A Frugal Adventure and More: March 2012

Two weeks ago, I hosted a very fun homeschool co-op (for kids 7 and under) with two other families to celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday. I found so many great ideas online that helped make it such a fun event for the kids. We read three Dr. Seuss' books and did some lessons and activities to go along with the books.

After welcoming the students and talking about the date (March 2nd) and the significance of it (his birthday) we did a brief history lesson about Dr. Seuss. I found an excellent biography at Seussville.com, a site by Random House, dedicated to everything Dr. Seuss. We talked about when he was born (how many years ago that was), his first book, how he got his name, when his most popular books were published, etc. It was really interesting.

We then did our Bible lesson/devotional using the book, "Oh, The Places You'll Go."

And, I used an idea from, 2 Teaching Mommies, to use this book to go along with the verse, Jeremiah 29:11,

11 wFor I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare1 and not for evil, xto give you a future and a hope." (ESV)

We read the Bible verse and had the children practice memorizing it. You could also use the verse and do some copy work with it for them to practice their handwriting/printing. We had a discussion about how the little boy didn't always know where he was going and how he was sometimes scared. Thankfully, those who follow Jesus, are safe, and we can find comfort in the fact that He will guide our paths. He promises us good and not harm.

We then read,"One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish," and did some math activities and a craft to go along with that book. We used colored gold fish as our manipulatives and our snack.

I found the math worksheets from What the Teacher Wants. There was a free unit download with great activities and lesson plan ideas for several of Dr. Seuss' books. THANK YOU! I printed out the fish with numbers and word numbers on card stock, laminated them, and cut them out. Then I had the kids work in pairs (siblings together) to match the words to the numbers. After that, the older kids spent some time writing out the number words for practice. We then did a graphing activity with gold fish. The kids sorted the rainbow goldfish and then graphed them according to color. They talked about what colors they had the most of, least of, etc. The younger kids work on putting together different patterns with the fish. It was so much fun! As our craft, I gave each child a piece of 12x12 card stock and ask them to draw a variety of fish (or use some of the fish clip art) and decorate them with glitter, sequins, markers, etc. They were all so clever and creative!

Nathan's masterpiece!

SNACK TIME!

For our snacks, as if the goldfish weren't enough, we had Cat in the Hat-Hat Cake Pops that I made, Thing One and Thing Two cupcakes (blue cotton candy for the hair), and Cat in the Hat parfaits (thanks Shelly!).

Cat in the Hat Parfaits (made with jello, cool whip, and strawberries--yum!)

Hat Cake Pops! These were so fun to make. I can't wait to perfect them. It was my first time attempting this type of cake pop, so I need a little more practice. For my cake pop general instructions go here.

These were a hit with all the kids!

Thing One and Thing Two Cupcakes! (FYI-you can find cotton candy at the Dollar Tree).

Thank you Katie!

Our Thing One and Thing Two for the day!

Our last book we read was the classic, "The Cat and the Hat." After we read it we discussed, "Now what would you do, if your mother asked you?" You know, the last line of the book. We talked about the importance of always telling the truth. God does not want us to lie, even if we think we may get in trouble. We also talked to the children about safety and how we shouldn't open the door for strangers, even if it is the Cat in the Hat. We did this super cute and clever craft made from toilet paper rolls that I found from the site called, Stuff by Ash. All of the detailed instructions can be found here. The kids really enjoyed making them.

It was a really great co-op and the kids had so much fun. I was so impressed by how attentive they were throughout all the stories and activities. I highly recommend doing a Dr. Seuss party every year on, or around, March 2nd. And you can even make a Cat in the Hat pizza for dinner like we did.

I just made my usual pizza dough (all white flour this time) and shaped it into a hat. I then did layers of olive oil and cheese (white) and sauce and pepperoni (red). What do you think?

And you can also make your own special paper plate "Hat" for when you read the book:

(Inspiration for this idea from I Can Teach My Child, one of my favorite homeschool blogs).