Fun Ways to Celebrate Dr. Seuss Right In Our Community!

Celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday on Sunday, March 2!

There are a TON of fun resources online (warning: you may spend all the way until the *next* March 2 reviewing all the options) for general Dr. Seuss fun. There are also some local ways to celebrate the quirky, fun approach he brought to reading. Here are some ideas:

Book: "And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street"
Local Link: See what's on your street!
If the weather is warm enough, go on a walk through your neighborhood and make up stories about things you see. If your child is young, you can look at what is in front of you both at the time and talk about what she sees -- naming colors, counting, etc. If your child is older, challenge him to come up with rhymes. Consider taking photos and looking over them later in the day. This can be a great way to help younger children work on memory recall, and a fun foundation for made-up stories for older kids.

Book: "Horton Hears a Who"
Local Link: No elephants at the zoo?
Did you know the Detroit Zoo used to house elephants, but doesn't anymore? Encourage tween/teen-age kids to use the library or the Internet to research the history of elephants at the Zoo. If anyone wants to write an article about it, we'll print it! Just email karene@macaronikid.com

Book: "If I Ran the Zoo"
Local Link: No elephants at the zoo?
Even if the weather isn't much warmer, there is plenty to do indoors at the zoo! Head over to the Detroit Zoo and warm up in the butterfly garden, watch the otters play, laugh at the swimming polar bears, talk to the apes. How would your kids run the zoo?

Book: "Bartholomew and the Oobleck"
Local Link: A craft at home
Take a look at this book, then grab an "oobleck" recipe from Pinterest and whip it up in your kitchen. Use LEGO bricks or other easily-washable construction material to build a kingdom that the oobleck can "invade."

Book: "Hop on Pop"
Local Link: Find a bouncy place to play
Get to jumping yourselves in the little bounce house at Ferndale's Kulick Center, or the bigger bounce houses at Inflatable Playspaces.

Book: "Fox in Socks"
Local Link: Read a book, grab an adventurous ice cream flavor
Head over to your local library this week and pick out a fun tongue-twister book to read. If you haven't read this one, it's a doozy, but a ton of fun! Bonus points if you check out a book to bring home and read while wearing socks, sitting in a box, holding a stuffed fox. And maybe eating lox? (If you're into lox, check out the Fish Out of Water flavor at Treat Dreams -- honey-black pepper ice cream with a salmon/caramel/cream cheese swirl served with crumbled bagel chips. I can vouch that it's actually quite good!)

Book: "The Lorax"
Local Link: Learn about recycling and our parks!
Get a group of other parents together and set up a tour of SOCRRA, the recycling facility in Royal Oak, or take a virtual tour. See what the Royal Oak Nature Society and Red Oaks Nature Center are doing to celebrate and protect our environment and the fun activities you can get involved with. See how many great parks are in our area and take a journey to a new one! (PS: Take the Royal Oak Patch parks & rec survey by Friday 2/28 at 11:59 p.m. to share your thoughts on how Royal Oak should handle the future of its parks!)

Book: "Oh the Places You'll Go"
Local Link: Check out some lovely Dr. Seuss art!
Visit the Southfield Public Library to see Dr. Seuss sculptures and prints -- on the First Level.

It's just outside our readership area, but the Burnette Branch of the Warren Public Library is hosting a birthday party for Dr. Seuss on Saturday, March 1 at 11:00 a.m.! Be sure to register ASAP -- call 586.758.2115

We won't mention the Cat in the Hat because with all the days of being shut in side, I'm sure that plenty of indoor chaos has already ensued without the help of any Thing Ones or Thing Twos. But here are some fun activities if you do want to engage with that book: http://www.pinterest.com/mackidferndale/happy-birthday-dr-seuss/

How will you celebrate Dr. Seuss this week?             

Karen Evans is a local entrepreneur, professor and mom of two! She and her husband Greg reside in Royal Oak and love all the fun things this city has to offer for families. For more fun info about family fun in Royal Oak, subscribe to Macaroni Kid!