Dr. Seuss’s “Thing” Pencils Kids’ Craft

In honor of Dr. Seuss Birthday today we did a kids’ craft and made some “Thing” pencils.  When I was little I think they were called ‘Worry Pencils.’

Dr. Seuss is an icon of learning for all ages. That’s why these Dr. Seuss quotes can be used to celebrate a mentor like Dr. Seuss or someone dear to you.

Do you remember them and what they were called? You smooth out the hair and then you quickly roll the pencil between your hands and the hair flairs out. Just like “Thing 1” and “Thing 2’s” hair does when behaving mischievously.

That’s why I thought they would be perfect to go along with the ‘Thing’ in the Dr. Seuss book. Since “The Cat In a Hat” is a popular story on ‘Read Across America Day’ it really does make a great Dr. Seuss activity.

Supplies Needed for this DIY Pencil Seuss craft

To make these adorable pencils that kids will love you need the following supplies. (This section contains affiliate links.)

• standard pencils red on the outside if possible (the number is dependent on how many pencils you make)
• light blue faux fur or white (you can choose another color if you like and make it your way)
• 6 mm wiggly or googly eyes
• fabric scissor
• low temp hot glue gun
• low temp glue sticks

I looked everywhere locally for blue fur and the best I could do was this scarf from the $$ store. I easily found the white fur at JoAnn’s. Later I found baby blue faux fur online.

How To make ‘Thing’ Pencils

This super easy craft takes about 15 minutes to make. It’s so easy you will be have time to read your favorite Dr. Seuss book after you finish. Will it be “The Cat in the Hat” or perhaps “Horton Hears a Who?”

I cut a piece of fur about 2″ X 4″.  When cutting, make sure you only cut the back of the fabric, this will allow the fur to remain long. Using a low temp glue gun (so kids can help with supervision) hot glue the fur to the pencil.

Roll the fur around the pencil and fasten off at the bottom with a dot of hot glue.  Next, add some wiggly eyes, and the ‘Thing’ is finished! Look how similar they are to a ‘Thing’ with the crazy hair pencil topper and red body.

Roll quickly between your hands to give the ‘Thing’ a wild do!

Here’s an idea for a ‘cat in The Hat’ sweet treat

If you would like a sweet treat to celebrate. Becky H. sent me these pictures of the Cat in the Hat cupcakes she made for Dr. Seuss Day. You’ll find this ‘Cat in the Hat’ craft simple to replicate.

She said, “I used a mini cupcake for the head, but you could also use a doughnut hole.  The hat is a marshmallow glued on with frosting.  The eyes and nose are M&M’s.  The whiskers and hat stripes are just frosting that I tinted and piped on.  The original called for twizler type candy, but I had a hard time getting it to curl around the hat and stay there even with gobs of frosting, so the piping was much easier for me.”

Don’t forget to whip up some Oobleck and make a cool Cat in the Hat hat! You can also check out these other Dr. Seuss-themed craft ideas taken straight from his books.