"Poetry break!" A Boy and His Dog

Poetry break a video by Amy Merrill1 on Flickr.

This is a poem for two voices. One voice is the boy and the other, is his dog. This simple poem is easy to read and even more fun to dramatize! With a friend, take turns being the different voices, as you act out the poem. Or you can use a favorite stuffed dog and you can do both parts. In this video, the dog's part is played by my daughter, Sienna and her stuffed dog. Thanks Sienna!

  "A Boy and His Dog" by Zaro Weil

, a photo by Amy Merrill1 on Flickr.

Mother Goose Monday: A Tea Pary

, a photo by Amy Merrill1 on Flickr.

Mother Goose has been invited to a a Mother's Day Tea Party! She's received her invitation and is ready for tea. Two rhymes that go perfectly for this time of year are: "Polly Put the Kettle On" and "I'm a Little Teapot!"

Mother Goose has brought her tea kettle, tea, cup and saucer, as well as a little tablecloth, and a dainty doily. What perfect time to talk about etiquette (party manners) for a tea party! Don't forget to lift your cup and hold out your pinky as you sip your tea!

 

"Polly Put the Kettle On"                        by Mother Goose
 Polly, put the kettle on.
Polly, put the kettle on.
Polly, put the kettle on.
We’ll all have tea.

Sukey, take it off again.
Sukey, take it off again.
Sukey, take it off again.
They’ve all gone away.

Origami & Poetry ~ Perfect Partners!

It's Poetry Friday!  Celebrate with me!  Today's round-up is being hosted by Elizabeth Steinglass.  Visit her blog, Growing Wild to link to many wonderful Poetry Friday posts!

One of my favorite poets is Kristine O'Connell George.  Her many poems seem to celebrate the simple joys of childhood.  Two of those joyful simplicities are playfulness and possessing an  imagination.  I adore her book, Fold Me a Poem.  It is a lovely collection of poems about animals created by Origami, the Japanese art of paper folding.  One of my favorite "Poetry Breaks!" is accompanied by a quick demonstration on how to fold an Origami dog.  I begin with a brief explanation of Origami, followed by the reading of a few poems from Fold Me a Poem.  Displaying the bright, bold, and beautiful illustrations that Lauren Stringer created to accompany George's poetry is always intriguing for students and it helps those who are unfamiliar with Origami, to get a better understanding of it. 

I also booktalk and introduce George's adorable Little Dog Poems and Little Dog and Duncan books ~ two sublime books of poetry for dog-lovers!

Be sure to check out all of the great Origami resources and links on Kristine O'Connell George's website!

Click here for directions on how to fold an Origami dog. 

Below are some photos of my "Poetry Break!" that pairs George's poetry with the folding of an Origami dog.

Poetry and Origami inspired one of my students ~ the day following my "Poetry Break!" she brought a little Origami book from her own collection.  It was about folding pets.  She showed me the various animals that her book demonstrated how to create and declared, that we needed to fold a cat and that, "now I need to learn a poem about cats!"

, a photo by Amy Merrill1 on Flickr.

, a photo by Amy Merrill1 on Flickr.

, a photo by Amy Merrill1 on Flickr.