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This is a little flip-book poem written to address what we all feel, whether we are age 1 or age 101 - FEAR. During a pandemic where parents are on edge, schools are disrupted, we are required to wear these strange and uncomfortable face coverings, and we may be worried about getting sick with "the COVID", it is the perfect time to read about a ladybug, a spider and a daffodil.
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Questions for you and your child
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This is a video poem that is meant for the little crowd having a "love, hate" relationship with Halloween. How can you not be scared when there are such scary things outside with you while you Trick or Treat!?
TRICK OR TREAT Questions for you and your child:
This is a short video poem that speaks to physical challenges/handicaps. Watch it with your child and then use the questions that follow to start a discussion. Either you or your child should journal your child's answers. Then get out your art supplies and draw a masterpiece as directed. Make sure to put both your journal sheet and your art into your "A Peek into Poetry Binder"!
On The LambI am serious, I'm on the lam! |
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These are the supplies you will need if you would like to have fun with some activities after watching the video poem:
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Once upon a time
In the days of kings and queens
Plague befell the land
Hearing a loud cough
The king worried half to death
What was he to do?
HEY! MEN IN ARMOR!!
He called out for his brave knights
But they ran and hid
The king searched high but not low
And missed four big feet
Under their great round table
Little did he know
The lady of his kingdom
Knew just what to do
She rode up on her white horse
With a precious gift
Found at their local Target
She showed it to him
Put it on his bonnie face
Covering his wide grin
Ah, the king sighed with relief
Smiling with his eyes
And was safer from the plague
Happily ever after
Masks now ruled the land
And the kingdom did survive.
ACTIVITIES FOR YOU AND YOUR CHILD:
- What does it feel like to wear a face mask? What does your breath smell like? What does your face feel like? Help your child journal their answers!
- What is the reason people wear face masks? Help your child journal the discussion.
- Draw a picture of yourself or your mom and dad wearing a face covering!
- If you don't have one, draw a face mask and color it the way you would like it to look!
- Put your journaling and work of art in your binder for safe keeping!
Parents and kids, grab your favorite teddy and join in for a little peek into poetry.
This video poem is a nice little exercise in mindfulness. Parents, it would be helpful for you to watch the video poem first and then have your child join you. Being mindful is all about becoming aware of what your senses are bringing you while you are involved in an activity; like a mindful walk or a mindful dinner prep. In our case we are using a video poem to practice being mindful. Throughout this video, you will see me using my senses as I talk about my teddy bear. For example:
- "he tickles my hand so very softly" uses the sense of touch
- "his button eyes look straight into mine" uses sight
- "butterfly kisses" is once again a tactile feeling
- "he smells like the inside of a little seashell" uses the sense of smell
- hearing is noticing how my voice is perceived by your own ears
On your mark, get ready...
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These are the supplies you will need if you would like to have fun with some activities after watching the video poem:
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My Teddy and Me
Holding my teddy comforts me,
He tickles my hand so very softly.
His button eyes stare straight into mine
Reassuring me that I'll always be fine.
I flap my eyelashes as if they were wings,
To give butterfly kisses to my teddy king.
Some say he needs a bath, but I love his smell,
He smells like the inside of a little seashell.
He's always with me where ever I go,
It's as if he's like my second shadow.
Maybe someday I won't need him this much
But for now I just can't do without his touch.
Knowing this he whispers in my right ear,
I will never leave you, you have nothing to fear.
I let teddy turn out the light,
Because he keeps me brave in the dark of the night.
He's with me in the morning when we get out of bed,
With him, I know I can face a big day ahead.
ACTIVITIES FOR YOU AND YOUR CHILD
- Tell your child about your favorite childhood teddy bear. If you still have it, bring it out!
- Ask your child how their teddy makes them feel better and journal their answers.
- Have your child describe what their Teddy's fur feels like, how he smells and when they might be able to use teddy to comfort them. Journal their answers.
- Get out your drawing paper and have your child draw or help them draw their favorite teddy bear (or stuffed animal).
- Put these journal entries and their drawing into your child's special “A Peek into Poetry” binder!
Are you ready for the show?
| Get your supplies ready for your after show activities:
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Yesterday's Chatter
My Mom's calling, we gotta go
But she won't find me, I'm incognito.
I'm not going to school, not ever again
What do I say? Where do I begin?
It started when I got off the school bus
My belly decided to grumble and fuss!
I hate school bathrooms, I really do
Especially when I have to sit down and poo!
So, I decided to ignore the issue below
Until my butt decided to put on its own show!
Not so silent and equally deadly
It was a cheeky rebellion, an odiferous medley.
Now, usually the dog was squarely to blame
But you get my dilemma, my hall of shame.
I can not go back, I will not recover
Until by chance, I happened to discover.
Ewww, my best friend had puked on the teacher's shoes
And just like that, I had become yesterday's news!
If only I had come to realize
Embarrassment could just vaporize!
Well, this is something my best friend has got to know
And I will be the first to tell him so.
So now we can both go back to school...
Because nothing really ever mattered
Since all we are now, is yesterday's chatter.
Activities for you and your parents (or grown up of choice)
- Ask your chosen grown up to tell you about an embarrassing moment that happened to them. How did they handle it and how long did it take them to recover from it.
- Now you tell your grown up about your most embarrassing moment. Have you recovered? If you haven't, why do you think that is? This would be a good time to ask your grown up how you can put that moment to rest!
- Get out your drawing paper and draw a picture of your most embarrassing moment (or your grown up's!)
Moms everywhere, you are in for a treat and a laugh! With Mother's Day right around the corner, this little ditty comes at the perfect time. Kids, you know all about stop motion. In this video, I used stop motion to help illustrate my poem. I laughed my way through each frame. For those of you unfamiliar with stop motion animation, the technique uses single shot pictures tediously wound together to create a single continuous motion. When you watch the video below, you will understand what I mean. When I was a child, I remember drawing stick figures in various stages of animation on each single page of a top ring spiral note pad. By the last page, I was able to fan through the pad and see the stick figure come to life. That was old fashion stop motion. Thank goodness for IOS apps an a camera timer! My first attempt at stop motion can never compare to my favorite Claymation stop motion series, but it is now a family favorite. From one Mother to another, I wish mothers everywhere a very happy Mother's Day. Enjoy 1 minute and 50 seconds of motherhood summed up in silliness and wrapped up in love.
| These are the supplies you will need if you would like to have fun with some activities after watching the video poem:
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The Mom Deal
It started at breakfast, the same old spiel,
but I shouldn't have hidden, that is not the mom deal.
Can't you just ignore your brother? I know he's staring at you.
But if you let him push your buttons, you can bet he's likely to.
Eh, eh, EH! Ohhh, he has her hair tugging.
This time I really did think they were hugging.
WHOA! PUT HIM DOWN! I am counting to three.
If you drop him on his head, you will be sorry you'll see.
That's when I said, it was time for a ride.
I'm gonna drive you to school and drop you right off outside.
Time to re-oH NO! Suddenly I was UTTERLY DISMAYED!
When it dawned on me in horror, that it was - a - SATURDAY!
Taking a bath, I thought, what should I do?
Hee-hee! Don't worry, I'll pick 'em up in a few.
While that may be how I occasionally feel.
I am a mother, I will NEVER leave you, that is
the MOM DEAL.
Activities for you and your child (remember, a mother isn't always a biological mother, it can be the person who is the "mothering" presence in your life!
- Write down the kinds of things that your Mom does for you that make you feel special? These are the parts of her "Mom Deal" with you! Show them to her on Mother's Day or on any day you would like to let her know that you notice the nice things she does for you.
- Ask your Mother to tell you about the things she remembers her mother doing for her when she was growing up.
- Think about the kinds of things that you can do to make your mother feel special. Sometimes these things are simple things that just make her day easier (Mom's are generally not that hard to please. I am a mother, I know!) Write these things down and show them to your Mom or mother figure. Hold yourself to your "Deal".
- Draw a picture of two hands shaking as if sealing a deal. By shaking hands, I mean how you see two grown ups greet one another; they reach out and shake hands. This is also what people do when they make a deal to tell the person they are going to keep their word - like a pinkie promise or pinkie swear. If you would like to draw two hands in a pinkie promise - GO FOR IT! Don't forget to show your MOM!
Before I get right into the travesty of what was my experience with mask making, let me thank you for your fantastic response to The Bad Hair Day. You have egged me on and who knows what you will see next!
Onward ho! This video poem was inspired by a few things coming together around the same time, making for a perfect (and yes, nutty) idea for a video poem. The light bulb flickered above my head as I saw my 27 year old son sneeze in "dab" style. He sneezed ferociously loud and did this ridiculous thing with his arms at the same time. I am old enough that I had no idea that this was some sort of "celebratory motion" originating in the end zone of a football field (with another meaning known only to teenagers- and now me, but I'm telling you, don't ask your teens, because you might not really want to know... that they know). The crux of his elbow did not contain the germs I saw flying outward. The light bulb above my head brightened as his flying germs brought me to my current and hopefully temporary COVID19 profession, face-mask making. Making masks is not as easy as you think. There are unforeseen hazards only known to seamstresses. That is when the light bulb blazed. The trifecta of the germ ridden sneeze, a sewing debacle whilst making face-masks, and the perils of a good deed all led to It Hurt SEW Bad. Watch, like, share, follow, and most importantly enjoy!
Onward ho! This video poem was inspired by a few things coming together around the same time, making for a perfect (and yes, nutty) idea for a video poem. The light bulb flickered above my head as I saw my 27 year old son sneeze in "dab" style. He sneezed ferociously loud and did this ridiculous thing with his arms at the same time. I am old enough that I had no idea that this was some sort of "celebratory motion" originating in the end zone of a football field (with another meaning known only to teenagers- and now me, but I'm telling you, don't ask your teens, because you might not really want to know... that they know). The crux of his elbow did not contain the germs I saw flying outward. The light bulb above my head brightened as his flying germs brought me to my current and hopefully temporary COVID19 profession, face-mask making. Making masks is not as easy as you think. There are unforeseen hazards only known to seamstresses. That is when the light bulb blazed. The trifecta of the germ ridden sneeze, a sewing debacle whilst making face-masks, and the perils of a good deed all led to It Hurt SEW Bad. Watch, like, share, follow, and most importantly enjoy!
| These are the supplies you will need if you would like to have fun with some activities after watching the video poem:
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It Hurt SEW Bad!
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I decided to do a good deed today
After seeing my son sneeze in the craziest dab way
I saw germs fly west right out of his mouth
Then I watched them fly north, then east and then south
I put my sewing hat on my head
And got ready to fight, my needle and thread
I looked my needle in its tiny little eye
Right where my thread was supposed to lie
Once, twice, DOH! I might have to sound an alarm
Oh, it's O.K., the fourteenth time was the charm
I put the petal to the metal and heard that purring hum
But what happened next made me feel so dumb
My eyebrows now met furrowed into a deep frown
At seeing my opposable digit had been pinned down
Out of my mouth came some very bad words
Words from a mother that should never be heard
My husband ran in circles as he thought
This is just terrible, her thumb is caught!
Success at last, my uncapped hero prevailed
As did I, albeit with my thumb on ice, in a pail
Then I remembered, there is no unpunished good deed
So I kept on, and made masks, just not with speed.
I decided to do a good deed today
After seeing my son sneeze in the craziest dab way
I saw germs fly west right out of his mouth
Then I watched them fly north, then east and then south
I put my sewing hat on my head
And got ready to fight, my needle and thread
I looked my needle in its tiny little eye
Right where my thread was supposed to lie
Once, twice, DOH! I might have to sound an alarm
Oh, it's O.K., the fourteenth time was the charm
I put the petal to the metal and heard that purring hum
But what happened next made me feel so dumb
My eyebrows now met furrowed into a deep frown
At seeing my opposable digit had been pinned down
Out of my mouth came some very bad words
Words from a mother that should never be heard
My husband ran in circles as he thought
This is just terrible, her thumb is caught!
Success at last, my uncapped hero prevailed
As did I, albeit with my thumb on ice, in a pail
Then I remembered, there is no unpunished good deed
So I kept on, and made masks, just not with speed.
Activities:
- Depending on the age of your children, talk about germs and how they are spread. No matter what their age, talk about how sneezing and how you can help contain germs.
- Do you wear masks in your family? Talk about why some people wear them and why others decide not to wear them. Explain why we have rules now that even adults have to follow. What are the current rules of your country, state or county at this time?
- What is a good deed? What is the last good deed you did? Talk about why it is important to finish your good deed even if unexpected or even bad things happen while doing them.
- Get ready to draw! Draw a picture of any or all of the following:
- Germs flying everywhere and a big mask catching them
- You and your family wearing your masks
- You doing a dab of a big sneeze
I have had an important, albeit inadvertent discovery. People love video poems. I came to realize this after recently posting one on my Facebook page; Facebook/growwithmepoetry. I was floored by the number of hits it generated in just a couple of days. It seems my readers, or should I say viewers, are trying to tell me something. The best part is that I really love doing video poems. So how about this deal? Let your kids grow with me as I grow with video poetry! I'd like to use a format similar to the one I use in Grow with Me Poetry. Each VLOG with include a video poem and an activity for you and your child to have fun with afterwards. It will be some welcome and organized fun during this COVID19 world.
| These are the supplies you will need:
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The Bad Hair Day
One day my hair got up on the wrong side of the bed
It wanted to lay down rather than get up instead
What is this ball of yarn I have for hair?
I wish I wasn't already awake from this horrible nightmare
I patted it down and try as I might
It simply turned on its heels and continued to fight
Another curl went that way and hung right down
When I looked in the mirror, you would've sworn I was a clown
Oh, I give up, it's time to surrender
It looks like my hair's been caught in a blender
Now my mom's yelling, we're gonna be late
Get down here right now, she's really irate
But when she saw me, she let out a big shriek
I saw her knees wobble, I think they went weak
Your hair, she cried, I know just what to do
I'll be back in a sec, or maybe a few
In a flash she flew up the stairs and was gone
Returning with something for me to put on
My favorite hat, she was the BOMB!
She was the BEST, MOM of ALL MOMS!
So here lays my hair under my hat
I put it to bed so it could lay flat.
Nitie Nite
Activities for you and your child:
- Trade stories about a time when you each had to manage a terrible hair day. How did you manage? Parents make sure to embellish! It makes for a great story! How did you solve the problem? How can solving that little bad hair issue apply to other pesky problems?
- Get out your crayons and draw a picture of your worst hair day!
There you have it, me and my worst curly hair day! Be sure to stay tuned for more good video times and rhymes. Also, remember that Grow with Me Poetry is just 8 days away from its official release and it is also available for preorder on Amazon.com. I'm looking forward to seeing you and the kids again soon! Bye-bye for now.
Video Poetry
Here we go! Kid's grab an adult, watch a video poem and then put your creative hats on and have fun with guided activities. Make sure to keep your binder ready and check back to see when another video/activity comes along!
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