Published: March 03, 2008 09:44 pm            

SLIDE SHOW: Lafayette Park - Salute to Seuss

Enter the wacky world of Dr. Seuss at Lafayette Park Elementary School. Students of all ages celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday by spending time on a wide range of activities including eating green eggs and ham, making cat hats and reading stories. The following activities are what you will see in this slideshow.

Click here to see a Seuss slide show




It’s not every day you see two blue-haired things dribbling a ball down the hall in a school.

But on Read Across America Day, which celebrates the birthday of Dr. Seuss, anything is possible.

Read Across America Day is an annual celebration of the birthday of author Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. In recognition of his influence on stressing the importance of reading to children, the National Education Association has made his birthday an annual national celebration of reading. This marks his 104rd birthday.

Around the Kokomo area, Mayor Greg Goodnight, outdoors columnist John Martino and other special guests spoke about the importance of reading at Western Middle School, while guest readers shared books with children at Western Primary School.

Eastern Elementary celebrated Read Across America Friday with special readings and a green eggs and ham breakfast.

Third-graders at Sts. Joan of Arc and Patrick School celebrated a day of reading, and were invited to bring their slippers and sleeping bags to settle in and be comfortable while reading. The also watched the movie “The Lorax,” based on a Seuss book, and wrote newspaper articles about it.

At Kokomo’s Lafayette Park Elementary School, the day included visits from Thing 1 and Thing 2 to read “Horton Hears a Who,” while trying to dodge the Cat in the Hat, and it meant ham and eggs the color of shamrocks for kindergarteners and fifth-graders.

Parent Teacher Organization members Debbie Jackson and Christy McNeil were Thing 1 and Thing 2, reading to classrooms in the building. In one first-grade room, Thing 2 read to the children, while Thing 1 sat on the floor with him, a crowd of girls gathered around to stroke her electric blue hair.

Sweet treats were on the menu for fourth-graders and first-graders in Gretchen Laudenschlager and Kristen Downing’s classes. The older students read Seuss books to the younger students, then helped them make red-and-white striped Cat in the Hat paper stovepipe hats. They also made edible hats, with Ritz crackers as the brim, and white frosting and red licorice as the body of the hat.

Fourth-grader Haley Johnson worked with Brayden Mickle to assemble his edible hat, after reading “Fox in Socks” together. Both said their favorite Seuss book is “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” because of the made-up characters.

Eighth-graders from Carol Deditch’s transitions class came from the middle school to read to first-graders, also.

Children in Marianne Christie’s kindergarten and Katie Suter’s fifth-grade paired up to share green eggs and ham, along with educational Seuss computer games and worksheets.

Christie said all the activities teach state standards for kindergarten, in a way the children will remember more than “skill and drill” activities. For example, coloring the striped stovepipe hats works on patterning.

“ I have children from high school tell me they remember doing this in kindergarten,” she said.

Fifth-graders Rachel Smith and Allyssa Stone helped kindergartner Kaleb Carter cut out and assemble his hat, after they finished eating their green eggs and ham.

“It was good,” Kaleb said. He also liked the visit from Thing 1 and Thing 2. “They were playing ball and they threw it on the table. It was freaky.”

His favorite Seuss book is “Fox in Socks,” while the older girls like “The Cat in the Hat.”

“They’re good for young readers and help them learn to read,” Allyssa said. “They’re funny.”

Fifth-graders Rebecca Smith and Ryley Fearnow teamed up to work with Rebecca’s sister, Emma, on a worksheet about opposites, using characters from a Seuss book.

Rebecca said she likes Dr. Seuss’s books because of “his weird rhyming.”

Downing, a fourth-grade teacher, said Read Across America is a great opportunity for children of various ages to/ work together, and to learn to enjoy reading.

“It shows the importance of being a life-long reader.”

Danielle Rush may be reached at (765) 454-8585 or via e-mail at danielle.rush@kokomotribune.com

        

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