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Seuss inspired craft: Meet the Lorax!

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One of my favourite Dr. Seuss’s characters for his environmental sensitivity is definitely the Lorax! Dr. Seuss’s beloved story teaches children to treat the planet with kindness and stand up and speak up for others.

The book is the perfect gift for Earth Day and for any child—or child at heart—who is interested in the environment, recycling, preservation of nature. It was Dr. Seuss’s personal favourite of his books. In his own words: ‘The Lorax came out of me being angry. In The Lorax I was out to attack what I think are evil things and let the chips fall where they might.’

(You can get a lot of ideas for ‘The Lorax Project’ here: We speak for the Earth-The Lorax Project )

The 2012 feature film is also ideal for classroom use in combination with any environmental project: it teaches children the importance of protecting their environment and that nature is not something disposable and pointless. It warns against the dangers of being too greedy and of not thinking about others. (You can get some ideas for after viewing conversations here: Teach with movies-The Lorax )

I have made a Lorax puppet to be used along with the book and/or film. It was crafted in the same way as this wonderful panda: How to make a panda pin puppet

 Here he is:

The Lorax puppet in action!

Here are the templates:

Dr. Seuss Day! (March 2nd)

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It was on this glorious day (March 2nd) in 1904 that Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, (even though not a real doctor!) was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was then certain that from that day on the Cat in the Hat, Thing One and Thing Two, the Fox in Sox, Horton who hears a Who, the Grinch, Sam I Am, Thidwick, the Lorax and many many other whimsical characters, would brighten the minds and hearts of countless children, younger (or young at heart, like…myself!) or older.

If Juliet wonders ‘what’s in a name’ in reference to Romeo’s house, with Dr. Seuss, everything’s in a name! Biffer-Baum Birds. The Long-Legger Kwong. Brown Bar-ba-loots. Sneetches.  Wockets and Nizzards—all names which have become an iconic part of childhood… and parenthood.

Undoubtedly, he was born to stand out! In his own words:

‘Why fit in when you were born to stand out?’

Dr. Suess (a.k.a. Dr. Theophrastus Seuss, a.k.a. Theo Le Sieg, a.k.a. Theodor Seuss Geisel) is best known as a prolific children’s author (he released forty-six books during his lifetime!)  who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1984.  Apart from being a cartoonist and a poet he was also an illustrator for many advertising campaigns and was a political cartoonist during World War II. He was also a true perfectionist, known to discard 95% of his material before settling on a theme for a new book, sometimes spending up to a year writing a single story, and preferring payment upon completion, rather than in advance.

One of his posters advertising Flit

Having made an incredible impact on numerous generations he died in 1991 at the age of 87. His famous children’s books have been translated into over 20 languages and are still enjoyed in homes, schools, and communities all over the world. Many of his books continue to inspire people today, with a number of his books being turned into films and his stories continuing to sell well today.

What better way to celebrate Dr. Seuss Day than by reading one of his books?

 

Fun fact: His all-time best-selling book was created on a bet. Dr. Seuss’ editor Bennett Cerf bet him he couldn’t write a book using 50 or fewer words. The result is 1960’s ‘Green Eggs and Ham.’ The story of Sam-I-Am trying to convince an unknown character to eat green eggs and ham has sold more than eight million copies since publication!

Find some other Dr Seuss facts and quotes here:

Dr. Seuss Facts and Quotes for Kids

For a host of celebration activities have a look here:

Dr. Seuss’s Birthday

Which Dr. Seuss character are you? Find out here:

Which Dr. Seuss Character Are You?

5 Little Froggies

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An easy and fun craft – activity for 1st graders based on the song ‘5 Little Froggies’!

After we teach the song (described in http://rcel.enl.uoa.gr/peap/taksi/kyklos-b/numbers-1-5#material ) and encourage children to make the accompanying moves with us, we hand out the first photocopy, folded in two, and sellotaped at the edges. If we want to help 1st graders we can cut the shape of the well hole before we give it to them, as it will be rather challenging for those little hands to handle their scissors around the hole.

Now, it’s time to perform the song seated!

We sing the song and when we come to  ‘…and down he fell’, one froggie goes into the well! You’ve guessed right! All froggies end up in the well! Which is a good thing, as we know they won’t be lost, safe in the paper well pouch!

Children love it and they get to keep the well and froggies to use and play throughout the year!

Here are the templates:

EFFECTS (2)

Make your own Zoo with paper rolls from the loo!!!

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A nice way to keep your 1st graders happy and engaged when you have taught them the wild animals ( tiger, giraffe, panda, lion, zebra, etc)!

Supplies needed:

Paper rolls (regular or bigger)

A4 paper or cardboard paper

Crayons or coloured pencils

Scissors

A wide box

Pipe cleaners

Stapler

Glue

Your fantasy!!!

I have created some templates which we use in the beginning. But then, once the kids get the hang of it, they can use their own ideas and create their own versions of the animals! They can really get very imaginative and creative!!!

Here are some templates:

OR, you can create a whole forest!

Extra supplies for the forest:

A big sheet of thick cardboard paper

Green crêpe paper

Cardboard paper in various colours

Don’t forget the basic ingredient: your fantasy!!!

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Pancake Day

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Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday, is the day before the start of Lent (Σαρακοστή)* on Ash Wednesday. It always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday, so the date varies from year to year and falls between February 3 and March 9.

Why is it called Pancake Day?

Shrove Tuesday was named after the custom of Christians to be “shriven” before the start of Lent. In the United Kingdom, Ireland and parts of the Commonwealth, Shrove Tuesday is also known as Pancake Day or Pancake Tuesday, as it became a traditional custom to eat pancakes as a meal. It is also called Fat Tuesday (‘Mardi Gras’ is French) as it was the last night of eating rich, fatty foods before fasting of the Lenten season. The tradition dates back to 600 A.D., when all animal products, not just meat, were banned during Lent. Christians made pancakes on Fat Tuesday to use up their supply of butter, milk, and eggs before Lent.

Pancakes are thin, flat cakes, made of batter and fried in a frying pan. A traditional English pancake is very thin and is served immediately. Golden syrup or lemon juice and caster sugar are the usual toppings for pancakes.

The fun part of Shrove Tuesday celebrations includes pancake races! Large numbers of people, often in fancy dress, race down streets tossing pancakes. The object of the race is to get to the finishing line first, carrying at the same time a frying pan with a cooked pancake in it and flipping the pancake as you run! Other traditional activities are ‘Mob Football’ games in many towns throughout England, or skipping on one rope.

Pancake races

Mob Football

Skipping the rope

Skipping rope (Photo by Miss Diane)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Find delicious recipes for the day here:

Pancake Day

 

*Lent (Σαρακοστή) is a period of fasting for 40 days before Easter Sunday (in commemoration of the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert during which he endured temptation by Satan). Lent is mostly observed by the Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian and Anglican denominations, and also by Roman Catholics. Eastern Orthodox churches observe Lent or Great Lent, during the 6 weeks or 40 days preceding Palm Sunday with fasting continuing during the Holy Week of Orthodox Easter.

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Valentine crafts

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Here are two ideas to do for your sweetheart on St. Valentine’s Day!

No.1

Make a great origami heart corner bookmark, scribbling a special little love note on it!

Watch the instructions here: Heart corner bookmarks

or follow the advice given here: Heart Corner Bookmarks by Easy Peasy and Fun

And how about placing it in the corner of a book with love poetry for your beloved one?

 

No.2

Paint the following pictures (or make your own!) using Keith Haring’s unique style!

Who was Keith Haring? 

Keith Haring was a well-known street artist and pop artist in the 1980s and 1990s. Inspired by art and graffiti in New York City subways, artist Keith Haring created iconic cartoon-like figures in public spaces all over the world.His drawings were quite simple – pyramids, flying saucers, human figures, winged figures, television sets, animals, and babies. Soon his drawings became a kind of signature, and the people of New York first (where he lived) and then all around the world recognised his style immediately.

Learn more about his life here: Let’s learn about Keith Haring! and here: Intro to Keith Haring!

Here are the 2 colouring pages:

 

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St. Valentine’s Day

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Every year, on 14 of February, people all over the world celebrate St. Valentine’s Day: they show their affection or love for their beloved ones or sweethearts by giving gifts, chocolates, flowers, or cards with messages of love.

The day gets its name from a famous saint. But who was he?

There are several stories of who he was. The popular belief about St Valentine is that he was a priest from Rome in the third century AD. Emperor Claudius II had banned marriage because he thought married men were bad soldiers. Valentine felt this was unfair, so he broke the rules and arranged marriages in secret. When Claudius found out, Valentine was thrown in jail and sentenced to death. There, he fell in love with the jailer’s daughter and when he was taken to be killed on 14 February he sent her a love letter signed “from your Valentine”. (“From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today.)

Have a look at this video: Valentine’s Day.

Follow the story of Valentine’s Day on Google Earth ! 

The tradition of celebrating love, though, already existed.  The Romans had a festival called Lupercalia in the middle of February – officially the start of their springtime. Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. As part of the celebrations, boys drew names of girls from a box. They’d be boyfriend and girlfriend during the festival and sometimes they’d get married.

Later on, the church wanted to turn this festival into a Christian celebration and decided to use it to remember St Valentine too. Over the years, St Valentine’s name started to be used by people to express their feelings to those they loved. Nowadays it is a fully commercialised celebration, with all things lovey!

How do animals celebrate the day? Have a look! Animals in love

What about special Valentine’s food?

Have a look at this Valentine’s Day story with Nature Cat (with an environmental twist!)

Here’s a host of acivities you can find here: Holiday: Valentine’s Day

Other love figures / saints

In Ancient Greece people celebrated the god of love, Eros, son of Aphrodite and Ares. He had a special power which allowed him to make two people fall in love with each other: Eros could point his bow and arrow at someone and they would fall in love with the next person they saw. This power worked with both mortals (another name for humans, who could die) and gods!

There are a lot of myths about him. The most famous one is Eros and Psyche. 

Cupid and Psyche by Antonio Canova

Their story inspired so many artists! Have a look at this famous statue above. 

Later on, in Roman mythology Eros became the Roman god Cupid, who is often shown as a naked chubby child throwing his arrows to unsuspecting lovers!

The Orthodox church celebrates the saints Priscilla and Aquila on 13 February. 

Sts. Aquila and Priscilla

Priscilla and Aquila were friends of the apostle Paul. They set an example of hospitality, seen in opening their home to Paul and using their house as a meeting place for the church. Priscilla and Aquila are a fascinating study in men and women working together for the good of the church. 

Using Nursery Rhymes at school: A reading project with a 4th grade class

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I’ve always been interested in Nursery Rhymes for their multiple benefits, which so vividly David Gibson presented on various occasions (see Nursery Rhymes).

So, when I found these nicely illustrated little books on offer I bought 20 and started a reading project with a 4th grade class: every fortnight/week students would have to read a book, maybe listen to the CD which accompanied it. This CD was recorded with the help of my dear friend David who kindly read the Nursery Rhymes for us. There were 6 titles in the series and each packet also contained a leaflet giving some general, introductory information on Nursery Rhymes and some info on each Nursery Rhyme: when they were published, the story (if there is one) behind them, and the explanation of some unknown words. Every child had to present one of the Nursery Rhymes they liked- either recite it or play it or sing it, either alone or with another classmate. Every week I would choose a Nursery Rhyme and find a worksheet on it from the big variety there is on the Internet, or make my own, and teach the corresponding rhyme or song.

We also danced to the Grand Old Duke of York, following the pattern  of this video:

Folk Dance – Grand Old Duke of York (England)

Here is a short presentation of the things we did throughout the year:

Using Nursery Rhymes at school

It was a very enjoyable project. All the students were involved with enthusiasm (even boys, whom I expected to be more reluctant!) and had lots of fun! At the end of the school year we presented ‘The grand old Duke of York’ and other Nursery Rhymes to the whole school and our special guest, Mr David Gibson!

 

I presented the project (actually complemented David Gibson’s wonderful talk with this educational example) on various occasions (TESOL Macedonia-Thrace, TESOL Greece, Ekadeve) and it received a warm welcome by colleagues! (interview)

You don’t have to buy books, of course, to make this project, since there are so many things you can find on the Internet and do with Nursery Rhymes!

You can find lots of Nursery Rhymes here:

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Big Book of Nursery Rhymes, by Various

Ideas to Use Nursery Rhymes in the Classroom

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Reading & Recitation

Nursery rhymes are a great way to build some individual or group reading:  they can be used as a warm-up at the beginning of a lesson, as a closer at the end of a lesson or just something to break up the monotony of the traditional lesson. The teacher can work with the students to memorize the rhyme or assign it as homework to memorize at home, either individually or in small groups. S/he can also divide the poem line-by-line and assign each student one line of the poem to memorize. Then they can perform the rhyme in small groups with each student responsible for one line.

Illustration & Crafting

Once you read the nursery rhyme as a class and go over new words, ask the students to illustrate the nursery rhyme, letting your creative students express themselves! Then, display the illustrations on the walls to bring a sense of pride and personality to your classroom!

Here’s an incredible resource on the State Library of Louisiana which provides a whole list of free  mini books to download of the nursery rhymes I found!

Acting It Out & Tickling

Acting out a nursery rhyme is best used in addition to reciting it. The TPR (Total Physical Response) method not only gets students up and out of their desks, but it also helps with memorization and encourages a better understanding of the words. Some nursery rhymes have well-known movements attached to their lyrics (‘Incy-wincy Spider’) : you can use the established gestures or create your own for just about any nursery rhyme.

Here’s an example of the Nursery Rhyme with actions: ‘The Grand Old Duke of York’

Children love to anticipate the tickling and that’s what these rhymes are all about (children just love ‘This Little Piggy Went to Market’ and such).

Have a look at Round and round the garden – three tickle rhymes!

And do you remember the game in Magic Book 1 (Unit 2The Story of Bella the Cat, Lesson 1)

‘Round about, round about,

Goes the wee mousie.

Up, up, up, up,

Into the wee housie!’

It was a tickling rhyme!

Counting

Some Nursery Rhymes help to teach numbers and counting, either normal upwards counting or downwards counting (‘One Two Three Four Five, once I caught a fish alive…’). Some songs are not about counting but they do have a progressive nature, following some kind of sequence or pattern (‘ Old McDonald Had a Farm’, ‘Hokey Cokey’).

Here’s a clip (the first in the video) of the counting rhyme ‘Ten green bottles’.

Games & Dancing

Some Nursery Rhymes can be regarded as playground songs (including skipping, hopscotch, ball-games) and selection or counting-out rhymes such as ‘One Potato, two potatoes’), or can be danced in a ring (‘Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush’) or as a folk dance.

‘One Potato, two potato’ is especially loved in Ireland (given the importance of potatoes in Irish cuisine!) Here are the game instructions! 

Nursery Rhymes

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Nursery Rhymes are poems or rhymes for children that tell little stories, sometimes strange, whose meaning is lost in history (going back in the early 18th century!); they are sometimes padded out with nonsense words. Some of the rhymes are simply recited like poems but a great many of them are in fact songs. Nursery rhymes are catchy, easy to memorize and fun!

That’s what makes them an invaluable educational tool. Younger students will enjoy the songs and rhymes, while older students will appreciate the themes hidden below the surface.

Nursery rhymes can be useful in many ways. Depending on the nursery rhyme, students will learn new vocabulary.

Nursery rhymes also help develop phonemic awareness (thanks to the rhyming words). These little rhyming ditties also give students the chance to practice pronunciation and intonation when they recite them. The singsong nature of these poems can create a fun, less formal environment for students. Since most nursery rhymes contain several rhyming words, they have the added advantage of helping children develop their memory (they are so easy to memorise!)

Here is a wonderful presentation ( Nursery Rhymes presentation) of a wonderful talk given by a wonderful person on several occasions (TESOL Macedonia-Thrace, TESOL Greece, Ekadeve), Mr David Gibson *!

And a short but very enlightening interview on the multiple advantages of using nursery rhymes in teaching!

Here is a list of sites you can visit to get a more thorough insight into Nursery Rhymes:

 

*David Gibson was born in Northern England in 1947 and began teaching in 1964. His five diplomas were awarded by the universities of Nottingham, Bristol, and Cambridge and he taught in England in junior and secondary schools for 15 years. He came to Greece in 1979 and taught English as a Foreign Language in private schools before joining the British Council in Thessaloniki in 1987. There, he taught English Language and Literature, was a Teacher-Trainer, and served as the Coordinator of Student Social and Cultural Activities.

In 1995, he took up a post as teacher of English Language and Literature at Pinewood International Schools, Thessaloniki, becoming the Chairman of the English Department in 1999. At Pinewood, he also coached three football teams, ran Guitar Clubs and School Bands, and was involved in a wide variety of other school activities and events.

David has worked for Cambridge ESOL for more than twenty years, as an Oral Examiner, Team Leader, Supervisor, Seminar Presenter, and Inspector, and is a founder and three-time board member of TESOL Macedonia-Thrace, Northern Greece, being a regular speaker and active participant in conventions and similar events.

In June 2008, he retired from full-time teaching in order to concentrate on other projects, but has continued to work with Pinewood students – coaching football, playing guitar with them, encouraging them to read and to write … and to watch birds.

You can see some of his inspiring work as the one half of the two-man English Teaching Theatre Group “Dave’n’Luke” here:

DAVE’N’LUKE English Language Theatre