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Wacky Wednesday

Silly Scenes

Enjoying some silliness can reduce stress and also provide other health benefits. Students will create a wacky drawing and write a silly phrase or poem to go with it.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Paper

Steps

  • Step 1

    Some say "laughter is the best medicine," and indeed it has many proven health benefits. Laughing can reduce stress hormones like epinephrine and cortisol and therefore it can reduce anxiety, aid in muscle relaxation, and even relieve pain by causing the body to release endorphins. Laughing also increases oxygen which gives us energy and helps us think more clearly. Read a silly book with the class. Suggestions include "Wacky Wednesday" by Dr. Seuss and George Booth, "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!" by Mo Willems, or "Do Not Wish For A Pet Ostrich!" by Sarina Siebenaler and Gabby Correia.

  • Step 2

    Ask students note the silly events or images in the book. Then have them reflect on personal experiences when humor helped them get through a difficult time.

  • Step 3

    Have students draw a silly or wacky picture. It might be inspired by the book the class read or an original idea they have. Then ask them to write a sentence or two or a silly poem about it on the drawing. Then ask them to present their art and writing to the class.

Standards

LA: Add drawings or other visual displays to written text to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

SEL: Self-Awareness: Understand one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior across contexts.

Adaptations

Have students create an original Mad Libs® type game. Ask them to write a themed paragraph or two leaving blank spaces for nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Then have them write just the list of words needed, give it to another student to fill in, and then enter the words into the original story. Have fun reading them aloud.

Famous artists have produced humorous works. Have students look at Marcel Duchamp's "L.H.O.O.Q." (1919) which depicts the Mona Lisa with facial hair, "Youths Making a Face" (1630s) by the Dutch master Adriaen Brouwer, or "Escaping Criticism" (1874) a trompe l'oeil painting by Pere Borrell del Caso.