Dr. Seuss Style Creature Collage

Another fun collage... especially for Kinders!

Hip hip hooray! 
This is the time

you'll read about 
cats wearing hats
 in a rhyme.

You'll add green dye 
to your eggs,

or you'll spray 
your hair blue,

or you'll just listen 
with joy 

to kids reading 
with you.

Perhaps, most of all,

{if you're lucky enough}

you'll discover that inside you

is some wonder stuff.

There's creativity goop

and a nonsense whim

and plenty of "silly"

that you don't 
find in Grimm.

So take all of your quirks

and mix them around.

Then take those 
creativity seeds

and plant them 
in the ground!

It's Read Across America week and that means we get to enjoy a healthy dose of Dr. Seuss around these parts. I am such a huge fan of his work that it is always a treat to celebrate as a whole school and in our individual classrooms. I've always opted to go all out in my classroom by theming my centers and writing and core studies to Dr. Seuss' amazing collection of books.

One of my favorite activities that I try to do every year is an open-ended art and writing project where students get to create, name, and write about a Seuss-style creature. As I'm not in the classroom this year I am kicking myself for not getting more pictures of the process, but it is really simple to prep and simple to explain. It is also an art project for kids that don't like art because it is more about the process than the skill level.

I won't lie. There is a tiny, minuscule, infinitesimal bit of prep work that you have to do in advance, BUT it is prep work that you can reuse if you do this project again.

1) PREPARATION:

Take your favorite Dr. Seuss books and look for illustrations that show different types of creatures... you want to collect a widely varied assortment of bodies, eyes, ears, tails, feet, etc. Photocopy the images you like while adjusting the lightness of your copy as needed to achieve an almost blackline appearance. Then cut out the different parts and make a randomized collage sheet of Dr. Seuss creature bits. Photocopy the creature sheet onto cardstock for each student.

2) COLLAGE:

Each student needs a collage paper, a blank piece of art paper, scissors, and glue. Students will cut out the creature parts they like and glue them together into unique Seuss-style creature of their own on the blank art paper. After the collage is dry, students will use crayons and watercolors to add color and depth to their picture

3) READ:

At this point, or sometimes before, I read "There's a Wocket in my Pocket" and discuss the different creatures and how they are named so that they rhyme with their environment.

4) WRITING:

Students will name their creature and the place it comes from in a rhyming pattern... stressing, of course, the possibility (or likelihood) of using nonsense words. You can end it there, but I like to encourage students to write a bit more. Students can write about their creatures personality, what it likes to eat, what it likes to do, etc. 

And, Voila! A beautiful Seuss-style creature.

Enjoy!