what, why, when, where writing prompt craftivity
• 15 "Fix the sentence" (with capitalization and end punctuation) Horton cards.
• Label the Horton bookcover anchor chart activity.
• 2 Venn diagrams. 1 compares Horton Hears a Who with Elmer.  The other compares the character of Horton with that of Elmer.
• 2 Hexagon adjective practice activities.
• An Elmer Color Spin Game
• Black & White, and Color Spinners
• 4 graphing extensions
• An elephant mask craftivity
• A find the letters elephant craftivity
• Tally mark activity
• 30 elephant color cards + a cover so that you can make an Itty Bitty booklet. Great for playing all sorts of games.
• Rhyming-alphabetical order worksheets with 47 words that rhyme with who and
• A Horton-Elmer Lollipop certificate of praise.

Click on the link to view/download the Horton and Elmer Activity Packet.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away.  For more Horton FREEBIES scroll down to check out a sweet Horton writing prompt "craftivity."

"A person's a person no matter how small!" -Horton, from Dr. Seuss's book Horton Hears A Who

1-2-3 Come Write With Horton and Me!

Are you looking for a writing prompt for your Dr. Seuss activities?  Do you need a quick and easy Seuss bulletin board for March is Reading Month?  Well, you've stopped at the right blog.

I think your students will enjoy making a Horton Hears  "craftivity." Simply run off the templates on gray construction paper.

Children cut out the pieces, and glue their "ear flap" on Horton, so that it flips open.  Students complete the thought: Horton hears a Who how about you? and think of something that they hear and describe it. 

Challenge older students to use rhyme in their writing like Seuss does.  Remind them that made up words are OK as well.  After children have completed their writing, they draw a picture of what/who they heard, under the ear flap.

For that finishing touch, add the child's school photo to the front of the ear.

Mount on a green-backed bulletin board; sprinkle some jungle leaves around the edges to act as a border. Your caption can be the same as the one on Horton's ear, or Stampede To Read.   Click on the link to view/download the Horton Hears writing prompt craftivity.

Looking for more Dr. Seuss activities? Scroll down for other articles, or click on the link to zip to that part of my site for over 40 Seuss FREEBIES, and if you count all of the activities within the packets, there are over 100 Seuss ideas to help you have a wonderful Seuss Day/Week!

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away!

"The more that you read, the more things you will know.  The more that you know, the more places you'll go." -Dr. Seuss

1-2-3 Come Make A Horton and Who With Me!

I always try to design some sort of "craftivity" to go with my lessons.  This helps motivate students to get down to business and stay on task, so that they can transition to the fun center.

I especially love making a manipulative that students can use while I read the story, or to show me that they understand spatial directions.

I've also found that some quiet students really come out of their shell. when they are behind a mask, or talking for a puppet, so I designed a double puppet with this Peek A Boo activity. 

How To Make Horton:  Run off the elephant on gray construction paper. Because of copyright laws I did not draw the “real” Horton.   Students color the tusks white and then cut their elephant out. Add wiggle eyes with glue dots for extra pizzazz.

The toilet paper trunk is simply covered with matching paper. Cut 2 slits so that you shove it between the elephant's tusks.  Students cut out their clover “flower” curl the end of a green pipe cleaner and tape it to the back of the clover.

I fastened a mini white pom pom for the “dust speck” but you could also use a little piece of cotton ball.  Stick the clover to Horton's trunk with a glue dot, or piece of rolled Scotch tape. The little poem on the clover says: Peek-a-me, Peek-a-you-Peek a Who from Whoville too!

Making a Who Popsicle stick Pop Up Puppet:  Tape or glue-dot 2 Popsicle sticks end to end.

I got the picture of the Who from Coloring pages ABC.  They have a variety of licensed characters that you can use to make worksheets to match your themes.

Because of copyrights, I did not make a page of Whos. You can click on the link and check out the Whoville characters you want, and then just copy and paste them into a word document so you can make them smaller.

Run off a master set, rough cut, and let students have a choice of  a Who.  They could also design their own.

Children color their who, trim and glue to the end of the Popsicle stick. I chose this girl from Whoville, because she had a feather on her head, so I added a feather for that finishing touch.

Children manipulate their puppets to show all sorts of spatial directions: “Poke your Who up, down, out, in" etc. "The Who is between the elephant’s eyes."

Students can also manipulate Horton and place him above their head, behind their back, in their left hand, in their right hand etc.  If you don't want to fuss with the toilet paper roll puppet, you can use Horton for all sorts of writing prompts. 

I've included 22 writing prompt  "trunk" templates. Students' completed projects make an adorable Seuss bulletin board, for March is Reading Month.

Click on the link to view/download The Horton Writing Prompt Puppet.  

Thank you for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away. 

"Think left and think right and think low and think high.  Oh the thinks you can think up if only you try!"  -Dr. Seuss

1-2-3 Come Make A Flip Hat With Me.

I got the idea to make hat flip books from Mrs. Zrihen over at A Teachers Treasure. She teaches 6-8 grade reading and made one for figurative language.   Click on the link to check out her creative blog.

My wheels were of course turning, of what I could do for lower elementary,  so I whipped together this one on coins.

The Cent-sational Seuss  hat is a quick and easy little activity for your Seuss unit that will help review coins in a fun way.

Students cut their cover into flaps and glue it to the edge of their hat, so that when they flip a stripe over, it reveals the appropriate coin that they've glued and how much it's worth.

Completed projects make a great spring bulletin board.  Click on the link to view/download the Cent-sational Seuss hat. 

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away.  

For another fun Seuss hat activity (this one on patterning) scroll down. 

"If you follow the crowd, you might get lost in it." -Unknown

1-2-3 Eat Green Eggs and Ham With Me!

Get your kiddo's "obseussed" with Dr. Seuss by reading a variety of stories besides Cat in the Hat.  Green Eggs and Ham, is sure to be a favorite.

I always tried to design activities to go with favorite stories, so that after story time, my Y5's could transition to some sort of activity that would reinforce Standards.

With that in mind, I decided to make several activity packets with a Green Eggs and Ham theme, so that you would have a variety of fun things to choose from.

The Green Eggs and Ham packet is a walloping 65-pages long and covers all sorts of reading and math Common Core State Standards:L.K.2a, L.K.2b, RF.K.2a, RF.K.1d, L.K.1a, L.1.1a, K.CC.1, K.CC.3, K.CC.2, K.OA.5, K.CC.6, 1.NBT.1
There's a little bit of everything for a Seuss-filled day.

My personal favorite, is the 3D writing prompt craftivity pictured.  Students' completed projects make a dynamic bulletin board for March is Reading Month.

Children choose either the writing prompt where they LIKE green eggs and ham, or the one where they do NOT like them, and then complete the sentences.

They also illustrate 1/2 a paper plate with 2 things that they like, as well as a combo that is disgusting and that they wouldn't want to eat.

By folding up the edge of the plate, and inserting it through a slit in a sheet of brightly colored construction paper, the plate will appear like a ledge, once it is stapled in place.

The traced hand of the child, is holding up the plate, just like the iconic illustration in Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham book.  Add a photograph of the student for that finishing touch.  Click on the link to view/download the Green Eggs and Ham Activities Packet.

To round out your day, play the It's Time For Green Eggs and Ham spinner game.  Students can choose to play with clocks to the hour, or time to the half hour.   Click on the link to view/download the Green Eggs and Ham Telling Time packet. 

Review colors and color words in a fun way, with the Green Eggs and Ham Color packet.

Children spin the colored egg spinner.  Whatever color they land on, they color the matching color word egg that color.  There's also a recording sheet with no words, so really little kiddo's can also easily play the game. 

I've also included colored eggs with matching, traceable-color word cards. 

These are great for more games or to make an Itty Bitty booklet.  Click on the link to view/download the Green Eggs and Ham Color Packet.

Finally, we can't leave shapes out. Where Have My Green Eggs Gone? Is an easy reader shape mystery.

Students read the sentences, circle the capital letters and add end punctuation.  They also trace the shape word, write it, trace and draw the shape and then color the shaped egg yolk green.

This booklet reviews the circle, oval, triangle, rectangle, square, hexagon, pentagon and octagon shapes. Click on the link to view/download the Green Eggs Shape Booklet.

If you'd like to see a few more activities you can do with Green Eggs and Ham, simply scroll down for more Dr. Seuss FREEBIES.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away.

"Never grow a wishbone, where a backbone ought to be." -Unknown