Bartholomew and the Oobleck
Can you believe that it’s almost March?! March is one of our favorite months because we get to pull out all of our favorite Dr. Seuss activities to celebrate his birthday and Read Across America! This year, we’re taking it book by book and hope you’ll be able to find something that your kiddos will enjoy…
Bartholomew and the Oobleck
You might be hard-pressed to find a kindergartner who doesn't think ooey gooey things are fun to explore and play with! They're such sensory beings, constantly using their five senses to examine and order the world around them, and hands-on lessons offer a great opportunity for tapping into their natural curiosity/learning style! We can't think of a better book than Seuss's Bartholomew and the Oobleck to fulfill not only this purpose, but your other learning objectives as well. If you're consider including this fun Seuss title in your birthday celebration/Read Across America lessons, here are some activities you might check out.
Making Oobleck. You can't read this book without making your own oobleck! If you've never made it before, there are several ways to concoct oobleck and you can find the two most common recipes by following the links below:
For your kinders, it might be best to mix the oobleck yourself, then allow them to explore it in small groups.
Oobleck Observations & Experiments. Get the most out of your exploration of oobleck with one {or more!} of these great extension activities...
Playing with Oobleck. While your kinders probably won't need too much prompting to get in and start playing with the goo, Anna over at Crazy for First Grade provides a fun list of things to demonstrate/try with the "crazy green stuff" - i.e. throw a ball of oobleck in the air and see if it holds its shape.
Will It Float or Sink? Vickie over at Mrs. Plant's Press added a float or sink component. Students were given objects and invited to predict whether they would 'float' or sink in the oobleck. Testing their predictions, students then recorded the actual results. {Isn't the anchor chart Vickie used for this activity super cute?!} As a literacy component, after her kiddos had finished the experiment, they worked together to compile a list of describing words for the oobleck.
Documenting the Experiment. Designed just a little bit differently, we found two FREE printable worksheets to go along with this lab. Nicole over Mrs. Ricca's Kindergarten focused on the senses, inviting her kinders to describe how the oobleck looked, felt, and smelled, while Melissa of Awesome in 5th focused more on language aspect and had her students simply write three describing words.
We hope you enjoy these resources! Happy learning!
