For many people, both young and old, the holiday season is not complete without watching the movie “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” The 1966 movie is based on the classic book by Dr. Seuss.
The kindergarten students at Dibrell Elementary celebrated Grinch Day recently, watching the movie, eating special snacks and doing craft projects.
“We thought we would do something different for the holiday,” said teacher Allison Bost. “It is a story the children really enjoy and it does end with a positive message.”
The movie is set in the whimsical town of Whoville, with the quirky residents very excited about Christmas. The Grinch does not like the holiday and wants to ruin it for everyone, so he tries to steal Christmas.
“He is bad and does not like Christmas,” said Walker McBride. “He is always on the naughty list and he eats rotten stuff.”
The positive message the children receive from the movie is even though the Grinch stole everything related to Christmas, the townspeople still celebrated and were happy. The Grinch then came to the conclusion that “maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”
“He does turn nice,” said student Raelyn Heathcock. “The little girl wakes up and he sees her. My brother sometimes acts like the Grinch, but is also nice.”
The teachers used different ways to incorporate the book and its message into their class work.
“We do a 12 acts of kindness activity where on each day we do something nice for someone else,” said Bost. “It may be sending a card, doing a chore at home without being told, or even telling their parents how they are kind to them.”
They watched the cartoon version of the movie, made a Grinch mask, played a Grinch game, enjoyed Who pudding and even had green candy canes.
“We tried to get it across to the children that trees and toys are not what the holiday is all about,” said Bost. “And with the help of the Grinch, I think we have achieved that.”