VIOLIN

It's scroll                     It's head

It's tuning pegs           It's neck

It's fingers                  It's frets

It's inlaid                    It's soundhole

It's strings                  It's chin

It's pluck                    It's rosin

It's horsehair              It's bow

It's pull                       It's notes

It's passage                It's twinkle

It's Little Star              It's song

        Happy Sunday.  If you had a violin, what song would it play for you?  Can you write a poem about a magic violin that plays what ever you are thinking?



My magic violin
plays fine music.
All I do
is think and the tune
begins to play.

I think of a tree
and music swishes
like leaves turning
in the breeze
to flutter to the ground.

I think of moonlight
and the music
becomes big
and round
and shines brightly
to twinkle and sparkle
like starlight.

And when I think of you
my violin plays
a merry tune
that makes me feel happy
and like dancing.

THE FLUTE

I'm trying something different with the formatting of this poem.  I hope it works.
Read this one out loud and notice where you need to pause for a breath--something that is very important in playing the flute.

we're stick          we're silver          we're pipe

we're sound        we're holes          we're fingers

we're tin             we're tune            we're played

we're merry        we're whistles      we blow

Now try reading the poem in any direction.  Have fun.

So here is your poetry challenge for today.  Take any musical instrument and see if you can come up with at least 12 words to describe it.  then write your own poem in columns.  I'd love to see what you come up with. 

American Children

The children in Alaska wear warm coats.

Children in North Carolina feed wild horses oats.

The children in China Town learn a dragon dance.

Children in Idaho watch reindeer prance.

The children in New Mexico go to Indian Pow-wows.

Children in Wisconsin can watch milking cows.

The children in Florida keep away from alligators.

Children in Massachusetts hear clanking radiators.

In Texas, the children watch for armadillos.

In the bayou children listen to zydacos.

In Arizona they look for roadrunners and javelinas.

In Illinois the children audition to be ballerinas.

The children in New York have lions at the Library.

New Hampshire kids go hiking and it isn't scary.

The kamali'i in Hawaii wear shorts to school.

Oklahoma kids think oil wells are cool.

The children in Colorado learn to ski.

The children in Ohio win spelling bees.

Children in California learn to surf waves.

Children in Utah explore their dark caves.

Children in Montana can climb the Buttes.

Children in Virginia can play their flutes.

Children have one thing in common--

in school they learn to read,

and reading helps them learn about

what other children need.

     I can tell this poem is very rough, and it has a long way to go yet.  I'm thinking it would be fun to make this a 54 line poem--50 lines , one for each state, and then 4 for the conclusion about reading helping with understanding.  If you'd like to help with this poem, you're welcome to leave a couplet about your favorite 2 states--or even one line will help. Go ahead an make suggestions for states I've already included.   Did I forget to include your favorite state?  Or you are welcome to leave a couplet about other countries.  What is something unique about the children there? What about my Canadian friends?
     I did think about starting this poem with "In England children call their teacher, Miss," but  the moment I got that far, I then knew that the way to control this big poem was to limit it to the US.  Did you know that kamali'i is the Hawaiian word for children?  I thought the word keiki was children, but when I looked it up in a Hawaiian dictionary, I found that was the word for baby.  (Now you know two Hawaiian words. )
  
   Teachers, this format would be easy to do for each classroom in your school with a quatrain at the end to say something that all the children in the school have in common.

    In Ms Clark's class the children have two goldfish.
    In Mr. Jones' class the children made a clay dhish.
    In Miss Butler's class the children wrote a book.
    In Mrs. Macy's class they learned to cook.
    All of the children at Esperanza School
    Think reading books is very cool.

   Hey, this definitely is an example of a list poem.

Have fun writing.  I look forward to reading your comments.  Thanks for stopping by. Happy Poetry Friday.

A CRICK IN MY BACK

My body feels twisted

like a figure eight.

So I stretch and reach

To get my back straight.

I stand up tall

and straight like a tree

reach for the roof

I'm good already.

     Isn't crick a funny word?  Do you ever wake up with the feeling that your bones aren't in the right order, that they aren't aligned?  What do you do when that happens to you?  Have you ever watched a dog trying to get the kinks out?
A dog rolls around on his back.  A cat humps its back and stretches out its legs. Your challenge for to day is to write a poem that describes what you or an animal does to shake your body out.  Have fun stretching in your writing.

GOING TO THE DENTIST

I'm going to the dentist today.

They'll clean my teeth for me.

While I'm there they'll take an Xray.

I hope they don't see even one cavity.

I brush my teeth to keep them clean

and use dental floss each day.

I want my teeth to be bright and gleam

and I hope they stay that way.

     What is the rhyming pattern on this poem?  Do you like going to the dentist?  My dentist always gives me a new tooth brush.  Do you have sealants on your teeth?  Do you get a fluoride treatment?  Having clean, strong teeth is important for good health.  Your dentist and dental hygienist can help with this.  Can you write a poem about your dentist, or your teeth today?  Have fun.

FLYING

Said Pilot Tailspin Tim,

"I'm ready to go again.

I think flying is great fun.

Any landing I walk away from

I know it is a good one."

     My father-in-law and I were talking about flying today.  He mentioned the "Any landing you walk away from is a good one."  I'd heard this before, but then he mentioned Tailspin Tim.  I did a search to figure out who said the quote, and what I found is that it is an old flying proverb.  Then I did a search on Tailspin Tim and found a Tailspin Tom who was an old movie serial character.  So, I figured Tailspin Tim was mine to use.  Your challenge for today is to write a poem about flying.


In my hand
I have a surprise.
Good for flying ,
here's the word.
Soft and tickley,
it's the feather
from a bird.

OFF TO BED

It is  time for bed.

I don't want to go.

I want to watch 

this TV show.

Mom says,

"It's late.

You know the rule.

It's past 9 now,

tomorrow there's school."

So off I march 

to my bed

and dream my program

in my head.

Then tomorrow

when I'm at school,

I'll tell friends

my dreams are cool.


     What time do you go to bed?  Would you like to write a poem today about your bed time or your morning routine?  Have fun.