Shop Subscribe

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Schoolyard Blog | Teacher Resources | School Specialty

Tips and trending topics for the teacher who's always learning

schoolyard-logo
  • Education Essentials
  • Inspiration & Planning
  • Learning Spaces
  • Podcasts
  • Topics
  • Search
  • < Previous post
    Next post >
    smiling young girl and boy listening to a teacher reading a picture book

    Inspiration & Planning

    3 Activities to Celebrate Dr. Seuss’s Birthday

    Dr. Seuss is one of the greatest authors of children’s books. His books not only keep children’s attention, but they also teach important life lessons. Every year, teachers worldwide celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday on March 2 with fun activities inspired by some of his most popular books. Here are three of our favorites!

    1. Horton Hears a Who Elephant Face

    Horton Hears a Who is the delightful tale of an elephant who hears a voice from a small flower. The other animals in the jungle cannot hear the voices and keep trying to do away with the flower because they think it is odd that Horton speaks to a flower. The lesson from Horton the Elephant teaches children to respect everyone, no matter who they are or what they look like. It also encourages kids to stand up for themselves even when others don’t believe them.

    After reading the book, let your students make their own Horton the Elephant paper plate face!

    The process is simple. First, have students use construction paper to cut out the ears, eyes, and trunk from the downloadable template. Give each student a paper plate and have them glue the eyes, ears, and trunk to the plate. Swap out the template eyes for some wiggle eyes for some added fun!

    2. The Sneetches

    The Sneetches is a wonderful tale about tolerance and accepting people for who they are rather than what you see. It also teaches kids not to do something just because someone encourages them. Read the book to your students and then discuss what they learned.

    Then, lighten the mood by giving each student a star and playing a game of “McBean Says” instead of “Simon Says.” McBean is the main antagonist in the book. Give the students simple things to do, like “McBean says raise your star over your head.”

    3. The Lorax

    The Lorax teaches students the problem of pollution. When the Lorax tries to appeal to the “Once-ler” to stop chopping down trees and polluting the area with his factories, the Once-ler does not listen and causes the land to slowly die. You can use this as a very powerful tool to teach kids about recycling and other actions they can take to help the environment.

    As a closing activity, let your students make their own Truffula trees. Get some brightly colored pencils and have students glue colorful pom pons onto the end of the pencil. At the end of the day, have them put the pencils together in a pencil cup or holder to create a forest.

    If you’d like to go further to truly celebrate the environmental message from Dr. Seuss in The Lorax, you could start a recycled art contest for your classroom or school.

    Other Ideas to celebrate Dr. Suess!

    How do you celebrate Dr. Suess’s birthday in your classroom? You can prepare many different types of snacks and goodies in advance to throw a birthday party. Pinterest is a teacher’s best friend regarding cool crafts and activities, and many Pinterest Boards are dedicated to celebrating reading on Dr. Seuss’s birthday!

    Tagged With: Craft Projects, Group Activities & Games

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Recommended

    Famous Left-Handed People

    Celebrations & Themes

    Famous Left-Handed People

    Sharpie “Stained Glass” Literary Activity

    Reading & Literacy

    Sharpie “Stained Glass” Literary Activity

    Flag Day History and a Craft

    Celebrations & Themes

    Flag Day History and a Craft

    Plan Now for Success Next Year

    Inspiration & Planning

    Plan Now for Success Next Year

    Explore The Schoolyard

    Education Essentials

    Inspiration & Planning

    Learning Spaces

     

    TopicsShop Subscribe

    Copyright © 2025 School Specialty, LLC. All rights reserved. Privacy Statement · Social Media Statement · Do Not Sell My Personal Information - CA Resident Only

  • CATEGORIES

    • Education Essentials
    • Inspiration & Planning
    • Learning Spaces
  • TOPICS

    • Arts & Crafts
    • Early Childhood
    • Special Needs
    • Physical Education
    • Educational Technology
    • Student Resources
    • Organization & Storage
    • Classroom Management
    • STEAM & STEM
    • 21st Century Learning
    • Reading & Literacy
    • Healthy Students
    • Teacher Life
    • Back to School
    • Celebrations & Seasons
    • Out of School
    • News
    • Math
    • Science
    • Podcasts
    • Topics
    • Shop
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube