All elementary teachers know that Dr. Seuss’s birthday, March 2nd, is Read Across America Day
Whether you are celebrating Seuss all month, all week, or just for the day, Really Good Stuff has resources to make it unforgettable for you and your students. Not sure how to celebrate? Let me help you!
1. Decorate Your Classroom Door
Show your Seuss spirit by decking out your classroom door or hallway bulletin board. Just add Dr. Seuss™ Extra Wide Border Trim and use their double-sided Dr. Seuss™ Banner that touts “READ” or “WELCOME” to add colorful flair! You can add student’s names, post photos of your class reading, or print your favorite Dr. Seuss book covers to decorate even further.
2. Take Part in a Reading Challenge
Encourage your class, school, or district to participate in a reading challenge. Use Dr. Seuss™ Reward Punch Cards to promote and track how many days, books, or minutes students read. You can motivate students to turn in their punch cards for a classroom reward.
3. Serve a Festive Snack
Another fun way to celebrate Read Across America day is to serve a festive snack to your students. You could go as simple as serving red and white snacks, like strawberry and banana skewers to honor the Cat in the Hat, cheese balls in a sandwich bag to honor the Lorax, or even a sweet treat of gummy fish to honor One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. If you are running low on time, ask parent volunteers or the PTO to help aid in this celebration!
4. Dress up as a favorite character
Dressing up as my favorite Dr. Seuss character was always one of my favorite days as a first grade teacher. I would wear red and black clothing, put some eyeliner whiskers on my cheeks, and tie a red construction paper bow-tie around my neck to get myself to look like the Cat in the Hat. It wasn’t perfect, but it at least got the kids to pay attention for a day! Try sending out a notice to families the week before and encourage your students to join you.
Give students Dr. Seuss™ Name Tags and write the character name that they are dressed up as on it instead of their real name. They will love it!
5. Reading Celebration Day
During your reading block, plan an out-of-the routine reading celebration for your students. This can as easy as inviting a different class over to partner read with your students, performing a dramatic read aloud, or passing out Dr. Seuss™ Success Stickers and Dr. Seuss™ Bookmarks to your students while they read independently.
However you choose to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ Birthday, remember that Really Good Stuff has got you covered! The great thing about Really Good Stuff’s Seuss line is that you don’t have to take it down when Read Across America Day is over. It’s colorful, cute, and can stay up for months as regular classroom décor.
Happy Reading!
By Erika Silano
This piece was originally published in 2019.