Picture This: Keith Haring: Characters at Play

Picture This:  Keith Haring: Characters at Play  (For grades Kdg – 5, plus younger siblings)

Join us as we explore the quirky characters and enthusiastic energy

of this graffiti-inspired artist, then help us make a mural

and create some stand-up sculptures in his signature style.

Program: ·    Read: Keith Haring: The Boy Who Just Kept Drawing by Kay Haring  (stopped partway through to have kids play the same game Keith played with his father – taking turns adding lines to each other’s drawing.) and/or Art is Life: The Life of Artist Keith Haring by Tami Lewis Brown c2020   ·     Read selections from:  Keith Haring : I wish I didn't have to sleep! Haring, Keith. New York : Prestel, c1997. and board books (if available) Big Haring, Keith.  New York, N.Y. : Hyperion Books for Children, c1998.  10 Haring, Keith.  New York : Hyperion Books for Children, c1998. Text to text connection: Keith’s monkey tree with Esphyr Slobodkina’s Caps for Sale.  ·    Create: Mural & individual pictures & sculptures (out of construction paper). Materials for mural: bulletin board paper hung on stage, markers, also black paper & white crayons. For individual projects construction paper, scissors, markers, glue sticks, tape.  Also whiteboard with markers (graffiti!)

11/7 4:30 STEAM BWL

Another cool Keith Haring art idea:

Keith Haring-Style Foil Squares: Cover pieces of cardboard with smooth aluminum foil before the program. Have children use colored Sharpies to draw men, dots, and lines on the squares. (site also has great ideas for Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel (art under the table), Roy Lichtenstein-Style Comic Art, Vincent Van Gogh-Style Landscapes with shaving cream, and Dale Chihuly-Style Chandeliers with cut plastic bottles!  https://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/2018/01/painting-table-innovative-k-5-art-programs/

Explore Art! Find more about Keith Haring at this website: http://www.haringkids.com/

Keith Haring : I wish I didn't have to sleep! (J709.2 HAR) (and all the books in the Adventures in Art series – ask a librarian to help you find them.) 

Other good books  to introduce art and encourage creativity:

The Dot and Ish – Peter Reynolds

Seen Art?  -- John Scieszka and Lane Smith

Art -- Patrick McDonnell

The Turn About, Think About, Look About Book -- Beau Gardner

Micawber – John Lithgow

Eggs Mark the Spot – Mary Jane Auch

I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More! – Karen Beaumont

Jack in Search of Art – Arlene Boehm

Anna’s Art Adventure – Bjorn Sortland

Applemondo’s Dreams – Patricia Polacco

Drawing Lessons from a Bear – David McPhail

The Gentleman & the Kitchen Maid – Diane Stanley

All I See – Cynthia Rylant

More than Meets the Eye: Seeing Art With All Five Senses (J759 RAC)

The Shape Game (J708 BRO)

Hidden Pictures (J701 BOL)

Squeaking of Art (J701.1 WEL)

Great Art Adventure (J701.1 KNO)

Dan’s Angel – A Detective’s Guide to the Language of Paintings (J750.11 STU)

Fold Me a Poem (811.54 GEO) 

Stories in Art (701.1 WIL)

Discover Great Paintings (J701.1 MIC)

Also check out these art books by Joyce Raimondo: What's the big idea? : activities and adventures in abstract art, Make it pop! : activities and adventures in Pop art , Express yourself! : activities and adventures in expressionism , Imagine that! : activities and adventures in Surrealism , Picture this! : activities and adventures in Impressionism 

DVDs:

Behind the Scenes

This series hosted by Penn & Teller provides clever and engaging profiles of David Hockney, Julie Taymor, Wayne Thiebaud, Matt Groening, David Parsons, JoAnn Falletta, Robert Gil de Montes, Carrie Mae Weems, William Wegman, Allen Toussaint, Bobby McFerrin, Nancy Graves, and Max Roach.  Great segments to share on color, perspective, etc.

 

Getting to Know (series)  Da Vinci    Michelangelo   Monet    Van Gogh    Rembrandt     Andy Warhol 

Humorous very accessible overviews based on the books by Mike Venezia.  An alternative way of introducing artists.

 

Dropping in on…(series)     Andy Warhol   Grant Wood   Matisse   Picasso  Romare Bearden    Rousseau

Puffer the bird interviews various artists and asks questions about their works in these simply animated programs. 

 

Who is the Artist?   Viewers learn to identify the styles of different artists within a movement by comparing & contrasting their styles.

 

 

Picture This: Art & Geometry: Celebrating “The Perfect Square”

 

Art & Geometry: Celebrating “The Perfect Square”
Kdg-5th grade program done inside the library and as an afterschool outreach

 

A square always has 4 equal sides and 4 equal angles, but with a bit of imagination, it can become anything!   We shared books on art and creativity, made pictures by cutting up a square and also explored  the square with origami, tangrams, and mathematical puzzles.   Here is a list of some of the items we showed and shared in case you want to check them out from the library.  (All are in the Picture Book Section under their author’s last name unless they have a Dewey Decimal Number listed.)

 

Read: Perfect Square – Hall plus a selection of other  books celebrating art, creativity, and different ways of looking at things:

Bear’s Picture – D.B. Johnson

Elephants Can Paint Too (599.67 ARN) – non-fiction (check out the elephant-created floral paintings – they’re amazing!)

Dot – Peter Reynolds (also his Ish)

Changes– Anthony Browne

I Ain’t a-Gonna Paint No More – Karen Beaumont

• Math Riddles from Math Appeal and Math for All Seasons -- Greg Tang

 

• Our activity stations included:

 

• Create Your Own “Perfect Square” – cut up a square and reassemble (artwork inspired by our featured book Perfect Square by Michael Hall (tissue paper squares, 8x11 paper to mount on, scissors, gluesticks, hole punches)
• Math puzzles -- pages photocopied from Shape Shuffle 793.73 WOR (toothpicks, buttons), additional math puzzle books of Greg Tang (mentioned above), The Everything  Kids’ Math Puzzles Book (510 CLE), Let’s Investigate Shape Patterns (516.15  SMO), Growing Patterns: Fibonacci Numbers in Nature (512.72 CAM)  (toothpicks or craftsticks, buttons or coins), Shape and Pattern (516 CLE), Math Fun with Tricky Lines and Shapes (793.74 WYL)
• Tangrams printouts from http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/tangram_puzzles.htm
• Origami (lots of titles in 745.54), kids might also enjoy Fold Me a Poem (811.54 GEO) (origami YODA http://origamiyoda.wordpress.com/folding-your-own-origami-yoda-other-star-wars-papercraft/)
• Books on Optical Illusions and Changing Pictures – books including Geometric Optical Illusions (152.148 SEC), Imagine a Night – Rob Gonsalves, Imagine a Day – Rob Gonsalves, Imagine a Time – Rob Gonsalves, Duck! Rabbit! – Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Palazzo Inverso – D.B. Johnson, Here a Face, There a Face – Arlene Alda
• Additional Art & Creativity books: Look! Look! Look! – Nancy Wallace, What’s the Big Idea? Activities & Adventures in Abstract Art (709.04 RAI), How Artists Use Shape (701.8 FLU), I Spy Shapes  in Art – Mickelthwait, The Dot and the Line – Norton Juster, Dinner at Magritte’s – Michael Garland, What is this? – Antje Damm, How are you Peeling – Saxton Freymann

5/12

School Age Storytimes: Women’s History Month

Storytimes for grades K-3 celebrating women in history and encouraging girls and boys to go beyond their comfort zones, to take risks and make history!

"Do something every day that scares you." -- Eleanor Roosevelt
"Do what you feel in your heart to be right -- for you'll be criticized
anyway." -- Eleanor Roosevelt from Eleanor: Quiet No More by Doreen Rappaport. 

Another great biography: 

Unshakable Eleanor: How Our 32nd First Lady Used Her Voice to Fight for Human Rights by Michelle Markel

There was a young woman who wanted to fly.
But the people said, "Kiss that wish good-bye!
The sky's too big and the sky's too high,
And you never will fly, so you'd better not try."
But this woman laughed, and she just said, "Why?
Nobody owns the sky!"
-- from Nobody Owns the Sky: The Story of
"Brave Bessie" Coleman by Reeve Lindbergh

 

Elizabeth Leads the Way (Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote)

by Tanya Lee Stone (JB Stanton)
(some classes) sing/chant: "V-O-T-E (form letters with bodies – tune “YMCA”)-- Women Want Equality!!"

Eleanor: Quiet No More by Doreen Rappaport (JB Roosevelt)

 

 

Nobody Owns the Sky -- The Story of "Brave Bessie" Coleman by Reeve Lindbergh (black woman who became a pilot in 1921 when everyone said she couldn't do that), ...mentioned Amelia Earhart books, Soar Elinor by Tami Lewis Brown, Sky High, The True Story of Maggie Gee by Marissa Moss (WWII women pilots finally receiving Congressional Medals of Honor a couple of years ago) & compared with the fictional picture book "Amazing Grace" by Mary Hoffman).  Other great female pilot books at: http://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/2013/09/school-age-storytime-to-fly-stories.html

 

Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers -- Kathi Appelt (JB Roosevelt) (just told segments in some groups) (inspiration for Barbara Cooney's picture book "Miss Rumphius"?) finished with quote: ...When asked why she helped found the National Wildflower Research Center, Lady Bird said that it was her way of
"paying rent for the space I have taken up in this highly interesting world!"

 

3/13

 

 

 

3/16  School Age Storytime: Hold Fast to Dreams–Fly High!

http://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/2016/03/school-age-storytime-hold-fast-to.html

School Age Storytime: Hold Fast to Dreams–Fly High!

(K-3rd grade)
At the tale end of  Read Across America week celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday and the beginning of Women’s History Month, we shared stories of girls who defied convention, worked hard and followed their dreams.
(Relates to Dr. Seuss’ book Oh the Places You’ll Go)

Amazing Grace – Mary Hoffman  Grace loves acting out stories. Told by her classmates that she can’t play the part of Peter Pan because she’s a girl & black, she learns that she can do anything she puts her mind to.

Asked what they wanted to be when they grew up. Women often were told they couldn’t be what they wanted to be.

Every-Day Dress Up – Selina Alko – A girl ditches her princess duds in favor of daring dames – Amelia Earhart, Ella Fitzgerald, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Marie Carie & more. Briefly discussed each woman presented. When we discussed Stanton, mentioned women couldn’t even vote in the US until a little less than 100 years ago – had them figure out how old the US is (240 years) so for most of that time, women couldn’t vote. Long battle, Stanton and others spent their whole lives (70 years!) trying to get women’s voting rights.

“It is fun to dress up in princess skirts for dress up or a party, but how would they like to wear long heavy skirts (as heavy as a box of books!) everyday?  They couldn’t bike, or climb a tree, or run and play…”

You Forgot Your Skirt, Amelia Bloomer! --- Shana Corey –  Delightful biography of the suffragist & newspaper founder who founded a movement to get women out of long limiting skirts.

Nobody Owns the Sky: The Story of “Brave Bessie” Coleman – Reeve Lindbergh (youngest daughter of Charles) – No American flying school would teach Bessie because she was black so she sailed to France for lessons then returned to the states with the dream of starting her own school for African American pilots.

Movement – “Stretch High, Bend Low, Reach to the Sky, Then to Your Sides, Spread Your Wings, Turn around , then sit back down.”

Sky High: The True Story of Maggie Gee – Marissa Moss – Maggie Gee, who dreamed of flying from the time she was a girl, finally gets her chance during WW2 when she becomes one of only two Chinese-American WASPs (Women Airforce Service Pilots).

(did a variety of stretches and chants encouraging the kids to dream high & work hard to achieve their dreams)

Some other great titles:

My Name is Not Isabella: Just How Big Can a Little Girl Dream? – Jennifer Fosberry
To the Stars: The First American Woman to Walk in Space – Carmella Van Vleet
Wilma Unlimited – Kathleen Krull
Elizabeth Leads the Way:Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote – Tanya Lee Stone
I Could Do That: Esther Morris Gets Women the Vote – Linda Arms White
Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea: Marie Tharp Maps the Ocean Floor – Robert Burleigh
many more here: http://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/2015/03/celebrating-women-history-month.html
and here: http://www.whatdowedoallday.com/2013/03/women-in-history-best-books-for-kids.html

Arrived too late: To The Stars: The First American Woman to Walk in Space by Caremella Van Vleet & Dr. Kathy Sullivan

More on early pilots:  https://nobodyownsthesky.wordpress.com/

Bedm. 3/16.

 

 

Girls Can! Determination Succeeds.

Showed "Boy Meets Girl" from "Free to Be You and Me"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUpLiJfV4_A&feature=related ...discussed how for much of US (and world) history, women have not been allowed to do the same things as men...vote, jobs, even drive (Saudi Arabia)...

Asked children “Who has a woman doctor?” – lots – wasn’t always that way. (Kindergarten only) Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman (black girl told she can’t be Peter Pan in the class play discovers she can do anything she puts her mind to. Booktalked: Boundless Grace and Princess Grace – great book for promoting powerful princesses!)

Who Says Women Can’t Be Doctors: The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell by Tanya Lee Stone
Rough Tough Charley by Verla Kay (one class) – rhyming tale based on true story of stagecoach driver who spent her life disguised as a man

Tillie the Terrible Swede: How One Woman, a Sewing Needle and a Bicycle Changed History by Sue Stauffacher. (no time in Kindergarten) Art in Society: Toulouse Lautrec, The Bicycle and the Women’s Movement  (Background: article (for adults) analyzing the role of the bicycle in the women’s movement.)

On the topic of overcoming personal odds…even disability (talked about this word)…


Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World’s Fastest Woman by Kathleen Krull (The amazing story of a tiny, sickly black girl stricken by polio who ended up winning gold medals in track at the 1960 Olympics!)  (This is a long text so I talk it rather than reading the text aloud to younger classes.) Newer title: Go Wilma Go by Amira Rose Davis & Michael G. Long

Another story about a running race --  "Atalanta" from "Free to Be You and Me" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-77_cVnmUQ

3/14

 

 

“I Could Do That!”

Sybil’s Night Ride (Sybil Ludington) by Karen B. Winnick (The story of young Sybil Ludington, who, like Paul Revere, rode through the countryside to alert the colonists that the British were coming.)

Marvelous Mattie: How Margaret Knight Became an Inventor by Emily Arnold McCully or In The Bag!: Margaret Knight Wraps it Up by Monica Kulling --  both Biography Knight (Each tells the story of Margaret Knight, eventual holder of twenty patents, who fought discrimination and proved that she was just as intelligent an inventor as a man.) Could also use Kulling's Spic-in-Span: Lillian Gilbreth's Wonder Kitchen JB Gilbreth, which tells the story of the world's first female efficiency expert and the first woman elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

I Could Do That! Esther Morris Gets the Vote by Linda Arms White –JB Morris (In 1869, a woman whose "can-do" attitude had shaped her life was instrumental in making Wyoming the first state to allow women to vote, then became the first woman to hold public office in the United States -- 50 years before women across the country finally got the vote with the 19th Amendment.)

Annie Jump Cannon, Astronomer by Carole Gerber – JB Cannon (Introduces a trailblazer in the field of astronomy, who developed the Harvard Spectral Classification System, a system to classify a star's light, still used today. Also presents insight into the challenges of women interested in science during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.)

Meet My Grandmother: She’s a Deep Sea Diver by Lisa Tucker McElroy  (Groundbreaking marine biologist and diver whose ocean exploration and advocacy have made her known around the world.) Life in the Ocean: The Story of Sylvia Earle by Claire A. Nivola – JB Earle is beautiful but small pictures make it problematic for sharing in a large group.
3/12

3/15: reprised: Sybil's Night Ride (K-3 kids didn't know about Paul Revere or the American Revolution) and I Could Do That! (lots of historical items to discuss along with women getting right to vote (note: both a bit long), added Goldie Takes a Stand by Barbara Krasner (true story of 10 year old immigrant girl (discussed meaning of "immigrant", where families came from) who organized a fund-raising drive so kids in her school could have textbooks -- that girl grew up to become Golda Meir, Prime Minister of Israel. -- Had kids consider what they might want to do to make the world a better place.  sing/chant: "V-O-T-E (form letters with bodies – tune “YMCA”)-- Women Want Equality!!"

 

Girls Can Do Anything(long…have to pick and choose for 40 min.)

 

Showed "Boy Meets Girl" from "Free to Be You and Me"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUpLiJfV4_A&feature=related
...discussed how for much of US (and world) history, women have not been  allowed to do the same things as men...vote, jobs, even drive (Saudi Arabia)...

Rough Tough Charley by Verla Kay (some classes) -- based on true story of stagecoach driver who was a woman disguised as a man.

Mama Went to Jail for the Vote by Kathleen Krull ...after the vote was achieved, women still not allowed to do many jobs...until WW2 necessitated (booktalked Rosie the Riveter J940.531 PRI)

Sky High -- Biography Gee (Chinese American Woman who became a WASP,
then a physicist)

Overcoming personal odds Wilma Rudolph (shared poem from All by Myself  J811.54 PAU)

Told story Wilma Unlimited (abridged the text by Kathleen Krull)
Finished with "Atalanta" from "Free to Be You and Me" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-77_cVnmUQ
(some classes also got to see a 14 year old Michael Jackson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsRIbyZ5rqE
3/11







Other possible empowering women read-aloud titles include:


History:
The Ballot Box Battle by Emily Arnold McCully
The Bobbin Girl by Emily Arnold McCully
Heart on Fire: Susan B. Anthony Votes for President by Ann Malaspina
Marching with Aunt Susan: Susan B. Anthony and the Fight for Women’s Suffrage by Claire Rudolph  Murphy
A Woman for President: The Story of Victoria Woodhull by Kathleen Krull
The Taxing Case of the Cows by Iris Van Rynbach and Shea Pegi Deitz
Liberty’s Voice: The Story of Emma Lazarus by Erica Silverman
Emma’s Poem by Linda Glaser
Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth by Anne Rockwell
Nurse, Soldier, Spy: The Story of Sarah Edmonds: a Civil War Hero by Marissa Moss
The Daring Nellie Bly: America’s Star Reporter by  Bonnie Christensen 
Patience Wright: America’s First Sculptor and Revolutionary Spy by Pegi Deitz Shea
They Called her Molly Pitcher by Anne Rockwell
Mary Walker Wears the Pants: The True Story of the Doctor, Reformer, and Civil War Hero by Cheryl Harness
Friends for Freedom: The Story of Susan B. Anthony & Frederick Douglas by Susanne Slade (J303.484 SLA)
Brave Girl: Clara & the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel

Environment:
Rachel Carson and Her Book That Changed the World by Laurie Lawlor
Seeds of Change by Jen Cullerton Johnson,
Mama Miti by Donna Jo Napoli
The Tree Lady: The True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever by Joseph Hopkins
Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea: Marie Tharp Maps the Ocean Floor by Robert Burleigh

Trailblazers:
Look Up! Henrietta Leavitt, Pioneering Woman Astronomer by Robert Burleigh
Of Numbers and Stars: The Story of Hypatia by  D. Anne  Love
Julia Morgan Built a Castle by  Celeste Davidson Mannis
To The Stars: The First American Woman to Walk in Space by Caremella Van Vleet & Dr. Kathy Sullivan

Sports:
Queen of the Track: Alice Coachman Olympic High-Jump Champion by Heather Lang
Fearless: the true story of racing legend Louise Smith by Barbara Rosenstock
Mermaid queen: the spectacular true story of Annette Kellerman, who swam her way to fame, fortune and swimsuit history by Shana Corey
Players in Pigtails by Shana Corey
Girl Wonder by  Deborah Hopkinson
She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story by Audrey Vernick
The Bravest Woman in America by Marissa Moss

Misc:
Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty
Red bird sings: the story of Zitkala-Sa by Gina Capaldi
The Librarian of Basra : A True Story of Basra  by Jeanette Winter

Looking for many more suggestions?  Check out:
http://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/2015/03/celebrating-women-history-month.html

Note, there are a LOT of books about female pilots. Find them at: http://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/2013/09/school-age-storytime-to-fly-stories.html

There are many more book possibilities for this program – check out the early reader’s section of the annual lists at http://ameliabloomer.wordpress.com for more great suggestions.

And Karen Chace has posted an excellent list of Women's History Sources here:
http://karenchace.blogspot.com/2010/03/celebrate-womens-history-month-women-in.html



Reading Rainbow: Kate Shelley and the Midnight Express
Collective Biography: Amelia to Zora: Twenty-six Women Who Changed the World by Cynthia Chin-Lee

Women’s History Month Display featuring the Amelia Bloomer Project

We do award-winning books displays every year in our children’s department and this year I wanted to do one to give more visibility to the somewhat lesser-known Amelia Bloomer Project.  I was not able to find printable materials on the web so created some of my own (signs featuring current winners and titles from our collections) and am happy to share!   You can find them here: http://tinyurl.com/Amelia-Bloomer-Signs-2014  If you want an editable version, please feel free to contact me.


More Women's History Month ideas: http://kidlitwhm.blogspot.com/

Seussapalooza!! (Read Across America) Family Story/Craft Program

 

 

Saturday Morning Story/Craft Program  ages 3-10
Have a Seuss-arific good time as we celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday with stories, songs, activities and crafts!  Costumes are welcome - feel free to come as your favorite Dr. Seuss character.
(ideally done with 4-8 teen volunteers, but can be done with just kids & parents)

Music playing as children arrive: album “Seussical”
Greeted the children dressed in a Cat in the Hat Costume (Black pants & shirt, famous hat, white bib & bowtie, black fake-fur tail)
As kids arriving: had a table with nametags for them to fill out (helps with crowd control) and a table with Ellison die-cut “Cat in the Hat” hats (red hats, long white cardstock for headbands, white strips for gluing on hats, scissors & gluesticks) so each could make own hat for the program.

 
3/2016: Act out  “Green Eggs & Ham” – 2 volunteers play Sam & Fred, other volunteers hold cue cards, and young kids hold laminated “green eggs” and “hams” – everyone chiming in on the rhyming words & refrain. Script here: http://files.havefunteaching.com/fun-activities/readers-theater/green-eggs-and-ham.pdf. described here: http://carolsimonlevin.blogspot.com/2014/03/pre-school-storytime-everything-green.html

Song/Movement --  a rousing “Silly Hat” song (Source Unknown):
On my head I wear a hat,
It is such a silly hat,
That my head will wiggle,
Wiggle to and fro,
Where else should my silly hat go?
...continuing with audience suggestions...e.g. elbow, knee, foot, chin, tail, eyes, ear, hand, bottom,belly, nose (pinched nose to sound funny)...ending with
In my lap I have a hat,
It is such a quiet hat,
That my lap won't wiggle,
It just stays flat,
What do you all think of that! (everyone sits down, hat goes back on my head)

Asked kids what Dr. Seuss stories they know?

Played Name that Book: The Cat in the Hat Says “Who Said That?” -- Read out the clues and had the kids name the book. (clues, signs, and instructions for this program are here: http://tinyurl.com/seussapalooza

Mentioned Dr. Seuss known for his silly rhymes,
Read: There’s a Wocket in my Pocket.

Omitted 2016: play rhyming game -- kids shouted out silly words to practice rhyming with: e.g. hat, car, fan, etc. …if you end with “bad” –> “sad”)

Omitted 2016: Read: My Many Colored Days (a lesser-known Dr. Seuss about moods) fun to act out with kids naming the colors and participating in the actions described
Action Song: “If You’re Happy and You Know It” 

Explain stations, turn the music back on and let them go!

Activities, Crafts & Stations: (signs for all activities and additional instructions are here: http://tinyurl.com/seussapalooza)

Activities: Choose from
· Pin the bowtie on Cat in the Hat (paper bowties, laminated Cat, blindfold)
· Cat in the Hat Relay– paper plate & cup relay (kids put these on their heads and try to cross the room without dropping them)
· Horton Hears a Who Relay-- shakey egg and spoon relay (see who can carry the egg on the spoon across the room without dropping it!)
· The Foot Book -- paint feet and toenails with washable markers, play “musical feet” (cut out feet instead of chairs) -- set up next to cd player with “Seussical” starting and stopping
· One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish Silly Fishing -- Make a few “fishing poles” with dowels, string, and magnets on the end; place die cut fish, each with a silly instruction written on it and a paper clip attached. Children fish, then do the indicated activity.

Games:
· Cat in the Hat floor puzzle (commercial product we had)
· Go Fish Card Game (commercial product we had)
· Cat in the Hat Tic Tac Toe (http://www.seussville.com/activities/CAT_TicTacToe_0.pdf)
Paper & Pencil Table:
· Words & Rhymes – make your own rhymes/poems

· Word searches, matching, what’s in a box (pencils, markers, scissors, gluesticks, stamp pads) http://origin-www.seussville.com/activities/RAAEK13_Booklet_WEB.pdf, http://origin-www.seussville.com/activities/CAT_FunInABox.pdf (lots more stuff here)

Crafts:
· Cat in the Hat paper bag puppet – handouts, paper bags, scissors, markers, gluesticks, staples
· Bartholomew Hat making – die cut, gluesticks, markers, feathers, pom poms, sequins, etc.
· Horton out of hearts – handout , scissors, gluesticks, markers, pompoms
· Create your own Seussical creature – toilet paper rolls, gluesticks, colored paper, markers, pipe cleaners, pompoms, markers, etc.
· Dr. Seuss Birthday Cards (cards, markers)
· And the above-mentioned Cat-in-the-Hat craft (for late arrivals)

· note: no oobleck -- I’ve made this in other programs but it is too messy to add to the Seussapolooza mix!
3/14, 3/16 BWL
Additional Possible Activities
Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss! Create the biggest birthday card ever!
Three Cats in a Row!
Fun-In-A-Box
A Word (or Two!) About Seuss
A Hatful of Seuss!
Important Information About Dr. Seuss/About Me Fun Facts Sheet
Knock Around with Dr. Seuss Door Hanger
Party Suggestions
Hats off to Dr. Seuss Hat Toss
Cat, Cat, Hat!
Rhyming Fun Has Just Begun!

Horton Hears a Who Party
AfterSchool Program Ages 4+

I conducted a very successful Dr. Seuss program  thanks to Betsy Stroomer BetsyS@cityoflafayette.com, who shared Lafayette Public Library's Reader's Theatre version of "Horton Hears a Who"with me.
Before the program, I hung a large Red & White Dr. Seuss Birthday Card made of Bulletin Board paper (& curling ribbon)  for the kids to decorate, set up a birthday cake, put out a CD player with the CD "Seussical", laid out audience sitting space with masking tape, handed out scripts and name boards (character name and picture laminated on a 8x10 board to hand around the actors' necks) and did a 20 minute run-through of "Horton Hears a Who" with my 4 teen volunteer actors (all I had available), who played Horton, the Narrator, Kangaroo (and Young Kangaroo too--high voice and fingers arranged bunny rabbit style), and the Mayor.  I played the Wickershams, and I used young audience members for Vlad and Jo-Jo.  The whole audience (4-8 year olds) were the Whos and the Mayor directed them at the appropriate time to call out "We are here!  We are here! We are here! We are here!"

I greeted the children dressed in a Cat in the Hat Costume, and after the children were seated, I led them in a rousing Silly Hat song (lyrics above):
Then I returned the hat to my nose, and asked what animal I looked like? (an elephant) as a bridge to the performance of Horton.

After the Reader's Theatre, I divided the children into four groups and gave each group a plastic teaspoon and a large pompom.  Then, I turned on the CD of "Seussical" and they did pompom-carrying "egg races" across the room.
Following that, we moved to the craft tables and made elephants out of hearts (since Horton is certainly an elephant with a big heart).  Craft directions are at:   www.dltk-holidays.com/valentines/melephant.htm.  (One tip I would recommend -- include the little finished elephant design on the craft template cutout page as the assembly is not obvious.)

When they finished, the kids signed and decorated our Dr. Seuss Birthday Card and then we sang "Happy Birthday" and served cake (an inexpensive Costco cake with a Dr. Seuss Cat in the Hat birthday candle added).
Duration: 1 hour.
Another option -- Horton printable mask: http://stickyfloorshappykids.com/dr-seuss-the-lorax-and-horton-masks-free-printable-templates/        3/05

3.16

Some other clever ideas here: http://fromtheshortstacks.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-suess-tastical-celebration.html