Happy Poetry Month! Do you read poems with your children and students? If you're looking for inspiring poetry books to read with your kids, see what you think about these new releases. Read the poems out loud, savor the word pictures, consider the meanings. Enjoy! “. . . poems hide. In the bottoms of our shoes, they are sleeping. They are the shadows drifting across our ceilings the … [Read more...]
Get Lit Spoken Word Poetry Inspires Teens to Find Their Voices
Get Lit is an LA.-based initiative created by Diane Luby Lane that uses poetry, reading, writing, and spoken word, to inspire teens to reengage with their lives and education. The Get Lit Rising book is profound, sharing the stories of 19 individual teen poets, the classic poem that inspired them, and their response poems. The teens in this book have found their voices. Founder, Diane Luby … [Read more...]
Unlocking Poetry for Kids with Art
Introducing poetry to my kids didn't go exactly like I planned. My kids weren't loving the poems or even understanding what they were reading. So I needed a way to unlock poetry for my kids -- and I found it through art. Poetry can seem so strange. What in the world are these poets talking about? And why do I care? Once children see that poems are a snapshot of a time and place, an emotion, … [Read more...]
Poetry Daily for Kids
For National Poetry Month or any time of the year, read poetry daily to your kids. It doesn't have to be poetry specifically written for kids either. But my kids weren't excited about the whole poem a day idea of mine. At all. So first, I had to find poems they would like and second, find poems they would understand. But even that was harder than I thought. Until I got appy. See my … [Read more...]
Wordless Picture Books Writing Prompt
by Terri Thompson of Creative Family Fun Have you ever read a wordless picture book? They are so wonderful for many reasons: 1) Pre-readers can read a wordless picture book independently and 2) both readers and pre-readers can practice their storytelling skills. And, as we found out, wordless picture books provide a great springboard for writing poetry. Wordless Picture Books Writing … [Read more...]
Hidden Message Poetry
Poetry is amazing, isn't it? There are so many forms and it's so accessible to all age groups. Kids love it because it's so familiar. They've been hearing it all their lives. Remember all those nursery rhymes? To encourage my reluctant writer, we turned our poetry into artwork. We made it even more special by hiding our poetry inside the picture using a fun technique, watercolor … [Read more...]
Memorize a Poem for Poetry Month
Since it's National Poetry Month, memorize a poem -- and have your kids memorize one, too. It's so rich to have amazing words, powerful thoughts, and metaphorical ideas hanging around our brains. The Academy of American Poets created National Poetry Month in 1996 to celebrate and promote the achievement of American poets. We can participate by memorizing a poem! Memorize a Poem in … [Read more...]
Poetry Activities and NEW Books
Children's poetry is one of my favorite ways to hook writers. After all, there are no sentences in sight. No paragraphs, not even capital letters sometimes. Read poetry for enjoyment and experience with the form. Also, read poetry to learn how to write poetry. BUT, reading poetry can be good and bad for young writers. Bad if it limits children to thinking all poems rhyme*. (They don't.) … [Read more...]
Great Illustrators Study – Shel Silverstein (plus some poetry, too)
Maggy of Red Ted's Art Blog is hosting a monthly series called Kids Exploring The Great Artists. I thought I'd participate but adapt to be The Great Picture Book Illustrators. As I pondered what illustrator to choose first, my 10-year old told me about an in-class project on Shel Silverstein's black and white drawings. Her teacher, Jayme Mansfield, is an artist and a writer and thanks to her, … [Read more...]
Riddle Poems
Kids love reading and writing riddle poems. Riddles often give wonderful sensory details and describe something a child knows about. Plus, they encourage critical thinking and engagement in poetry. Riddle Poems Riddles are usually written in poem form. Consider this riddle poem: It can be cracked, It can be made, It can be told, it can be played. What is it? (answer: a joke) source: … [Read more...]
Fun Poetry Prompt: Onomatopoeia
Get your kids jazzed about poetry during Poetry Month. A great way is write about something edible -- like popcorn - and work on one or more poetic elements. I like to teach repetition, onomatopoeia, and use of white space with popcorn. Prep your kids with example poems that include repetition, onomatopoeia words, and creative use of white space. You can do this throughout the writing … [Read more...]
New and Favorite Poetry Books for Children
It's April. Happy Poetry Month! It's time to get kids interested in reading and writing poetry with poetry books. Kids gravitate towards funny, rhyming poetry which is a place to get them hooked. But, I don't like using rhyming poetry with kids too much or their writing becomes only rhyming. (Which usually stinks and makes no sense.) The best way to get your kids engaged in poetry is … [Read more...]