Oh, The Places You’ll Go Balloon Art

I ran across this gem and had to share just in time for Dr. Seuss’ birthday!

On this page, Mrs. Winter shares some Seuss related crafts and activities she did with her class. She shares the easy projects they made to go along with 3 Dr. Seuss books they read: One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, Horton Hears a Who, and Oh, the Places You’ll Go. While I have seen quite a few crafts inspired by the fish and Horton, I don’t recall seeing any for Oh, the Places You’ll Go. I think that is why this hot air balloon picture caught my eye.

While Mrs. Winter doesn’t share specific directions for making this craft, it looks pretty easy to figure out simply by looking at the picture. If you want to add a little dimension to the picture, I suggest using cotton balls for the clouds and piece of yarn to tether the balloon to the basket. Don’t forget to leave the top of the basket open so you can slide a picture into it!

Read the entire blog post and see all three crafts projects here: Pre-K with Mrs. Winter – Dr. Seuss.

Looking for Dr Seuss decorations? Check these out.

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Celebrate Reading with Read Across America Day

The celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is important throughout Mexico and other parts of the world. Her feast day is Dec. 12, and the celebrations honoring her appearance to Juan Diego in 1531 begin a few days before that.

Whether you celebrate yourself or just want to share about the celebration at home or in your classroom, Las Mañanitas: The Beautiful Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a good place to start. The book, by Ernesto Joel Vega Rosales and Jeanette Gonzalez Seneviratne, with illustrations by Dana Sanmar, tells the story of a family’s celebration of the feast day in both English and Spanish.

They prepare with a novena, which is nine days of prayers and preparations. The children, Lucia and Pablo, are given special outfits made by their grandmother that look like what Juan Diego might have worn when he saw Our Lady. The book describes the prayers that are made each day, such as a prayer for respect for life, for families and for the indigenous people of the Americas, to name a few.

As told in the book, Juan Diego was a native Mexican born near modern day Mexico City. His given name was Cuaauhtlatoatzin, which means “He who speaks like an eagle.” When he converted to Christianity his name was changed to Juan Diego, and as he walked to church he passed a hill called Tepeyac. One day he heard the birds singing especially beautifully and a voice called him to go to the top of the hill.

There he saw Our Lady of Guadalupe, who asked him to tell the bishop she wanted a chapel built in her name at the foot of the hill. The bishop asked for a sign that Juan Diego really saw her, and later she had him collect flowers that she blessed and take them to the bishop. When Juan Diego dropped the flowers, an image of Our Lady could be seen on his cloak, which is still on display in her basilica to this day.

The feast day is celebrated as mañanitas, which includes singing, indigenous music and dancing, and children presenting flowers to Our Lady. Juan Diego is remembered today as being humble, brave and faithful, and was the first indigenous American made a saint.

The book is colorful and tells the story in a clear way, and it’s fun to have it both in English and Spanish if you teach Spanish or speak Spanish at home or in the classroom. It’s a great way to learn the basics of the celebration and the story of Juan Diego and why he is still remembered today.

About the book: 40 pages, paperback, published 2024 by Loyola Press. Suggested retail price $14.99.

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