Dr. Seuss' Birthday Ideas

Dr. Seuss’ birthday is one of my favorite teaching holidays!  We have an “Author of the Month” in my kindergarten classroom, so March is the perfect month to dedicate to Dr. Seuss.  I love sharing his stories with my students and teaching them about the life of Theodor Geisel.  

I created this Author Birthday Bundle that incorporates a Seuss theme into writing, math, centers, and more!  It also includes complete bulletin board bundles to create eye-catching displays for Dr. Seuss’ birthday.  Why not extend the Dr. Seuss fun throughout the entire month of March and try some of these ideas in your classroom?!

It is important to note that these extension activities are to be used as companion lessons (not as stand alone products) after reading your purchased copies of Dr. Seuss’ stories.  If you are just building your Dr. Seuss library, this set is a great value to help you get started!


Here are some fun ways to celebrate the birthday of Theodor Geisel with your kindergarten or first grade students…

1.    Introduce Research Reporting with a Theodor Geisel Author Study

Dr. Seuss Author Study

Dr. Seuss Author Study

This packet includes all you need to teach students about the life of Theodor Geisel.  All the research is done for you!  With this set, you get a complete author study, fun facts sheet, K-W-L Chart, a graphic organizer, worksheet, craft, teacher tips, bulletin board header letters, AND your choice of differentiated flip books!  This makes for an awesome March bulletin board to honor Dr. Seuss!  We usually do this author study prior to diving into his wonderful books.

2.  Create a Retelling of Your Favorite Stories

After reading your purchased copies of Dr. Seuss stories, have your students choose a favorite to create a retelling.  Print and assemble to flip books and pair with the rhyming hats shown in the next idea!

This is the perfect opportunity to teach your students how to retell events using the sequence terms “first, next, then, and last.” You can have all of your students work on the same story, or mix and match.  This is also a great option for early finishers or gifted students who would like to create more than one retelling.

 

3.  Work on Rhyming with Word Family Hats

Dr. Seuss loved to rhyme, and your kids will too with this fun activity.  I usually do this activity after reading The Cat in the Hat or The Cat Comes Back!   These full page hats come in color and black and white.  They can be used as worksheets, laminated for centers, or used as a craft when paired with the retelling activity above as shown here for a great March bulletin board.

 

Dr. Seuss Rhyming Activity

 I also love to use the rhyming hats for a Write and Wipe Center using these awesome Dry-Erase Pockets from Amazon – They come in sets of 30 and are only about .75 cents each when you get this set!  I use these pockets all year long for my center activities and small groups.  They hold up well and save a tree!
  

4.  Writing Journals

I use these NO PREP journals throughout the entire month as we read different Dr. Seuss books.  Twenty prompts are included in a traceable font.  Students complete the prompt and use the writer’s checklist to stay on track.  These journals work well for whole-group activities, small teacher-led writing groups, or independently depending on your students’ abilities.  They also make a nice keepsake!

Dr. Seuss Writing Ideas

 

5.  Math With The Cat Activities

Why not extend the fun into math activities as well as literacy?   This math bundle comes with two mini-books: one for fact families and another for addition facts.  For kindergarten, we usually complete these in small groups or as a whole group.  In first grade, students should be able to work on these books independently or at a math center.  When finished, I have my kids shade every other line in red.  I also like to laminate a set of these pages to keep as a math center for the rest of the year.  Once laminated, the pages become an instant Write and Wipe Math Center that is perfect for addition and fact family practice!

Dr. Seuss Math Activities

 

6.  Read and Rhyme Across America

These mini-books are similar to the math fact books.  Students practice phonics and rhyming skills by encoding rhyming words.  In the base of each hat is a word that the students must come up with rhyming words to write on the different levels of the hat.  This comes in two differentiated formats – perfect for K and 1st grade!

7.  Teach Persuasive Writing after reading The Lorax, and create an AMAZING Display!

Read and discuss the message of The Lorax.  Use the differentiated tree templates to have your students write persuasive messages on why we need to save the trees!  This bulletin board bundle is my favorite to use all year!  It comes with a craft to display above your trees.  Your kids will LOVE this one!  Use this for Dr. Seuss’ birthday, or save it until Earth Day in April!
The Lorax Bulletin Board
As a bonus, my Author Birthday Bundle also comes with Banner Letters and Numbers so that you may create any bulletin board header you like.  I use these banner letters all year long.  You can print them onto any color card stock or Astrobrights!

8.  Have some Green Screen Fun!

I painted one wall of my classroom with Green Screen Paint from Amazon, but you could use a portable green screen or a green sheet.  Download the app Do Ink.  Simply take a photo from your purchased copy of any Dr. Seuss book, import that as your background, and take a pic or video.  The kids had so much fun with this!
Dr. Seuss Green Screen
In addition to incorporating the ideas listed above, I like to dress the part for Dr. Seuss’ birthday!
Dr. Seuss Cat in the Hat Costume
I hope you have fun celebrating the life and legacy of Theodor Geisel in your classroom!
Casey