Here’s How to Get Free Books for Read Across America Day

by Karly WoodFebruary 27, 2022

The National Education Association’s Read Across America Day is Mar. 2 this year and the world’s first and only streaming platform that brings storybooks to life through animation is celebrating! Vooks (rhymes with books) is launching its “Read Along With Vooks” initiative, a special 7-day free preview that opens up the platform’s entire library.

From Mon. Feb. 28 through Sun. Mar. 6, kids can read anything they want on Vooks for free! Perfect for kids ages two to eight, the website helps inspire a love of reading at a young age.

As part of the “National Reading Month,” Vooks is also debuting a new friend at their special Read Along release party on Mar. 6, so be sure to mark your calendar.

Vooks is packed with animated storybooks that are specially curated for kids. Young readers and their parents can choose from books centered around SEL, STEM, vocabulary and more.

You can access Vooks available worldwide and on most devices including Apple’s iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and Apple TV, in addition to Android platforms and devices, Roku and Amazon TV Fire Stick. If you’d like to sign up for unlimited access going forward, you can sign up for just $4.99 per month or $49.99 a year. Not sure yet? Sign up between Feb. 28 and Mar. 6 and get the entire month for free!

––Karly Wood

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Dr. Seuss-Inspired Recipes for Your Green Eggs and Ham Fan

by Susie ForesmanMarch 2, 2021

Pay homage to every kid’s favorite poet by celebrating his birthday and Read Across America Day on March 2! From The Lorax to Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, Dr. Seuss’ stories have a special place in our hearts (and our heads—we could probably recite The Cat in the Hat by heart by now!). Get the fun rolling and whip up one of these tasty Seuss-inspired treats your little bookworm is sure to love.

Cat in the Hat Tomato Stack
The Cat in the Hat might just be one of Dr. Seuss’ most iconic characters, and this snack from Anders Ruff is the perfect way to bring him to your plate. The mozzarella and tomato makes for a tasty twist on the classic caprese salad. Click here to get the recipe.

photo: Anders Ruff

I Can Lick 30 Tigers Today! Tiger Pops
Your kiddos might not be too enthusiastic about licking zoo animals, but they’ll definitely love noshing on these adorable pops from Play Eat Grow. They’re super easy to throw together using colorful candy wafers. Click here to find out how it’s done.

photo: Play Eat Grow

The Grinch Who Hash
Warm up with a big bowl of Who Hash (that’s corned beef hash to the citizens of Whoville) from Food in Literature and cross your fingers that the Grinch doesn’t come and try to swipe the whole stash. To get the recipe, along with a printable label to decorate your cans, click here.

photo: Food in Literature

A Pile of Cupcakes
Like one of Seuss’ topsy turvy stories, this stack of cupcakes from Easybaked will make the tots smile. Luckily, you won’t have to dig out your mini muffin tin—the mini cupcakes are just peanut butter cups with frosting on top. To snag the recipe, click here.

photo: Easybaked

The Lorax Lunch Plate
How cute is this creation by The Fantastic Five? With a Lorax face sandwich, broccoli grass, and cotton candy Truffula Trees, there’s no way a kid could resist this meal. Click here to get all the info on how to recreate it.

photo: The Fantastic Five

Dye-Free Green Eggs and Ham
Make the classic green eggs without using artificial food coloring. This genius recipe from The Food Charlatan makes use of spinach and a blender for a crazy quick and delicious (not to mention festive!) breakfast. Click here to get the full recipe.

photo: The Food Charlatan

The Lorax Fruit & Veggie Plate
Get inspired by Little Food Junction to create a whimsical Seussian plate using whatever fruits and vegetables you have on hand. An orange becomes a face, grapes are eyes, and leftover lettuce is facial hair—the sky’s the limit. Click here for more details.

photo: Little Food Junction

— Susie Foresman

Tweens & Teens Can Explore YouTube Safer Than Ever with New Updates

by Karly WoodFebruary 25, 2021

Keeping kids safe online is a goal of any parent and YouTube has just announced a brand new way to keep safety at the forefront. When your budding young adults have outgrown YouTube Kids, you’ll soon be able to give age-appropriate access to YouTube through the new supervised experience option.

Geared especially for parents who are ready to let their tweens and teens explore YouTube, you’ll soon be able to create a supervised Google account, which will come with content setting and limited features. YouTube is launching a beta version in the coming months so families can test and provide feedback as the experience improves.

The early options will include three content settings for parents to choose from. They include:

Explore: Perfect for the transition from YouTube Kids to YouTube, this setting has content suitable for viewers ages nine and older and includes vlogs, tutorials, gaming videos, music clips, news, educational content and more.
Explore More: This setting is for kids 13+ and will include an expanded set of videos and live streams.
Most of YouTube: Includes almost all videos on YouTube and sensitive topics that may only be appropriate for older teens but does not include age-restricted content.

Parents will also be able to manage watch and search history from within their child’s account settings, in addition to controls using Google’s Family Link. The supervised experience will feel like a regular visit to YouTube, but without personalized ads or ads in certain categories. Upon launch, all in-app purchases will also be disabled.

“Kids are online now more than ever, and their safety online is a top priority. National PTA appreciates YouTube advancing age-appropriate experiences, as well as implementing settings that enable families to choose an experience that feels appropriate for their child. We’re pleased that YouTube has responded to families’ needs and wants and we look forward to continuing our collaboration to bring awareness to families about these new options and how to choose an experience that’s best for them, ” says Leslie Boggs, president of National PTA.

Head to YouTube to learn more about the all-new supervised experience optioon.

––Karly Wood

All photos: Courtesy of YouTube

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Get In on Target’s Major Sale Before It’s Too Late

by Karly WoodFebruary 6, 2019

In preparation for Read Across America Day (aka. Dr. Seuss’ birthday), Target has put tons of Dr. Seuss Books on sale! Currently, the retailer has over 90 books discounted, ranging in price from $3.50 for individual board books to just $11 for small collections and full-size stand alone books.

Now is the perfect time to stock up on classics like the Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham and Fox in Socks. A brand new Dr. Seuss book for $6? Yes, please!

photo: Amber Guetebier

In addition, it’s a great time to introduce some of Dr. Seuss’ lesser known, but equally fun books, such as The Butter Battle Book, Daisy-Head Mayzie and The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins.

With this sale, now is a perfect time to start building your own home library, and with Dr. Seuss leading the way, it’s bound to be a fun one!

––Karly Wood

Feature Photo: Daria Shevtsova via Pexels

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Today Is Dr. Seuss Day

by rtstephenJanuary 1, 2016

Daily

Today Is Dr. Seuss Day

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Serve up a perfectly Seuss-inspired treat with this easy-to-make snack perfect for little fish.

Have lots of good fun that is funny (and keep little hands busy)
making The Cat in the Hat 5 different ways.

Dr. Seuss Day is also known as National Read Across America Day and we’ve got the ultimate reading list for anyone under 12.

{ Today’s ideas brought to you by Read Across America}

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