Going crazy with Dr Seuss

So we officially started our homeschool unit on Dr. Seuss and we are having blast. The plan is to read all of the books, yes ALL of them. I think the library may officially hate me because I had to get many of the books transferred in from other libraries in our system. Even though we started our actual unit this week there were lots of fun events over the last couple of weeks that we had fun participating in which really helped get the kids excited for our Dr Seuss unit. So without further ado here is what we have been up too.

It all started with the mall event. There were stories, characters, crafts and even a parade. And the kids got lots of goodies. Rowyn even won a book, "And To Think That I saw it on Mulberry Street."

Then we got to eat lunch Horton at the Ringling Bros & Barnum and Bailey Pachyderm Picnic. Okay it wasn't really Horton but it certainly goes well with the "Horton Hears a Who" book.

Then we went to Whole Foods which was offering a fun story time. The kids also had some fun amazing snacks. We also got free screening passes for The Lorax which we will be seeing Thursday.

Then we had all sorts of  Seussy fun at Target and Lakeshore learning. Target was offering their annual Read Across America event. They read stories and gave the kids each a great little reusable shopping bag filled with goodies. Lakeshore Learning also had story time and 3 craft stations.

And here is what we have been doing this week.....

We started getting ALL of the Dr. Seuss books gathered for our month of Seusstacular fun.

I will be sure to take another photo once we get them all. About half of these are ours the others are from the library.

We are starting with The Lorax. So we first planted some Strawberry and Tomato seeds in some little containers just to get them started. Of course we are working in the kitchen because its so much easier to clean up dirty projects off the kitchen floor.

Patiently waiting for them to grow.

We made our very own Truffula Tree Forest.

Layer about 10-12 pieces of tissue paper then fold in half.

Cut a big zigzagged or scalloped edge.

Bunch in the middle and wrap a pipe cleaner around the center.

Carefully pull up the tissue paper to the center to fluff.

Makes several and hang from the ceiling with fishing line and tada you have your very own forest.

The kids helped make their Lorax breakfast. Nothing super fancy just pancakes with orange food coloring and orange sprinkles, oranges and orange julius.

For lunch I made these cut Lorax sandwiches and some orange yogurt. I have a feeling food coloring is going to be very handy for the next month. And for a snack I made some Truffula Trees. After lunch Gwyn helped me make some orange jello which they had after dinner.

Pretzel sticks topped with peanut butter. Then I puts bits of apples onto the peanut butter and added some sprinkles.

Then we made some very cool tshirts, started our Lorax/Dr. Seuss worksheets and finished our Dr. Seuss book board.

Here is the printable I created with has all the books listed in order with pictures as well as a mini biography and favorite quotes.

Chattahoochee Nature center has a Truffula Forest through March 11th in the Nature Exchange. They have some fun activities for the kids to do like coloring pages, speak for the trees pledge, Thneeds to try on and mustaches.

And of course we had to eat our favorite restaurant IHOP since they are offering a kids a special kids Lorax menu. They even gave the kids bookmarks with tree seeds to plant.

  
Resources (I will share more Saturday):
-Mom to Posh Little Diva - lots of ideas through a link up.
-Seuss Juice printables 
-Some good ideas from other bloggers: Earth Momma,  Art of Teaching, Happy Birthday Author
-Printables for several of the books through homeschool share
-Video on how to finger knit a bookmark thneed
-Lots of printables


YouTube Channel for March:

Pinterest Board for Dr. Seuss I also have one March - I would love it if you follow me:

Starting this Saturday I will be having a Seussy Saturday Link Up. Below is the button if you want to join in the fun. Just link up a post that has to do with Dr. Seuss. And I would love it if you put the button either in the post or on your sidebar if your participating.



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Linking up with:

Cooper and Me and the Military Review and Giveaway

We were recently sent a copy of  Copper and Me and the Military to review. The book is written by Monique and Alexa Peters and illustrated by Alexa Peters & Melissa Peterson. I absolutely love the fact that the Cooper and Me books are written by a mother daughter team and that Alexa Peters is only 13 yrs old. Cooper and Me and the Military is the 4th book they have published, and I hope there are more in the works because my kids are fans now. In Alexa's biography she says that she is committed to writing stories that teach children about the values she holds dear, such as being tolerant and compassionate towards all people – including yourself! Isn't it awesome for a young girl to have such a wonderful passion? 

Synopsis

” This book is dedicated to all the wonderful families who serve our country…”

Meet Trooper, Cooper’s best friend, and learn how he was adopted by Gracie and Joe and their parents, who both serve in the military. Find out how this family stays close despite being separated.

A must-read during patriotic holidays and for anyone with friends and family in the military, this book helps children know, that even when loved ones aren’t with us, they still love us and think about us. 

A moms review:
The book is written in rhymes so it keeps young kids like mine very engaged. The illustrations are very simple and absolutely adorable. This is a wonderful book to read around patriotic holidays and a must have for anyone who has or had family serving in the military. During Christmas we sent cards to injured soldiers and the kids had a great time. And after reading Cooper and Me they are ready to write more letters to send to military men and women. This story teaches a wonderful important life lesson and helps kids get in touch with feelings of loneliness and sadness. I made sure to tell the kids that the book was written and illustrated by a young girl because that alone is such an inspiration to children especially ones that love to make up stories and draw, like Gwyn does.

At the end of the book are really great interactive features to help drive the message home:

• A Special Memory Creation
• Life Lesson
• Connections
• Learning Together

I love books that offer wonderful resources like this because it assists parents (whether you homeschool or not) in making connections with their children. It also helps improve children's reading comprehension. I wish more writers would include resources like these.

Also be sure to check out the Cooper and Me website for more amazing things like reading guides for parents with additional ideas and activities. And the Fun for Kids section of the website where there are printable coloring pages and activities. I think these are wonderful books for homeschool families because of all the added interactive features that are available. It makes it really easy to build a mini unit around the book.

Colored by Gwyn!

And on the back of the book is a link where you can download the Cooper and Me theme song which the kids also loved (but you have to buy a copy to get this). 

Gwyns review (6 yrs old):
My favorite part is when the kids parents bring Trooper home to see a vet and rest. The kids love Trooper. The book is intelligent and makes me think about the military. I want to write a letter to the troops.

Rowyns review (4 yrs old):
My favorite part is when Trooper is laying in the tent with the helmet on. I love the doggy he is cute.

Links to follow:
-Cooper and Me Website
-Cooper and Me Facebook Page
-Cooper and Me Twitter

Order your copy of the book here for $12.99!

Now time for the giveaways:
Only the first entry is mandatory. Other entries are optional and give you extra chances. This giveaway is not affiliated with Facebook in any way. The winner will be posted on the blog and will be emailed. Winner must reply within 48 hrs with their name, address, phone number, and email address or another winner will be chosen. Prize will be mailed to you directly by publisher.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


*Disclaimer of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on m blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials Advertising."

Black History Month - What We Learned

We took a little time this month to learn some black history. We didn't do as much as I had hoped but we (yup even mommy) did managed to learn a few very interesting things. Since we were already planning to learn about Africa we discussed how the Africans were brought to America on boats to become slaves. We read a lot of books written by African American authors and even got to meet one and listen to him speak at the library. After reading a few of the books we discussed what segregation and discrimination were and how it affected African Americans lives. I am sure as the kids get older we will cover a lot more of this important part of our American history but for now I wanted to keep it simple since it is such a difficult subject especially for kids to grasp.

Our library always has coloring pages for the kids and this month they had pictures of famous African Americans. Gwyn chose to color a picture of Sarah Breedlove Walker. Did you know
she was the 1st African American millionaire? She created the first line of African American hair products.

I highly recommend these two books by Calvin Ramsey the author we had the pleasure of meeting. It was so awesome to meet an author especially one that wrote such amazing books. So far he only has these two books.

 
After we reading this book we learned about The Green Book. Something I personally never knew existed until after reading the wonderful kids book Ruth and the Green Book. I was shocked that such an important piece of history was never covered in my 12 yrs of schooling. Do you know that a copy of the Green Book sells for about $4000. The majority of them are in libraries or museums though. I also learned more about the Jim Crow. And that it wasn't a who but a what.

 
After reading this Belle the Last Mule at Gee's Bend we learned why Mules were used to pull the carriage that carried Dr. Martin Luther Kings coffin. Tissue warning mommas this book may make you cry. Oh and your little ones too if they are emotional. Again something I never learned about in school.


Free Resources:
-Pdf of the real Green Book. Also check out this website.
-Information about why Dr. Martin Luther Kings carriage was drawn by mules.
-Information on Sarah Breedlove Walker
-Coloring pages of famous African Americans

So what exciting new thing did you learn this month? If you learned something new please link up a post. And if you could please post my blog button either in your post or on your sidebar.



Thanks for stopping by.