Happy Birthday to You, Dr. Seuss!

I love, love, love everything by Dr. Seuss, and tomorrow is his birthday! I love his simple wisdom, and the incredible way he puts so much imagination into his stories. The very first book I ever read by myself was Green Eggs and Ham, and it remains a favorite to this day. In fact, I'm pretty sure I could recite it entirely from memory. "That Sam-I-Am, that Sam-I-Am, I do not like that Sam-I-Am..." I can't pick a favorite from his stories, because I love them all. Every story holds a special memory, some of the magic of learning to read. So, thank-you, Dr. Seuss, for writing stories I wanted to read and inspiring a world of imagination only a truly great children's book can create.

So, in honor of Dr. Seuss, I give you my top secret recipe for...
OOBLECK!
While I'm no magician, and I can't make it fall from the sky, it is super fun to make and play with, and really easy to do with kids.

Before you make it, I recommend reading Bartholomew and the Oobleck. If you are a teacher, this is a great book to read when discussing weather or matter.



Now, on to oobleck making!
All you need is 1 1/2 to 2 cups cornstarch, 1 cup water, and some green food coloring.


Start by measuring out cornstarch into a bowl.

Add water, a little at a time. If you dump it all in at once, it's going to be really hard to stir, and it will take a lot more time to dissolve.


Once you have added all the water, put in a few drops of green food coloring


stir (Am I the only person who loves the way food color swirls look? So pretty!)


and you're done! Easy, easy oobleck!

You really can't appreciate how amazing this stuff is from a picture... you just have to make it and feel it for yourself!

If you are making this with children, I highly recommend switching out the food coloring for green tempera paint. It won't stain little hands or clothing the way food coloring will.

I'll leave you with a few photos of some Seuss-inspired classroom decorating ideas:

Oh, the Places You'll (We'll) Go bulletin board... perfect for the new school year


and matching hook tags made from construction paper


and Dr. Seuss quotes die cut from construction paper... inspirational, and the kids love to pick out their sight words in them (We're learning to read!) (Please excuse the Halloween decorations, these were the only quote photos I had.)




"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You." -Dr. Seuss; Happy Birthday to You!