Fun Activities or Traditions?

I always know when something has become a tradition when a parent asks me if I’m going to do a certain activity with the class! Today? The Cat in the Hat cake!

I first made the cake in 1980 during my first year of teaching! It has evolved into a fun brainstorming/cooperative class activity! I bring in two round, vanilla cakes, and a 9×13 chocolate cake. I trace the pans on construction paper. I have the children look at pictures of the Cat in the Hat, and ask them what we could use the shapes for. One child thought the 9″ circular cake would make a great eye! (It would for a much LARGER cake!)

With subtle guidance, they soon decide that the long cake would be good for the hat, and one circle would make a great face! I then showed them how to cut ears and a bow tie from another circle. The children took turn icing the cake with white icing…(there were surprisingly few fingers in the icing!!!) Then we added some red for the bow tie and stripes on the hat. Did you know if you add some blue, green, and a touch of yellow to the pink, you’ll get GRAY icing!?!

The children were VERY excited as it got closer to being finished! At the end, I added the facial details, and they were very excited! (Although some didn’t like that his eyes looked like “sixes!”)

We all posed with the cake… I have a feeling that picture will make it into the yearbook! I asked the children what we should DO with the cake, since it looked too pretty to eat!

The vote was unanimous! “LET’S EAT THE CAKE!”

We ended the day with my very favorite Seuss story, Yertle the Turtle. I showed the children my book, with the cover falling off. I also showed them the inscription: It was a gift to me from my sister when I was five years old! I had also drawn a picture of my sister in crayon! (Apparently she had a triangular body and no arms or legs at the time!)

Happy Belated Birthday, Dr. Seuss!