One of my big events for National Library Week was a Dr. Seuss Extravaganza! I was very excited about this one. We ended up having 41 people, pretty evenly split between kids and adults--even a couple of adults who came without kids (?!). Honestly, it was more difficult than I expected to find Dr. Seuss books that worked well for storytime--so many are MUCH longer than I remembered or just better suited overall to one-on-one reading. For example, one of my favorites from childhood is "There's a Wocket in My Pocket," but that one relies really heavily on being able to closely inspect all those crazy creatures, which doesn't work well for ST. Fortunately I got to do a test-run with our local MOPS group so I was well-prepared for today.
We ended up reading a portion of Green Eggs and Ham, and all of The Foot Book and Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?
Green Eggs and Ham is just too long and repetitive for a large group, but they loved a short version of it--I really emphasized the rhymes and had the kids chime in and predict the rhymes a lot.
With both groups, before I read The Foot Book I asked, "Does anyone here have feet?" And both times the group said, "No." So funny! Not sure what those little brains are thinking for that one! I liked the opportunities for foot-related rhythm movement with this book.
Mr. Brown is pretty much made for storytime, with all the opportunities for sound-making, and it was a great success.
Songs and fingerplays were heavily inspired by this post from the blog Mel's Desk. Warning: Singing "Dr. Seuss is on the Loose" as she recommends--to the tune of "Bingo"--will stay in your head for WEEKS. I printed and laminated a large picture of the Cat in the Hat, several Cat in the Hat hats, and Green Eggs and Ham and put them on the flannel board after we practiced reading the words "Cats, hats, eggs, and, ham" then when we were singing I could point to them. We also sang the song slowly at first, but then increased the speed a little bit each time until we got to crazy--always a hit with my crowd.
We ran out of time and didn't get to play 'The Cat in the Hat Says...' Sad! I love playing Simon Says type games in ST, and I have a 2ft Cat in the Hat stuffy that the kids were very curious about.
Pin the green eggs on the ham:
Me, Seussified
We ended up reading a portion of Green Eggs and Ham, and all of The Foot Book and Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?
Green Eggs and Ham is just too long and repetitive for a large group, but they loved a short version of it--I really emphasized the rhymes and had the kids chime in and predict the rhymes a lot.
With both groups, before I read The Foot Book I asked, "Does anyone here have feet?" And both times the group said, "No." So funny! Not sure what those little brains are thinking for that one! I liked the opportunities for foot-related rhythm movement with this book.
Mr. Brown is pretty much made for storytime, with all the opportunities for sound-making, and it was a great success.
Songs and fingerplays were heavily inspired by this post from the blog Mel's Desk. Warning: Singing "Dr. Seuss is on the Loose" as she recommends--to the tune of "Bingo"--will stay in your head for WEEKS. I printed and laminated a large picture of the Cat in the Hat, several Cat in the Hat hats, and Green Eggs and Ham and put them on the flannel board after we practiced reading the words "Cats, hats, eggs, and, ham" then when we were singing I could point to them. We also sang the song slowly at first, but then increased the speed a little bit each time until we got to crazy--always a hit with my crowd.
We ran out of time and didn't get to play 'The Cat in the Hat Says...' Sad! I love playing Simon Says type games in ST, and I have a 2ft Cat in the Hat stuffy that the kids were very curious about.
Pin the green eggs on the ham:
Me, Seussified
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