Seuss legacy lives on
<p>Five-year-old Jesalyn Meyers pours green eggs into a mold as part of a Dr. Seuss birthday party celebration at The Cottage.</p>
<p>Preschooler Vanessa Gneiting, 4, is fixated on an animated episode of Dr. Seuss' popular story "Green Eggs and Ham."</p>
<p>Dominic Lari, 3, swings a bat at a pink poodle pinata Monday during a birthday celebration for popular children's author Dr. Seuss at The Cottage Childcare and Learning Center in Post Falls. Included in the festivities was Bubble Gum the clown, played by Johanna Byers, background.</p>
POST FALLS - These kids had a great time thanks to the king of rhyme.
Dr. Seuss movies and books and green eggs were the order of the day at The Cottage Child Care in Post Falls on Monday.
"Dr. Seuss' birthday is coming up," said wide-eyed 6-year-old Gabriel Hill. "He likes green eggs and ham."
And Gabriel likes Seuss' silly books.
"He makes long ones and short ones," Gabriel said. "He's nice to people."
The Cottage is among the area centers and schools participating in Dr. Seuss activities leading up to Theodor Seuss Geisel's birthday on March 2, which is National Read Across America Day created by the National Education Association.
Kids at the center listened to a clown read a Dr. Seuss book, watched "Cat in the Hat" and took turns cracking eggs, making them green and helping out at the grill.
"I like the books he makes," 8-year-old Jacob Tucker said. "But I also watch his movies."
March 2 will mark 106 years since Dr. Seuss was born in 1904. He died in 1991.
Francine Morse, the center's director, said goofy rhymes in the books help kids' memories.
"It also engages them so that they want to listen to the story," Morse said.
A different Dr. Seuss book will be read each day leading up to his birthday, and reading-themed games will be played at the center.
Clara Jennings, a Cottage pre-kindergarten teacher, said the Dr. Seuss activities, whether it's making a hat or green eggs, also enhance motor skills and requires kids to follow directions.
"They'll go home and tell their parents about this and maybe that will get their parents interested in reading with them," Jennings said. "Dr. Seuss is another stepping stone toward helping them to read, and it's a fun experience for the kids.
"They build skills for life, not just kindergarten."