By Harold Reutter
harold.reutter@theindependent.com

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Independent/Lane Hickenbottom 1 Dodge Elementary School Principal Stephanie Schulte sings songs with first-grade students inside a ³tree house² that was built in the school library for Read Across America day, when Dodge students decorated their classroom doors in honor of Dr. Seuss¹ birthday. Students in Diane Miller¹s first grade class had the best looking door, which earned them the chance to have a ³campfire² sing-along with the principal. Independent/Lane Hickenbottom 2 The tree house was named in honor of the title character in Dr. Seuss¹ Horton Hears a Who. Click Thumbnails to View

But apparently the prettiest classroom door belonged to students in Diane Miller's first grade class.

For their efforts, the students were chosen to have a "campfire" sing-along with Principal Stephanie Schulte in a "treehouse" that was built in the school library.

Schulte brought her guitar into the treehouse, where she led the students in a series of songs, beginning with "If You're Happy And You Know It, Clap Your Hands."

That was followed by a campfire song about eating worms because "nobody likes me."

It ended with singers wondering why they ate worms because they discovered "everybody likes me."

Next up was a French song about 10 children sleeping in a bed, with the little one constantly imploring the other kids to roll over to create more room. After the other nine children had rolled out of the bed, the littlest child was finally comfortable in the bed alone.

The third song was about catching a baby bumblebee, which would make the child's mother happy. Of course, the baby bumblebee stung, so the child squished.

That made a mess on the hands, so the child licked off the mess, thinking that also would make mother happy

"Little Bunny Foo Foo," a song about a rabbit who hopped through the forest, "scooping up the field mice, and boppin' em on the head."

The good fairy disapproved, saying she would turn Little Bunny Foo Foo into a goon if the bad behavior did not stop. And that is exactly what happened.

In many cases, the kids knew at least a few of the lyrics. But that did not really matter. All Schulte had to do was sing a line or two, and the kids were easily able to sing the lines back in a call and response.

Before long, Schulte and the first-graders could sing the whole song through together from beginning to end.

The Friday afternoon session ended with a reprise of "If You're Happy and You Know It, Clap Your Hands."

Of course, like any good campfire sing-along, the event included campfire treats: in this case, popcorn and Fruit Loops placed in paper cups for the kids.

Schulte said the treehouse was so nice that it was going to stay up in the library. Students wouldn't use it for any more campfire sing-alongs, but as a quiet place they could go in the library to read books.

And encouraging kids to read and enjoy books was the whole point of celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday this week.