Your children have wowed us with their poetic abilities. Sally and I plan on borrowing some of their similes for our own poems. Today we talked a bit about the act of appropriation in poetry and how we poets often share our lines. We emphasized the importance of giving poets credit for their original works!
In the morning, we spent some time in the forested area as usual...NYC kiddos need to run free, and they love it! Also, often our best writing ideas come from making observations in solo spaces and places.
Another fave Elm Tree pastime is meeting all the dogs that are walking through the park. The kiddos know to always ask the dogs' owners before petting and hugging and loving them <3.
After meeting these cute pups, Romy & Sally called our morning meeting, and we hiked back to our tree for a little movement and oral poetry writing. To help us write an oral poem, we played a game called, "Many-Headed Expert," where each child continues the poem or story by adding one word at a time. Here's a transcription of our collaborative writing:
Libraries are fun when libraries eat nothing. A lioness was reading quietly when Cockroach floated on the clouds. The cow was floating in the air once he falled because he slipped and bonked his head. Then ice drank the water. Suddenly another cow came into a barn. Barns were running with a new chicken inside. THE END.
Next we reviewed similes. The kiddos know them as comparisons using "like" or "as," and they find them incredibly amusing and silly. The children compared the glass building to a rainbow, a dog to a wolf, an arch to a castle, a blinking light to ice, a sparkly shirt to the sun, tree bark to a rocky mountain range. This week, we taught the children to be specific and regularly encouraged them to include as much detail possible in their writing and thinking. For example, instead of using the phrase, "the sun is yellow," we ask them to mention all the colors they see in the sun, and the phrase becomes, "the sun is yellow and orange and sometimes purple, and we see it reflected in windows and puddles."
Similes helped us work up an appetite, and we decided to eat on a new grassy patch. Today's snack spot sits on a small and shady hill across the sidewalk from where we usually eat. We left the cart near the bottom of the hill, and Hector continued the simile game,
exclaiming, "This (the grassy patch) is like an island, and the cart is floating away!" As we ate snack, we noticed Romy's friend Natalie Weiss setting up for Baby DJ School under our morning meeting tree! It piqued the kiddos interest,
Libraries are fun when libraries eat nothing. A lioness was reading quietly when Cockroach floated on the clouds. The cow was floating in the air once he falled because he slipped and bonked his head. Then ice drank the water. Suddenly another cow came into a barn. Barns were running with a new chicken inside. THE END.
Next we reviewed similes. The kiddos know them as comparisons using "like" or "as," and they find them incredibly amusing and silly. The children compared the glass building to a rainbow, a dog to a wolf, an arch to a castle, a blinking light to ice, a sparkly shirt to the sun, tree bark to a rocky mountain range. This week, we taught the children to be specific and regularly encouraged them to include as much detail possible in their writing and thinking. For example, instead of using the phrase, "the sun is yellow," we ask them to mention all the colors they see in the sun, and the phrase becomes, "the sun is yellow and orange and sometimes purple, and we see it reflected in windows and puddles."
and they all wandered over to check it out.
Since Natalie had a small group, she invited us to join! We didn't want to turn down such an awesome, musical opportunity, so we climbed onto her giant tarp where she taught us about her music equipment, let us play with her cymbals and noisemaker, and helped us recite poetry over beats. Romy and Sally loved the experience, and so did your children! If you'd like more information on Baby DJ School, check out Natalie's website at babydjschool.com. She's available for parties and classes, and her activities are developmentally appropriate for all ages!
After Baby DJ School, we decided to get out of the elements for a while and check out the library. The super observant Elm Tree crew noticed the gold-plated entrance art immediately and started to discuss the different mythic characters and animals present. Inside, we headed to the children's section where they looked at books about gerbils, scooters, super heroes, magical creatures, and Halloween. Romy read us a book called, The Quilt by Ann Jones. In The Quilt, a "lovie" named Sally (!) is made from quilt material. She gets lost, and readers search for her in the book's pages.
Once we each chose two books, we made our way to check out. On the way, we introduced ourselves to the librarian, Lisa, to ask about her job in the library. She told us she helps people find books and loves it when people say hi. We also discovered that her grandmother's name is Wynnifred, and her sister's is Miriam!
Leaving the library, we noticed our grumbling stomachs and decided to eat lunch at Mount Prospect Park again where we found a new tree under which to relax. As we ate, we talked a little about wishes, and asked the students to each share one of their own with
the group. Then we looked at a few "Wish Poems" written by other children. When we asked them what they remembered best from the poem, the all repeated the last line, "I wish I were the sun and the moon." This led into a discussion about the importance of last lines and endings, since that's what readers usually remember. To warm up for individual poems, we wrote an oral, collaborative wish poem, transcribed below:
I wish that I could have a pegasus.
I wish that I can have a dog. Like my mom said I could have a dog and a cat, a dog in Jamaica and a cat at my home.
I wish I had a friend mermaid.
I wish I could fly.
I wish that I was the sun.
I wish that I lived in Antarctica under the ice.
I wish that I lived in Costa Rica in a tree house.
I wish that I were a porcupine.
As we wrote our collaborative "Wish Poem," we realized we didn't have enough time for the Elm Tree crew to write their own wish poems and visit the Brooklyn Museum. We put our options to a vote, and the children decided they would rather write their own wish poems and have a longer visit at the Brooklyn Museum on the last day of Elm Tree. With that settled, we got to work. Below photos of your children working on their wish poems followed by photos of their work:
By Hector
By Lyla
By Esmee
See you tomorrow for the last day of Elm Tree Poetry: Week Two. We have loved getting to know and working with your children.
<3 Sally & Romy
Since Natalie had a small group, she invited us to join! We didn't want to turn down such an awesome, musical opportunity, so we climbed onto her giant tarp where she taught us about her music equipment, let us play with her cymbals and noisemaker, and helped us recite poetry over beats. Romy and Sally loved the experience, and so did your children! If you'd like more information on Baby DJ School, check out Natalie's website at babydjschool.com. She's available for parties and classes, and her activities are developmentally appropriate for all ages!
Leaving the library, we noticed our grumbling stomachs and decided to eat lunch at Mount Prospect Park again where we found a new tree under which to relax. As we ate, we talked a little about wishes, and asked the students to each share one of their own with
I wish that I could have a pegasus.
I wish that I can have a dog. Like my mom said I could have a dog and a cat, a dog in Jamaica and a cat at my home.
I wish I had a friend mermaid.
I wish I could fly.
I wish that I was the sun.
I wish that I lived in Antarctica under the ice.
I wish that I lived in Costa Rica in a tree house.
I wish that I were a porcupine.
As we wrote our collaborative "Wish Poem," we realized we didn't have enough time for the Elm Tree crew to write their own wish poems and visit the Brooklyn Museum. We put our options to a vote, and the children decided they would rather write their own wish poems and have a longer visit at the Brooklyn Museum on the last day of Elm Tree. With that settled, we got to work. Below photos of your children working on their wish poems followed by photos of their work:
By Miriam
By Ulysses
By Wynnifred
See you tomorrow for the last day of Elm Tree Poetry: Week Two. We have loved getting to know and working with your children.
<3 Sally & Romy
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