37 Easy and Fun Wacky Wednesday Classroom Ideas
If you’re looking for some new wacky Wednesday classroom ideas this post is for you. It’s packed with creative activities to create a fun day for you and your students. I’ll show you ideas to surprise your students, and some wacky learning activities that everyone will have fun with.
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What is Wacky Wednesday?
Wacky Wednesday is celebrated during Read Across America week. Inspired by the Dr. Seuss Book, Wacky Wednesday, the special day is all about doing wacky things and everything being out of place or not quite right.
Wacky Wednesday Classroom Ideas for Teachers
This day is the perfect time to engage your students’ minds and imaginations. You can incorporate incorporating a mix of games, fun writing activities, and super science experiments to have a ton of fun in your classroom.
In this post we’ll explore all of these ideas and more. Choose a few of your favorite and add them to your lesson plan for the day.
Wacky Wednesday Surprises
Set up some surprises for your student the night before so that they’ll be blown away when they walk in on Wednesday. Think about ways that you can make items in the classroom out of place and not quite right. Check out some fun ideas below.
1 | Upside Down Pictures
Wacky Wednesday is the perfect occasion to let your inner Dr. Seuss shine! One fun way to surprise your students is by turning pictures and posters in the classroom upside down.
This simple yet whimsical idea will pique their curiosity and get them excited about the special day. Plus, it will be a fun talking point during Read Across America celebrations.
2 | Items on the Ceiling
Add an element of surprise and wonder to your Wacky Wednesday by using command strips or tape to secure everyday items to the ceiling. This could include shoes, hats, or lightweight toys. Your kids will be amazed when they look up and see their familiar belongings seemingly defying gravity!
Just make sure the items you choose are light enough not to pose a risk if they happen to fall. This fun and unexpected touch will have kids in awe and chuckling at the silliness of it all.
3 | Furniture Flipped Over
Wacky Wednesday is all about making the mundane extraordinary. One great way to do this is by flipping over smaller pieces of furniture, like chairs or stools, in your classroom or learning space. Your younger students will be delighted by the topsy-turvy setup, and it will encourage them to explore the space and discover other Wacky Wednesday surprises hidden throughout the room.
Just be cautious to ensure the flipped furniture does not pose a safety risk to the kids, and remember to return everything to its proper place at the end of the day.
4 | Read Wacky Wednesday
Kick off the morning with story time by reading Wacky Wednesday by Dr. Seuss to get your students into the theme of the day.
The Magic of Wacky Wednesday
To make this day an unforgettable experience for your students, try incorporating some of these whimsical Wacky Wednesday ideas:
5 | Change Everyone’s Name
Start the day off by giving each student a wacky name that begins with the letter ‘W’. You can create nametags and have students introduce themselves with their new names.
6 | Anagram Names
You can also challenge your students to come up with a new name for the day based on an anagram of their real name.
7 | Reverse Roles
Switch things up by having students take on the role of the teacher and vice versa. You may not want to do the role play all day so choose one subject area or activity for the day for students to be the teacher.
Wacky Art and Craft Activities
Looking for some fun and creative Wacky Wednesday classroom ideas for art and craft activities? You’re in the right place! Here are a few craft time ideas to inspire your students’ creativity and make this wacky day memorable.
8 | Wacky Painting
Let’s start with painting, but with a twist. Provide different tools such as toothbrushes, sponges, or even leaves for your students to create their masterpieces. You could also encourage them to paint with their fingers, toes, or elbows to make the activity extra silly.
9 | Recycled Art Collages
Using recycled materials is a great way to promote sustainability while encouraging creativity. Provide a variety of materials like old magazines, cardboard, or plastic bottles. Then, let your students go wild creating wacky collages or sculptures out of these upcycled materials.
10 | Crazy Hat Decorating
Organize a crazy hat decorating session where your students can customize their own hat using a variety of craft materials. They could add pom-poms, googly eyes, buttons, ribbons, or any other wacky materials you have on hand. Once the hats are finished, be sure to have a parade to showcase their creations!
11 | Mismatched Self-Portraits
Have your students create self-portraits with a wacky twist. They can mix and match different facial features, like drawing one eye larger than the other or giving themselves an extra-long nose.
You can provide various art supplies like markers, colored pencils, and pastels to encourage a diverse color palette.
Dress up Fun
Often times the entire school will get into the school spirit and dress up crazy each day of read across America week. Some elementary schools will have a dress up theme for each of the grade levels while other schools may have a different theme each day of the week.
Check out some Wacky Wednesday classroom ideas for theme days that you can copy below.
12 | Dress like Dr. Seuss Characters
Invite your students to step into the whimsical world of Dr. Seuss by dressing up as their favorite characters. From the Cat in the Hat to the Grinch, or even Thing 1 and Thing 2, students will have a blast bringing these iconic figures to life in the classroom.
13 | Crazy hat day
Hats off to creativity with a crazy hat day! Encourage students to wear the most unique, attention-grabbing, and crazy hats they can find or create. Bonus points if they manage to incorporate wacky glasses or other accessories into their ensembles.
14 | Crazy Hair Day
Let your students’ creativity shine by having a wacky hair day! Encourage them to style their hair in wacky ways or by using eye-catching colors. Students usually have so much fun with this. It’s a great opportunity for everyone to show off their unique personalities and have a good laugh together.
15 | Mismatch day
Throw all rules of fashion out the window and have a mismatch day! Encourage your students to wear clashing patterns, contrasting colors, and mismatched accessories. This is a great chance for everyone to let loose and get silly.
16 | Silly sock day
Bring the fun to your students’ feet with a silly sock day! Invite them to wear the most outrageous, colorful, and fun socks they can find. This can be a great way to spark conversations and create a lighthearted atmosphere in the classroom.
17 | Twin Day
On twin day, have your students pair up and dress like each other for a fun and easy twist on wacky dress-up! They can choose to wear matching outfits, adopt similar hairstyles, or even wear clothes backwards. This is a great way for classmates to bond and learn more about each other’s styles.
18 | Pajama Day
For a more relaxed experience, host a pajama day where students can wear their coziest pajamas to class. Be sure to include wacky slippers, robes, or other sleepwear accessories for a fun and comfortable day of learning.
Unique Science Experiment Ideas
Looking for some wacky science experiments to liven up your classroom? Here are a few ideas that will surely spark curiosity and excitement in your students.
19 | Slime Time
What’s more fun than creating your own gooey slime? You can easily whip up a batch by combining water, glue, and Borax or use a slime kit for an extra fun twist. Your students will love experimenting with different colors, glitter, and even scents!
Just make sure to keep an eye on the mess – slime can get everywhere!
20 | Foamy Fun
Get ready to create a colorful, soapy explosion with the classic elephant toothpaste experiment. All you need is some hydrogen peroxide, dish soap, food coloring, and yeast. Mix everything together and watch as the foam erupts like a volcano!
This foamy experiment is not only entertaining but also teaches your students about chemical reactions.
21 | Frankenworms
Bring gummy worms to life with the help of baking soda and vinegar! Cut the worms into thin, long strips and place them in a cup of water mixed with baking soda. Then, after letting them soak for a while, drop the worms into a cup of vinegar.
Your students will be amazed as the worms appear to wiggle and “come to life” as the bubbles produced from the reaction make them move.
22 | Oobleck Exploration
Say hello to oobleck, a non-Newtonian fluid that your students will love getting their hands on. To create this mysterious substance, simply mix cornstarch and water until you achieve a slightly runny consistency.
The best part about oobleck is that it behaves like a solid when pressure is applied but flows like a liquid when left alone. Encourage your students to explore its properties by squeezing, stirring, and poking the mixture.
These wacky science experiments are perfect for bringing some hands-on engagement and excitement to your classroom. Your students will not only have a blast, but also learn valuable scientific concepts in a memorable way. Happy experimenting!
Wacky Wednesday Activities
Are you looking for some Wacky Wednesday classroom ideas to get all your students engaged and involved? Check out some ideas below to set up scavenger hunts and mazes that your students will have a lot of fun with.
23 | Scavenger Hunt
A Wacky Wednesday Scavenger Hunt is a fun way to engage your students in learning and exploring. Start the day off with surprises by placing little notes or trinkets in unexpected places around the classroom.
You can have your students search for them as they arrive. This adds to the overall wacky atmosphere and encourages exploration.
24 | Classroom Maze
Design a maze in your classroom, using desks, chairs, and other materials. Your students can navigate through the maze by solving puzzles or answering questions related to their lessons. It’s a great way to incorporate teamwork and problem-solving skills in a fun environment.
Fun Writing Activities
Have you ever thought of incorporating Wacky Wednesday activities into your classroom to promote writing? Try these fun activities, some of which connect to Read Across America Day and even Green Eggs and Ham.
25 | Wacky Writing Prompts
Use Wacky Wednesday as an opportunity to generate some out-of-the-box writing prompts. Here are a few ideas:
- What if you visited a world where everything was backwards?
- Write a story about finding green eggs and ham in your lunch box.
- Create a poem inspired by the wackiest thing you’ve ever seen.
26 | Green Eggs and Ham Writing
For Read Across America Day, try linking your wacky writing session with Dr. Seuss’s beloved book Green Eggs and Ham. Ask your students to come up with their own food-related stories or poems, using Seuss’s rhyming style.
27 | Wacky Group Story
Don’t forget about collaboration! Break your students into small groups and have them create a wacky group story. Each team member can contribute one or two sentences to the story, aiming to make it as quirky and surprising as possible.
28 | Crazy Writing Rules
For a fun twist on reading and writing, use palindromes and word games to challenge your students. For example, have them write stories using only words that can be read both forwards and backwards. Or, you could play a Wacky Word Relay, where students take turns adding words to a story while following specific rules, such as only using words that start with vowels.
Remember, the goal of a Wacky Wednesday writing session is to have fun, so keep it light-hearted and casual. The more you encourage your students to embrace their creativity, the more they’ll enjoy the writing process.
29 | Story Time
Read across America week is all about encouraging the love of reading students. It also coincides with Dr. Seuss’s birthday which is March 2nd. This is the perfect time to break out all the favorite Dr. Seuss books during reading time.
There are tons of great books to choose from check out some favorites below.
Favorite Dr. Seuss’s Books
Here is a list of some of the best Dr. Seuss books to read to your students during this week.
- Green Eggs and Ham
- The Cat in the Hat
- Thing One Thing Two
- One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
- Horton Hears a Who
- Wacky Wednesday
Engaging Learning Experiences
When planning Wacky Wednesday activities for your elementary school classroom, you’ll want to focus on engaging learning experiences that are both fun and educational. Here are a few ideas to help you create an exciting and memorable Wacky Wednesday.
Fun with Coding and Technology
Integrating coding and technology into your Wacky Wednesday activities can make learning even more engaging for students. Here are a few ideas to bring some creative, technology-based fun into your classroom.
30 | Post it Note Maze
Why not try an unplugged coding activity with post-it notes? The Post-It Note Maze is perfect for this! You create a grid on the floor using post-it notes that represent different coding commands like “move forward” or “turn right”.
Have your students plan their path through the maze using these instructions, then try to physically navigate their way through. This activity not only introduces coding concepts in a playful way but also helps develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
31 | Sphero
Another fun activity is bringing robotics to life with Sphero. Sphero, a programmable robot ball, can be used to teach your students the basics of coding through engaging games and challenges.
Create an obstacle course in your classroom and encourage your students to use the Sphero app to program their Sphero to navigate it. This activity fosters teamwork and excitement for coding in a wacky, hands-on way.
Indi Coding Activity
In addition, you can check out Indi, a new learning robot from Sphero that combines coding with creativity. With Indi, students can design their very own “Color Codes” using colored pens and tiles. Then, Indi’s built-in color sensor reads the Color Codes, which command the robot to perform various actions and moves.
This encourages students to explore the basics of block-based programming while fostering their creativity and problem-solving abilities.
By incorporating coding and technology into your Wacky Wednesday activities, you can keep students engaged, spark their creativity, and help them develop essential skills for the digital age.
Celebrations and Special Events
32 | Celebrate Dr. Seuss’s Birthday.
You can turn your Wacky Wednesday into a celebration of Dr. Seuss’s birthdays, which is March 2nd. You could hold a backward birthday celebration. Encourage students to wear their clothes backward, read books in reverse order, or even sing “Happy Birthday” backward.
33 | Wacky Reading
When Read Across America week rolls around, Wacky Wednesday presents an excellent opportunity to promote literacy in your classroom. You and your students can indulge in wacky reading sessions, where everyone picks a book and reads it in a silly voice.
34 | Book Swap
Try organizing a book swap, where students exchange their favorite wacky titles with one another, giving them a chance to explore new stories and genres.
Wacky Wednesday Snack Ideas
When planning your Wacky Wednesday classroom activities, don’t forget to include some creatively quirky snacks to delight your students. After all, who doesn’t love a fun snack or treat to mark a special occasion like Read Across America or even a birthday celebration?
35 | Backward Food
For a unique snack idea that works for both older students and younger ones, why not try serving food items backward? You could dish up dessert before the main course or turn sandwiches inside out.
36 | Colorful Snacks
Embrace the theme by providing colorful and oddly shaped treats. Consider making rainbow fruit kebabs, multi-colored popcorn, or fun-shaped cookies that match the characters from your favorite Dr. Seuss books. These snacks not only look wacky but are also sure to tickle your students’ taste buds.
37 | Green Eggs
Stick to the Dr. Seuss theme with your afternoon snack. After reading students green eggs and ham you can have students decorate hard boiled eggs with green dye and maybe even add some polka dots.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some fun dress-up ideas for Wacky Wednesday?
You can encourage your students to wear mismatched clothes, inside-out outfits, or even have a crazy hat day. Let their imaginations run wild and see the variety of wacky outfits they come up with!
How can I incorporate math activities?
Create wacky math problems by using fun images, characters, or other unconventional items in the equations. You can also turn math into a game by having students solve problems while performing silly actions, like hopping on one foot or making funny faces.
What are creative preschool ideas for Wacky Wednesday?
If you’re looking for some Wacky Wednesday classroom ideas for preschoolers, you can focus on simple yet engaging activities like having them walk backward, do some silly dances, or draw with unconventional materials. Fun themes like opposites or “backwards day” can make learning exciting for younger students.
How can I make my classroom wacky and engaging?
Before your students arrive, spend some time rearranging furniture and placing wacky props around the room. Upside-down lamp shades, socks stuffed into tissue boxes, or funky knee-high socks on table and chair legs can give the classroom a fun, disoriented vibe.
What are high school students likely to enjoy for Wacky Wednesday?
Are you looking for Wacky Wednesday classroom ideas for high school? High school students might appreciate a break from the routine with a wacky quiz featuring random trivia, a themed meme contest, or a creativity challenge, like writing a wacky short story or designing an unusual invention. You can also let them lead the way by asking for their suggestions in planning the day.
What ideas would toddlers appreciate for Wacky Wednesday?
Toddlers will love simple sensory activities, like playing with slime, finger painting with shaving cream, or exploring a wacky sensory bin filled with a mix of textures. You can also have a messy art day or create an obstacle course with unusual elements like crawling under chairs or waddling like a penguin.
I hope you found some new Wacky Wednesday classroom ideas to try this year. If you incorporate some dress up ideas, or some of the fun activities in this post you’re sure to make a memorable day for your students. If you loved this post, please give it a share!
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