March 2nd is Dr. Seuss’ birthday (and National Read Across America Day!!) And of course I couldn’t resist the opportunity to post a recipe inspired by the title of one of his most popular children’s books, Green Eggs and Ham. I know Dr. Seuss would have enjoyed my rendition of Green Eggs and Ham—and I hope you do too!! Keep scrolling through this week’s post for some great ideas to use in therapy while reading Green Eggs and Ham with your kiddos, as well as some very amusing ways one Principal connects with his students on Dr. Seuss’ Birthday, and finally a great activity from the world of “apps” that’s all about CATS!!
GREEN EGGS AND HAM BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
5 cups cubed sourdough or white bread ( I buy a loaf of stick bread and cut it into one inch cubes)
1/2 lb loose breakfast sausage, cooked—your can substitute turkey sausage for pork sausage OR for this recipe I have used sliced turkey ham that I cut into bite-sized pieces.
1 cup spinach leaves (washed and dried)
2 cups milk
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Layer bread, sausage and spinach in a large glass baking dish (preferably 15x10x2). In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, milk, garlic, salt, pepper and sage. Pour over contents in baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese, cover and chill for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.
Uncover dish and bake until cooked through and golden brown—45-50 minutes. Set aside to let rest for 10 minutes then serve.
GREEN EGGS AND HAM GAME (for sequencing, auditory memory, rhyming pairs)
To Play Green Eggs and Ham: (for rhyming pairs–house-mouse, box-fox, train-rain, goat-boat, Sam-ham)
- Print out one copy of each page
- Spread the cards out on a table and name one of the pictures. Ask your kiddo to find the picture that rhymes with it.
- You can also play it as a memory game…turn all the cards face down (be sure to glue the printed cards onto construction paper so that no one can see through them). Turn over two cards, if they rhyme you keep the cards, if not, turn them back over and the next child gets a turn.
- There are two cards that do not have rhyming words (car and tree— these are words used in the story.) Keep these cards in the game!! If you turn over one of them, come up with your own rhyming word and you get an extra turn!!
To Play Green Eggs and Ham (for listening skills):
Give each student his own complete set of picture cards. As you read the story aloud to your kiddos, ask them to listen carefully for the words (pictures) on the cards. When they hear the word, they need to quickly pick up their card. Whomever picks it up first gets the point. You can keep track of points by giving giving out green chips/tokens, green M&M’s or Skittles—OR use green plastic eggs and these printable “hams” for positive reinforcement!
(for auditory memory/sequencing) :
As you read the story, stop periodically and ask your kiddos to sequence the order in which they heard the words (pictures) mentioned. Students can earn green “eggs” and “hams” to add to their plate for correctly ordering pictures.
Mr. Roberto Kesting, a school principal in Central NJ will do anything for a laugh, when it comes to his students. Mr. Kesting dresses up like the Cat in the Hat every year on Dr. Seuss’ birthday. Then he proceeds to jump on a scooter and fly down the hallways belly first!! The kids go wild as they watch him get into character, recite lines from the Dr. Seuss story and have fun motivating the kids to read! (He even manages to get the 5th graders to break out in laughter) Oh, and by the way, this crazy cat also happens to be my husband!
Speaking of CATS…..I couldn’t resist sharing this photo of one of my preschool speech cuties! K. LOVES cats—so I decided to capitalize on her interest in felines and incorporate it into our therapy session. I took a picture of K. in the therapy room on my iPad. Then added cats, cats and more cats!! We practice sentences containing her target sound /s/. I emailed her mom this picture too so that they could practice the sentences at home. The cat is sitting on the chair. The cat is stretching by the sink. The cat is sleeping on the table. The cat is sitting on my head. K. loved this activity and so did I! I use this fun app to work on prepositions as well.
CAT EFFECTS is a free app from iTunes.