Sonnets, haiku, limericks, and free verse are all delightful styles of writing poetry. From short and silly to tragic and epic, poetry is a powerful form of the written word. I do not formally teach poetry to children but I do choose to expose them to varying styles of poetry. We read poetry aloud most days. They also read selections on their own. While perhaps not the most scholarly approach, my children have developed a love and appreciation of poetry.
A few weeks ago during our group studies, I read O Captain!, My Captain! by Walt Whitman. It was the first time they had heard this poem and it had a powerful affect on a few of the children. After discussion the poem a bit, I challenged the children to write poems of their own but was meet with a mighty outcry. Then I offered a deal: if you wrote a poem, you were excused from math for the day. Since no one has a deep, abiding love of math, everyone scrambled for paper and pen to begin a poetic journey.
In a short time I has a stack of poems in my hand that were absolutely wonderful and showcased the personalities of my children to perfection. They agreed to posting them here and I hope you enjoy!
The Princess – Martha (5) (with some help from mom)
She wore pink
Blue and straight were her hair
Knit, sew, draw, and Legos
Were the things that she loved
Cooking made her smile
Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!
Still plays with toys as a teenager
The Big Fox – Sarah (9)
I walked down the road
And saw a fox.
The fox was big.
I could not move.
My legs were still as a rock.
The fox saw me.
He opened his mouth
And I ran.
Ninja – Sam (7) (He narrated and I wrote)
The ninja fights
Through many battles
He always wins
He jumps from rooftop to rooftop
FIGHTING!
A super cool jet pack
Is on his back
The color of his suit is blue and black
Dark woods are his home
From the darkest lake he drinks
Dark colors are his favorite
The movie he likes is Ninja Turtles
Super cool weapons like electric swords
Turtles are his favorite animals
Is that a surprise?
A turtle shell is where he sleeps
Dark brown tree is home
He is The Ninja!
His powers are electric, smoke, and lava.
And storm.
Ninja Kung-Fu names is Master of Weapons.
He is the greatest superhero.
He is not finished with the words on the page.
He says to call it the end.
I will share the remaining three poems in a separate post.
Do your children enjoy writing? I’d love to hear about it!
