Head, Shoulders, Knees, and all that

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

Two books stand out in my mind as books I loved as a young child...Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, and Green Eggs and Ham, by Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. 

The National Education Association conducted a survey of the top 100 books for children, and Green Eggs and Ham finished 3rd in the children's poll (behind Harry Potter and Goosebumps) and in the teacher's poll (behind Charlotte's Web and The Polar Express).  The Cat in the Hat finished 4th on both polls.  Pretty amazing that both teachers and kids felt just as strongly about Dr. Seuss's work.  Several more of the 44 children's books that Mr. Geisel wrote and/or illustrated are on both lists.

March 2nd is Theodore Geisel's birthday and it kicks off the National Education Association's Read Across America... a month-long celebration of reading.  Read Across America started as a one-day event in 1998, and when the NEA decided to start the event, the natural choice was to celebrate it on Dr. Suess's birthday.  Certainly a fitting honor. 

Where did the name Seuss come from?   While a student at Darmouth College, he was the editor of the school's humor magazine. 

From Seussville.com:

His reign as editor came to an abrupt end when Ted and his friends were caught throwing a party that did not coincide with school policy. Geisel continued to contribute to Jack-O-Lantern, merely signing his work as “Seuss.” This is the first record of his use of the pseudonym Seuss, which was both his middle name and his mother’s maiden name. It was a perfectly ingenius pseudonym; it squeaked Ted’s work past unsuspecting college officials, yet clearly identified him as the creator.

For more on Dr. Seuss from someone very close to him, watch an interview with Audrey Geisel, Mrs. Dr. Seuss, over at Reading Rockets. 

Check here and here  for Dr. Seuss learning activities.

More on Green Eggs and Ham tomorrow.

2007 U.S. Budget...Impact on Early Childhood Programs

For those in the U.S. or anyone with an interest in early childhood-related funding issues, have a look at at ZeroToThree.org's reasoned analysis (.pdf file) of the President's proposed 2007 budget.  The budget now goes before congress, so now is the time to express yourself. Several early childhood programs will be affected.

Early childhood programs are in many ways easy targets for budget cuts.  Many of the benefits of quality early childhood programs  don't make themselves fully apparent until many, many years later when the beneficiaries of those programs have grown into productive citizens.  It's not always in the best interest of a politician who is only looking 2, 4, 6 years down the road to do what we know is in the best interests of the children and of society as a whole over the long haul...fully fund early childhood education. 

If you would like to take some action on this issue, Zero to Three has put together an advocacy kit (.pdf file) with great information.  Here is a great place to start (and a great place to bookmark).  One way to get involved is simply by contacting your local representatives and asking them what their views are on funding early childhood programs.  Let them know it is an issue you care about.

America's favorite children's song

The Hokey Pokey?  Noooo.....

Ring around the rosey?  Noooo....

The Spongebob Squarepants theme song?   Noooo.....

To learn the answer and more, you have to click on the "Continue reading..." button below (hint...it has something to do with a Lilliputian arachnid).

My co-worker, friend, and Head Teacher at Knock Knock English, Tanja, turned me on to the site ZERO TO THREE.  It is packed with information and resources for the first three years of life, and it has extensive sections on the role music plays in early childhood development.

The site is set up in frames, so it's difficult to link to specific pages, but I wouldn't know where to start anyways.  Just type "music" into the search box and go nuts.  They also have a few nice PDF booklets you can print out for your house or school.  Give them to your children's teacher, or better yet, if you are a teacher or childcare professional, print out a bunch and pass them out to your students' caretakers.

Alright...back to the Toddler top 4o

A few months ago, ZERO TO THREE conducted an informal survey with you, our Web site visitors. We asked you to respond to a few questions regarding your use of music with young children. We had a wonderful response--141 people shared their thoughts with us. While not scientific, here were some of the fun findings we have as a result: