Tasty, but green, lessons

Mount Prospect's Nathan Kowalski, 6, stuffed the green scrambled eggs into his mouth, saying it tasted just like normally colored eggs, so he didn't mind one bit.

"They are really good," Nathan said. "I like the green or regular color."

But Julia Seaman, also 6, of Mount Prospect, was having none of it.

"I will only eat the ham," Julia said of her ham and green eggs experience. "I don't like it because it's green. I don't think it's going to taste good because it's green."

Lions Park Elementary School first-graders recently got the chance to taste green eggs and ham, based on the Dr. Seuss book by the same name.

It has become a tradition over the past few years at the school for the 6-years-olds, who are treated to a reading of "Green Eggs and Ham" by Supt. Bruce Brown, before eating scrambled eggs dyed with green food coloring.

The margarine spread got the same treatment, but the ham retained its natural color, said Phyllis Milos, a parent, helping with the meal.

The parent helpers have learned what works and what doesn't with the kids, she said. One year, parents bought specially-made green bread from a bakery, but the kids refused to eat it, so now it's just the egg and spread that gets the green treatment, she said.

It was all in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday, which was March 2, 1904.

Seuss, whose full name was Theodor Seuss Geisel, had written and illustrated 44 classic children's books, including "Green Eggs and Ham," "The Cat in the Hat" and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," before he died in 1991.

The first-graders spent the week celebrating the author's birthday by engaging in different activities to commemorate the day.

On one day, parents were asked to send their kids to school in mismatched clothes. On another day, kids were supposed to wear silly socks and hats.

In the story, "Green Eggs and Ham," a character named Sam-I-am tries to get his friend to eat green eggs and ham, but the friend, who is unnamed in the book, isn't keen on the idea due to the eggs' greenish hue.

While the exercise of feeding the kids a green breakfast is done mostly for fun, it's also hoped the children will make a connection with the story, said Lindsay Buenger, a Lions Park first-grade teacher.

"It brings it to life and gets them to experience what the book is all about," Buenger said.