The Cat in the Hat

This beautiful formation was made by a 6-year old girl who rejoined us recently. She left for another school last year as her parents moved to a new house and coming to and from school was too tedious and far. However, this year, she came back as she misses her friends and I guess, Little Beans is the right school for her.

I observed her playing with the glass pebbles quite often. She is very intrigued with the texture, the shape and the weight of each pebble. Quite often, she came to me and said, "Teacher Yvonne, this looks like a shell... or I like the star and the hearts. The star is heavier." I like the way she observes, experiments and compares the pebbles.

Today, instead of examining the pebbles, she laid them into the above formation. I asked her what it was, thinking that she was making a happy face. Instead she told me, "Teacher Yvonne, this is the cat in the hat. I remember that you taught me this many years ago." Notice the small hat on top!

I was touched! Yes, I did the theme on Dr Seuss, with great emphasis on The Cat in the Hat when she was only 4. I'm glad that this famous cat has left an indelible mark in her mind and that she has fond memories of it. I'm also happy to note that children indeed learn best through hands-on experiences and activities.

I look forward to doing more themes such as this, especially based on famous children's authors' books. I may want to revisit Dr Seuss again and his wackiness, his rich language, his rhythm and rhyme. Or perhaps, Leo Lioni's books.... well, better get my head cracking to keep them interested!