"The more that you read,
the more things you will know.
The more that you learn,
the more places you'll go.”
Our February Read-a-thon in kindergarten finally came to a close today with Read Across America Day. This day coincides with Dr. Seuss' 103rd birthday and Cat in the Hat's 50th birthday. Therefore, there was a lot of celebrating going on! A Cat in the Hat Magic Show entertained us yesterday morning, with a man doing tricks with characters and things from many of Dr. Seuss' clever little books. I told the kids to come dressed like Cat in the Hat and saw some very impressive outfits.
All month long, I gave my kids book lists at the beginning of each week, which they were to fill out and bring in by the end of the week. For each book they read, they got to put a sticker up on their cut-out book that I had made and posted in our room. I've done this with every class I've had, so this is my third time and it was probably my least successful one. Which wasn't at all surprising since this class has been extremely, uh...shall we say...different from my other two since the beginning. I'm happily counting the months to when Summer Camp starts. It's not that I don't love this class, because I do and the one thing they do have is entertainment value. But I swear they are all, down to the last one, from a different planet. Most of the answers or things that come out of their mouth, I'm just like, "HUH?!" My mom can attest to this fact. But overall they're a cute bunch and I've learned to laugh instead of roll my eyes. Enough of that tangent, though. So back to Read Across America Day...
The day started off with The Cat in the Hat movie, which was made more enjoyable because everyone got to dress in their pajamas...including me! They spread out their blankets on the carpet and laid themselves down. After that, I read One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish to them while they ate Finding Nemo fruit snacks. I was going to get Swedish fish to go along with this book, but they only satisfied the "red fish" part. Later in the day we read The Cat in the Hat and made red bow ties out of construction paper to put around their necks. We read Are You My Mother?, which was a class favorite, and painted hardboiled eggs to look like the little bird. Then we read Go, Dog, Go and ate cinnamon-flavored Scooby Doo dog bone snacks. It's amazing what food, combined with a book, will do to hold their attention! Oh and I almost forgot to mention Dr. Seuss's ABC book that we read and made the first letter of our name out of Smarties. That's another book kids love to read. It has a lot of silly sayings and rhymes, so after hearing it enough, I hear students "reading" it almost perfectly. Overall, it was a very fun day, but how could it not be! They don't know it yet, but for every kindergarten graduation, I buy the graduates Oh the Places You'll Go, by none other than Dr. Seuss...there is no escaping him!!Last summer I invested (well, with company money) in a classroom set of about 10 Dr. Seuss books. They're a bit pricey, but well, well worth the cost. Our poor kids don't stand a chance because I even found this book: Oh, Baby, the Places You'll Go. I told D that we'll have to have a Cat in the Hat bday party for any future kids we may have. He simply said, "Uh, OK." There is even a Happy Birthday to You! book written by Seuss. Alright, too much Seuss on the mind! It's hard not to get into it when his books are so creative and funny. I am thinking about writing a children's book someday and started to sketch some ideas and it's not that easy when there are so many things that I would want to accomplish in a book. He was a master at it because he wrote memorable books that aren't only fun and interesting, but they teach kids how to read. So I leave you with this passage from Oh the Places You'll Go:
Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.
You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.
And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.
It's opener there
in the wide open air.
Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.
And when things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.
OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!
You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.
You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don't
Because, sometimes, you won't.
I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.
You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.
You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.
And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.
You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?
And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.
You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...
...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.
NO!
That's not for you!
Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.
With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!
Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. there are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.
Except when they don't.
Because, sometimes, they won't.
I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.
All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.
And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.
But on you will go
though the weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.
On and on you will hike
and I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.
You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)
KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!
So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.
You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.
And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.
It's opener there
in the wide open air.
Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.
And when things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.
OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!
You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.
You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don't
Because, sometimes, you won't.
I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.
You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.
You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.
And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.
You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?
And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.
You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...
...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.
NO!
That's not for you!
Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.
With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!
Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. there are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.
Except when they don't.
Because, sometimes, they won't.
I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.
All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.
And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.
But on you will go
though the weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.
On and on you will hike
and I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.
You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)
KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!
So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!
Wasn't that fun to read?!? :)
by Sara , on March 03, 2007 11:14 PM
I love love love Dr. Seuss! Ari has several books, and I'd love to get more (so if you're looking for a birthday gift idea, there you go, lol). They are so much fun to read, too--not as silly or boring as some kids' books are.
Sounds like you had a really fun day with your class!
Did you know that Dr. Seuss was born in Springfield, MA? They do all sorts of stuff to commemorate him up there--I think they have a memorial or something too. So you might have to check that out next time you're home for a visit. ;)
by Anonymous , on March 04, 2007 5:00 PM
I LOVE Dr. Seuss, too! We always read him to our kids...especially One Fish Two Fish, Hop On Pop, There's a Woset in My Closet & The Cat in the Hat! They're the best!
by Anonymous , on March 05, 2007 3:16 PM
How clever a teacher you are, my Jess and what a wonderful mother you will make from having been a teacher. While this class may not be as far along as your last 2, they are still precious and NEVER boring! Love, Mom F