What to watch: The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About Halloween!
Where to find it: Amazon Prime and PBS Kids; airs on PBS on 10/20
Run time: 57 min
Best for ages: 3 and up
Why We Recommend The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About Halloween!
About 10 minutes into The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About Halloween! I couldn't help but wonder...why haven't we been watching this show all along? Though I have always been a fan of Dr. Suess books, I was never big on The Cat in the Hat. It's a little embarrassing to admit it, but this one always gave me anxiety. Something about a mischievous cat coming along to wreak havoc while the mom is away always caused me to spend most of the story wondering "what if the mom comes home and sees that the house is a mess?" I was such a rule follower (who am I kidding, I still am). I was really glad to see that the show made some great adjustments. The cat isn't so much on a mission of mayhem, but a tour guide to explore the world, with the mom's permission. In The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About Halloween!, the kids, Nick and Sally, are in need of costumes, so The Cat in the Hat leads them on an adventure-filled quest. Along the way, they encounter a few scenarios that illicit fear: getting lost in a maze, a bear cave, a thunderstorm, etc. Each time, the cat reminds them that most scary things aren't so scary when you learn more about them. Since I, unfortunately, passed along my anxiety to my four-year-old daughter, Everly, I really enjoyed how they approached fear and encouraged kids to ease this emotion with knowledge. Don't worry, even though this new version of the cat isn't quite so mischievous, he is still as zany and fun as ever—your kids will get a kick out of him.
Pasta Skeleton Craft and Lesson on Fear
At the very beginning of the movie, Sally shows off a skeleton craft that she made using pasta. I thought this was a great activity to replicate and use as a starting point for a discussion about fear since skeletons are often portrayed in a frightening manner around Halloween.
Pasta Skeleton Craft
Estimated activity time: 15 minutes
Materials needed:
Pasta skeleton printable (available below)
Pasta that is about 1-1.5 inches in length (I had gemelli on hand but ziti or penne would also work)
Glue
Optional: Cotton swab or paintbrush for the glue if your child prefers to paint the glue rather than squeeze it directly from the container
Lesson
As we were building our pasta skeleton, I asked her the questions below. Remember it is okay to help your children process their answers, as well as give your own opinions so that it is more of a discussion. I asked her:
Can you remember one of the things that Sally and Nick were afraid of in the movie?
Do you remember how The Cat in the Hat helped them when they felt afraid of this?
Can you think of something that makes you feel a little scared sometimes?
How do you think we can learn more about this?
Did you remember ever seeing skeletons in movies or shows that seemed a bit spooky?
Did you know that we all have skeletons inside of us? Do you think your bones are scary or great?
If you want, you can also throw in a few fun facts about bones:
We are born with nearly 300 bones in our body but by the time you are finished growing, you will have 206 bones.
The longest bone in the body is the femur (thigh bone).
The smallest bone in the body is in the ear and it's called the stapes.
Share the fun you are having with us on Social Media! Tag us when you try out any of our activities so we can share as well! @curiouscouchpotatoes
Tips on Helping Kids Cope with Anxiety and Fear:
Fear is a good and protective emotion. It is what can keep us out of dangerous situations. We don't want to teach children to run away from fear. But as young children are encountering new experiences and trying to understand the world around them, it helps to have a parental figure help them to cope with this emotion.
When your child is scared, it is important to validate their feelings. Avoid saying "that's not scary." Instead, help them work to identify what about it scares them.
Relate to your child about a similar fear you might have had as a child or one that you have today. Share with them how you would overcome that fear. Ask them if there are other ways you can think of that might make them feel less scared.