Read Across America is always around March 2nd each year. During the week of March 2nd, parents, educators, homeschoolers, and children all celebrate their love for reading with different reading resources and activities!
One of the most popular activities is Wacky Wednesday. Here are 10 Wacky Wednesday ideas for school students will absolutely LOVE!
Where Did Wacky Wednesday Originate?
Read Across America Week is celebrated around March 2nd because it is Dr. Seuss’s birthday. A very famous children’s author for books like Green Eggs and Ham and The Cat In The Hat.
There are a ton of Dr. Seuss books, but another one often used during Read Across America Week is the book, Wacky Wednesday.
In this Wacky Wednesday book, a child realizes many wacky things are happening. While no one seems to believe her, she soon meets Patrolman McGann, who tells her the wacky day will end once all the silly things are counted. The perfect silly book to include in your Read Across America activities.
Throughout the week, schools often celebrate Read Across America in many ways. One way they celebrate is to give each day a specific theme.
Theme days are a lot of fun and quickly become students’ favorite traditions. Wacky Day is just one of the theme days often included in Read Across America Week.
Some other traditional theme days are:
- Dress like your favorite book character
- School pride
- Twin day
- Kindness day
- Career day
- Lorax Day
Wacky Wednesday Ideas for School
During Read Across America spirit weeks, Wacky Wednesday is one of the most popular special school day. It’s a day when students can show their craziness and creativity. Here are 10 low-prep Wacky Wednesday ideas for school.
Crazy Hat Day
Let students wear their crazy hats! Baseball caps, top hats, and even the goofy hats from Disney! Students love the opportunity to participate in a fun day where they can not only wear a crazy hat but also break the school’s hat rule.
Pajama Day
We all dream of rolling out of bed and going to school in pajamas! Pajama day is so much fun for kids! They love to be able to stay comfy all day. Add a Dr. Suess movie and a wacky snack. This fun activity will make for some wacky memories.
Mismatching Day
- Mix polka dots with stripes.
- Put a green polka dot on a shirt.
- Wear pink pant with one of the legs a little too short on one side.
- Wear clothes backwards, or even inside out.
- Swap shoes with a friend or just switch out one shoe.
All are fun ways to celebrate this Wacky Wednesday. Students love wearing a mismatching assortment of clothes. Consider having a mismatch day during the week, especially if your school has a student dress code like a uniform
Silly Sock Day
There are so many silly socks out there! Cow print, jingle bells, and so many other options. Having students wear silly socks is a simple way to celebrate, and they are often not distracting. Schools can easily grab silly socks on discount for students who forget or cannot find any.
Design your own socks at school. Schools can buy plain white socks. They can be tie dyed, colored with markers, or decorated with colored tape.
Wacky Hair Day
Let your students create some crazy hairstyles. They could use hair chalk or create a style like Cindy Lou Who. It’s a great day, and some very creative styles usually come in! Crazy hair is a classic theme and fun day.
Different Name Day
Decide on a different name to be called all day. Wear a name tag with your new name. People will refer to you as your new name. You will refer to them by their new name all day.
Wacky Animal Day
If you are looking for a wacky way to celebrate, but want to keep it more educational. There are so many crazy animals out there.
Consider having your students learn a little more about a couple during science class. Students could research wacky animals, create a poster or presentation, and share their findings with the class.
Some fun animals you could research are Pangolins, Naked Mole-rat, Tarsier, and Potoos.
Wacky Snacks
In the book Wacky Wednesday, bananas are growing on an apple tree, and other wacky food-related things are happening. Consider adding some wacky snacks to your classroom, especially if you have some younger students. Try ants on a log, different colored jello, or a fun popcorn snack.
Wacky Activities
You can have so much fun on Wacky Wednesday by including some fun activities. Add in some wacky STEAM fun, like fluffy slime or frankenworms. You can even have them try and complete the Cat in the Hat cup stacking challenge. Early learners to middle schoolers love a good science experiment.
Wacky Crafts
There are plenty of wacky crafts out there. Wacky Wednesday is the perfect time to try some of them out.
Switch out your regular painting supplies of brushes for toothbrushes or the end of a celery stalk. Tape a piece of paper under the desks or tables and have students draw a picture upside down. Draw a wacky face on a picture of your body.
Wacky Room
If you read Wacky Wednesday before lunch, recess, or another time your students leave the room. You can take the opportunity to make some wacky things happen in the classroom. Maybe everyone’s chairs get flipped upside down, or their work is suddenly under their desk and not on top. Young kids get such a kick out of this. Think about some crazy ideas your students would love.
Come Celebrate Wacky Wednesday
Now, there are definitely a lot of other great ideas out there for Read Across America theme days and Wacky Wednesdays. These are just a few to get your brain rolling and thinking of all the possibilities.
Theme days are always fun at school, and making them educational based on books and reading is even more exciting! These 10 Wacky Wednesday activities for school are sure to please all students and staff of the entire school.
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