There’s a Wocket in My Pocket: Environmental Print with a Twist
Continuing our celebration of Dr. Seuss’s beloved books, we read There’s a Wocket in My Pocket yesterday and did a fun rhyming activity afterwards. Both of the boys were absolutely tickled with this activity and wanted to leave all the labels on throughout the day so that they could show Daddy when he got home. :)
This is a great learning activity for two reasons: (1) encouraging your child to recognize environmental print and (2) practicing phonemic awareness skills such as rhyming. “Environmental print” and “sight words” are often confused but they are not synonymous. Sight words are words that are most commonly used in the English language, which often cannot be easily decoded and should be memorized as not to interrupt reading fluency (find out more about how to effectively use sight words with your child here). “Environmental print” is considered to be all the text that surrounds your child in every day life: labels, billboards, fast food signs, etc. In this activity, we are creating environmental print by adding labels to everyday household items.
Here’s what you’ll need: There’s a Wocket in my Pocket by Dr. Seuss, 3 x 5 index cards, scissors, a marker, and painter’s tape (or masking tape).
1. Cut your 3 x 5 index cards in half. I used my paper cutter, but you can just as easily use scissors.
2. Go through the book and write the words that Dr. Seuss uses to rhyme. Write the “real words” on one side and the rhyming “silly word” on the other side.
3. Add a small piece of painter’s tape to the left side of the card.
4. Ask your child to stick the label onto the corresponding item in your home.
5 . Go throughout the house and have your child identify the real word, then flip it over and read the rhyming word!
Even Little Brother had a great time identifying the real words while Big Brother helped him out with the rhyming words. :)
Check out more of our Dr. Seuss activities!
That is one of our favorite book :-) this is a great idea, thanks for sharing!
We love that book! I love the idea of labeling the items in your home. We have done an activity with the same book where we come up with new silly creatures in other items around us to practice rhyming, such as a floven in the oven or a lantry in the pantry, just for fun. We’ll have to try labeling things next!
You are on a roll! I love all your Dr. Seuss ideas. Simple, yet fun and effective! You’re amazing!
Love this idea! Thanks Jenae!
Definitely going to use this one! http://teachyourchildtoread.blogspot.com/
What a great idea, Jenae! I featured your post and photo in my Dr. Seuss Inspired Phonics Activities post. :)
Thanks so much, Deb! :)
Thank you for posting this fun activity to go along with Dr. Suess’s book “There’s A Wocket in my Pocket.” Dr. Suess books are so much fun that incorporating activities to go along with them makes them even better. I really enjoy that you have your children up and moving.
A classmate used your idea for an assignment we had, so I wanted t check it out myself and I love your entire blog. Great ideas and so lively!
Thanks so much, Nicole! So glad you found us! :)