Popcorn Poems

Yesterday's post was about the history of popcorn, facts and pictures and a read aloud. 

Today, think about the way popcorn looks, smells, feels, tastes, and SOUNDS when it is being popped!

Poetry is a way to play with words and sounds to describe something. THESE poems are about, you guessed it: POPCORN

Love the Look of Words

by Maya Angelou

Popcorn leaps, popping from the floor of a
hot black skillet and into my mouth.
Black words leap, snapping from the white page.
Rushing into my eyes.
Sliding into my brain which
gobbles them the way my tongue
and teeth chomp
the buttered popcorn.
When I have stopped reading,
ideas from the words stay
stuck in my mind,
like the sweet smell of butter
perfuming
my fingers
long after the popcorn is finished.
I love the book and the look of words
the weight of ideas
that popped into my mind.
I love the tracks of
new thinking in my mind.

And here's one to make you move like you are popcorn!

Pop-Corn

by Evaleen Stein

Pop! Pop!–Poppetty-pop!
Shake and rattle and rattle and shake
The golden grains as they bounce and break
To fluffy puffiness–Poppetty-pop!
Bursting and banging the popper’s top!
Poppetty-pop!
Pop! Pop!

Think of popcorn and make up your own poem or song or dance. Have fun with your friends and family.

POP!

POEMS  ABOUT  FRIENDSHIP

A Friend Is A Treasure  Poet Unknown

A friend is someone we turn to
when our spirits need a lift.
A friend is someone we treasure,
for our friendship is a gift.
A friend is someone who fills our lives,
with beauty, joy and grace.
                                                                    And make the world we live in,
                                                                    a better and happier place.

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Forever Friends  By Amber S. Pence

The friendship we have is so rare to find.
We hate to see each other in a bind.
We have made each other laugh so hard we’ve cried.
We feel each other’s pain if we are hurt inside.
We always can find the right words to say
To help us get through any dreadful day.
We have told our darkest secrets with feeling no shame,
We will tell each other the truth, even if we are to blame.
Thinking of you not being here makes me feel so sad.
We will have to look back on our crazy memories to make us glad.
The miles between us can’t keep us apart,
Because we will keep each other close at heart.

The Best of Friends By: Š Jill Wolf

The best of friends,
Can change a frown,
Into a smile,
when you feel down.
The best of friends,
Will understand,
Your little trials,
And lend a hand.
The best of friends,
Will always share,
Your secret dreams,
Because they care.
The best of friends,
Worth more than gold,
Give all the love,
A heart can hold. 

When you and I Grow Up   by Kate Greenaway

When you and I

Grow up-Polly-

I mean that you and me,

Shall go sailing in a big ship

Right over all the sea.

We'll wait till we are older,

For if we went today,

You know that we might lose ourselves

And never find the way.

ACTIVITY: What do you like about your friends? 

Make a list of words that describe your friends. What activities do you do together? What makes them good friends? Are YOU a good friend to them?

Try to put your ideas together and write a poem about them. 

Maybe draw or paint a picture of you together. 

Don't forget to share! 

LOOK for more activities about friends in this BLOG.

Poetry Time - The Owl and the Pussycat

The Owl and the Pussycat

By Edward Lear

 

The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea

   In a beautiful pea-green boat:

They took some honey, and plenty of money

   Wrapped up in a five-pound note.

The Owl looked up to the stars above,

   And sang to a small guitar,

"O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love,

   What a beautiful Pussy you are,

            You are,

            You are!

   What a beautiful Pussy you are!"

   How charmingly sweet you sing!

Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried,

   But what shall we do for a ring?"

They sailed away, for a year and a day,

To the land where the bong-tree grows;

And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood,

   With a ring at the end of his nose,

            His nose,

            His nose,

   With a ring at the end of his nose.

   Your ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will."

So they took it away, and were married next day

   By the turkey who lives on the hill.

They dined on mince and slices of quince,

   Which they ate with a runcible spoon;

And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,

   They danced by the light of the moon,

            The moon,

            The moon,

   They danced by the light of the moon

Pussy said to the Owl, "You elegant fowl,

"Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling

Source: https://poets.org/poem/owl-and-pussy-cat

This is such a fun poem - fantasy an it always seems like it is summer time...

Activity: Read the poem aloud. What can you imagine?

Using watercolor paints, start with the sky and the water. 

On another piece of paper, paint the boat and the characters. 

Cut out the second page and place the boat and the characters on your painting of the sky and water. Read your poem to your family and friends.

Here's a video of the poem, too.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpwAP36-w7E

 

The Crayon Box That Talked - Poetry Month

The Crayon Box That Talked

By Shane DeRolf

While walking in a toy store the day before today

I overheard a crayon box with many things to say.

"I don't like Red!" said Yellow, 

and Green said, "Nor do I!

And no one here likes Orange, 

but no one knows just why."

"We are a bunch of crayons that doesn't get along," 

said Blue to all the others, 

"Something here is wrong!"

Well, I bought that box of crayons and 

took it home with me,

And laid out all the colors so the crayons could all see.

They watched me as

I colored with Red and Blue and Green,

And Black and White and Orange and every color in

between.

They watched as Green became the grass and Blue became the sky.

The Yellow sun was shining bright on White clouds drifting by.

Colors were changing as they touched becoming something new.

They watched me as I colored, they watched 'til I was through.

And when I'd finally finished I began to walk away.

And as I did, the crayon box had something more to say.

"I do like Red!" said Yellow, and Green said, "So do I!

And, Blue, you were terrific so high up in the sky!"

"We are a box of crayons, each one of us unique.

But when we get together the picture is complete."

Source: http://rwatersunioncity.sharpschool.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_4478637/File/Expository%20Poem%20Prompt.pdf

 

ACTIVITY: YOU HAVE BEEN USING YOUR CRAYONS A LOT LATELY. WHAT WOULD THEY SAY ABOUT YOU?

USE A STORY BOARD format (See StoryboardTHAT.com) and make a cartoon story about what YOUR crayons think.

Use your favorite colors, too.

(See the next Post for read aloud video of 
The Day the Crayons Quit.

I’m Glad I’m Me - Poetry Month

                                        I’m Glad I’m Me

BY Phil Bolsta

I don’t understand why everyone stares

When I take off my clothes and dance down the stairs.

Or when I stick carrots in both of my ears,

Then dye my hair green and go shopping at Sears.

I just love to dress up and do goofy things.

If I were an angel, I’d tie-dye my wings!

Why can’t folks accept me the way that I am?

So what if I’m different and don’t act like them?

I’m not going to change and be someone I’m not.

I like who I am, and I’m all that I’ve got.

Source: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46931/im-glad-im-me  

ACTIVTY:  It's good to be SILLY! 

Use some of these funny faces to inspire you to draw or paint a picture of you being silly, and wondering what everyone who sees you will think! 

The Owl and the Pussy Cat - Poetry Month

The Owl and the Pussycat

By Edward Lear

 

The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea

   In a beautiful pea-green boat:
They took some honey, and plenty of money
   Wrapped up in a five-pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
   And sang to a small guitar,
"O lovely Pussy, O Pussy, my love,
   What a beautiful Pussy you are,
            You are,
            You are!
   What a beautiful Pussy you are!"
   How charmingly sweet you sing!
Oh! let us be married; too long we have tarried,
   But what shall we do for a ring?"
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the bong-tree grows;
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood,
   With a ring at the end of his nose,
            His nose,
            His nose,
   With a ring at the end of his nose.
   Your ring?" Said the Piggy, "I will."
So they took it away, and were married next day
   By the turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince and slices of quince,
   Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
   They danced by the light of the moon,
            The moon,
            The moon,
   They danced by the light of the moon.

Source: https://poets.org/poem/owl-and-pussy-cat

ACTIVITY:  Enjoy the imagery in this poem. Using the HOW TO DRAW A CAT from this blog, draw your favorite part of the poem. Use watercolor paints to add color to your drawing. 

Smart - Poetry Month

Smart

By Silverstein

My dad gave me one dollar bill
‘Cause I’m his smartest son,
And I swapped it for two shiny quarters
‘Cause two is more than one!

And then I took the quarters
And traded them to Lou
For three dimes — I guess he didn’t know
That three is more than two!

Just then, along came old blind Bates
And just ’cause he can’t see
He gave me four nickels for my three dimes,
And four is more than three!

And then I took the nickels to Hiram Coombs
Down at the seed-feed store,
And the fool gave me five pennies for them,
And five is more than four!

And then I went and showed my dad,
And he got red in the cheeks
And closed his eyes and shook his head —
Too proud of me to speak!

Source: https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/snowball/#content

ACTIVITY:  This poem talks about changing amounts of money. Keep track of the money the speaker trades away. 

Let's be Friends - Poetry Month

Let's be Friends   posted by Jayla in GA USA

                                by Christina Corona

Would you like to be my friend?

That would be so fine!

We'll run around in your backyard

And then we'll play in mine.

We'll Wal to school together

And share our lunches, too.

Oh! What a lucky kid I am

To have a friend like you!

The theme of this poem is being friends. The poem is also about what friends playing together, walking to school together, and sharing their lunches with each other.

Funny poems for kids. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/246572148318071068/

ACTIVITY: What do you like about your friends? What do you do together? What do you miss most when you are not with them?

Paint or draw a picture of your friend.  Make a 
WORD CLOUD  (WordArt.com) to describe what you like about your friends.

Thanks to Medical Personnel - Rainbow and Poetry Month

During this world wide pandemic, let's take time to thank those who are helping us.

Here's. WORD CLOUD (USING WORDART.COM) and a rainbow.
    ACTIVITY:  Make some of your own (you don't need a word cloud maker.)
                   SEND THEM SOMEONE!

Fireflies in the Garden - Poetry Month

Fireflies in the Garden
         by ROBERT FROST

Here come real stars to fill the upper skies, 
And here on earth come emulating flies, 
That though they never equal stars in size, 
(And they were never really stars at heart) 
Achieve at times a very star-like start. 
Only, of course, they can't sustain the part.

Frost, R. (n.d.). Fireflies in the Garden by Robert Frost.  from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42892/fireflies-in-the-garden

The main theme of the poem is nature and fireflies. Frost was admiring the fireflies for trying to shine like the stars.

This poem could connect to the children’s book Firefly Hollow by Alison McGhee. This book is about creatures escaping from Firefly Hollow to reach bigger things (dreams). Also, an extension activity (separate from book) would be to create a life cycle circle for fireflies.

If you have a VOOKS.com account, you can watch and listen to the story: Papa is a Poet. This is the story of Robert Frost, the author of this poem.

 https://watch.vooks.com/be-creative/videos/papa-is-a-poet

A Journey - Poetry Month

A Journey
                   By Nikki Giovanni
It’s a journey... that I propose... 
I am not the guide... nor technical assistant... 
I will be your fellow passenger...
Though the rail has been ridden... 
winter clouds cover... autumn’s exuberant quilt... 
we must provide our own guideposts...
I have heard... from previous visitors... 
the road washes out sometimes... 
and passengers are compelled... to continue groping... 
or turn back... I am not afraid...
I am not afraid... of rough spots... or lonely time... 
I don’t fear... the success of this endeavor... 
I am Ra... in a space... not to be discovered... but invented...
I promise you nothing... I accept your promise... 
of the same we are simply riding... a wave... 
that may carry... or crash...
It’s a journey... 
and I want... 
to go...

The collected poetry of Nikki Giovanni, 1968-1998.  https://poets.org/poem/journey Giovanni, N., & Fowler, V. C. (2007). New York: William Morrow.

Main theme of poem, style, etc. This is a little more on the serious side of poetry. This poem talks about the journey of life and how no one should be leading. We should all walk side by side with each other.

ACTIVITY:   Where do YOU want to go on life’s journey? Using the style of Nikki Giovanni, try to write your own poem about your journey. Use lots of descriptive words, too.

The Crocodile - Poem

The Crocodile by Lewis Carroll  How doth the little crocodile Improve his shining tail,  And pour the waters of the Nile On every golden scale! How cheerfully he seems to grin! How neatly spread his claws, And welcomes little fishes in With gently smiling jaws!

Carroll, L. (n.d.). The Crocodile. Retrieved April 15, 2020, from https://poets.org/poem/crocodile

The theme of this poem is about a crocodile who uses his friendly smile to lure in fish to his mouth to eat them.

This poem could be connected to the children’s book Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile by Bernard Waber. Watch the Musical of Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile by Bernard Waber here  (25 minutes)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPLQT7QrXco

Carousel - Poetry Month

Carousel

            REBECCA KAI DOTLICH

On thin golden poles

gliding up, sliding down,

a kingdom of horses

goes spinning around.

Jumper, Brown Beauty,

Dark Thunder, Sir Snow, 

a medley of ponies

parade in a row.

Settled in saddles,

their riders hold on

to reins of soft leather

while circling along

on chestnut or charcoal,

on sleek Arctic white,

on silver they gallop

in place day and night.

Such spinning is magic,

(to dream as you sail)

with lavender saddle

and ebony tail,

whirling to music

in moonlight, spellbound,

galloping, galloping,

merrily go round.

Rebecca Kai Dotlich, "Carousel" from In the Spin of Things. Copyright © 2003 by Rebecca Kai Dotlich.  Reprinted by permission of Highlights for Children/Boyds Mills Press. Source: In the Spin of Things: Poetry of Motion (Wordsong, 2003)

Read more about this poet: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/rebecca-kai-dotlich

ACTIVITY FOR  CHILDREN OF SIENA, ITALY – find pictures of the horses that have won the Palio for your Contrada. Make copies (or draw them), cut out the horses, and make them into your own carousel.  Use your contrada colors!

Follow the directions here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65HaeSs4wfE

or 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XnXK0hv-kQ

 LISTEN to some old time carousel music: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMclpUTpJUg

Isn’t My Name Magical? - Poetry Month

Isn’t My Name Magical?             Hear poet James Berry read his poem here:

                                                               https://childrens.poetryarchive.org/poem/isnt-my-name-magical/

              By James Berry

Nobody can see my name on me.
My name is inside
and all over me, unseen
like other people also keep it.
Isn’t my name magic?

My name is mine only.
It tells I am individual,
the one special person it shakes
when I’m wanted.

If I’m with hundreds of people
and my name gets called,
my sound switches me on to answer
like it was my human electricity.
Isn’t that magical?

My name echoes across playground,
it comes, it demands my attention.
I have to find out who calls,
who wants me for what.
My name gets blurted out in class,
it is a terror, at a bad time,
because somebody is cross.

My name gets called in a whisper
I am happy, because
my name may have touched me
with a loving voice.
Isn’t it all magic?

Copyright: from Only One of Me (Macmillan, 2004), copyright © James Berry 2004, used by permission of the author.

ACTIVITY:  What is magical about your name? Were you named after a family member or someone famous? Did your family choose a name when you were born, or had they planned it for a long time?

This poem pairs nicely with the book and video read aloud, Chrysanthemum written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes (posted next 4/20/20).