This year I happened to be teaching art on Dr. Seuss' Birthday, which is on March 2, with a class of First Graders. I had thought of an art lesson based on There's a Wocket in my Pocket, because I know my son in particular was very smitten with this book as a little one. I think this may have been one of the bigger inspirations on my son's own imagination and his interest in art. I wasn't really sure if it would work with such a young group of kids, so I also did a little research online to see if I could find a better idea. I found a few Cat in The Hat inspired lessons, but wasn't thrilled.
I came across TeachKidsArt and sure enough she had a lesson on There's a Wocket in my Pocket. It was just like what I had thought of... although she described how she started them on the design, and that helped me figure out how to make it suitable for my class.
First, I read the book There's a Wocket in my Pocket, with the kids on the rug. They very much enjoyed, and there was a couple that recited it along with me. As I read I pointed out to them little traits in the characters.... colorful, different patterns, necks, collars, faces, etc. I also mentioned the rhyming of the words, with the name matching where this creature resided.
After reading the book, they went to their desks. I decided to do my lesson with oil pastel because they are just brighter than crayons. I have them roll up their sleeves first. A lot of times I have the kids draw in pencil first, but not this time, we went straight to the pastels. I had them draw a body shape, legs, neck and head. I drew along with them, but also told them to try to make their own shapes. Some kids go off on their own, and others copy me. I had them draw in black first, then color in with the other colors.
Once they were done with the drawing, I had think of the name of the creature. I had them first think of where you might find their creature and discussed this a little with the whole group. Then gave an example of what might rhyme with the place. My helper and I walked around also and individually helped them with the naming. We then wrote down each of the phrases and tried to have them write it themselves.
The oil pastels are messier than crayons and smear a little, but they are brighter than crayons, and I'm sure other types of materials would work.
The top drawing is called "The Yice Cream in my Ice Cream." The second drawing is "The Rattic in the Attic."
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