A Slice of Sky

The new worksheet has been uploaded. It’s entitled ”Thesaurus and Poems”. Hope you have

fun with the ideas suggested!

And…

Here are some books that go well with the thanksgiving season:

“The Turkey Girl” by Penny Pollock, illustrated by Ed Young.1996. Picture book. Ages 6-9. A good laugh about a wish-granting turkey and a girl who wishes to attend the Dance of the Sacred bird.

“Molly’s Pilgrim” by Barbara Cohen, illustrated by Daniel M. Duffy, 1998. Picture Book, Ages

6-9. A thought-provoking story about how a little girl feels about showing off her

Russian pilgrim doll to her classmates.

“The First Thanksgiving” by Jean Craighead, illistrated by Thomas Locker. 1993. Putnam. Ages

6-9. A picture book about how Squanto comes to the rescue of the pilgrims.

Blessed thanksgiving!

Hi, I will be posting a new worksheet soon on how to use a thesaurus when you write poems with you children. The whole idea has to do with bringing the image taht you have in mind to a sharper focus.

I have been penning down some poetry of my own as I think about how my two children are growing up. How do you give them roots and wings at the same time? Our mothers and grandmothers before them have done so: how will I pass on the legacy as it were? What kind of legacy do I want to pass on to my children?

I tend to get more reflective toward the end of the year. It think there is one word for it -brooding !  You know you are getting older, and perhaps, a little wiser.  There is much in the world today to rejoice over- nature for one, good friends, family, wholesome books and God’s faithfulness. There is also much to grieve over -war, lost children,  the silent pain men and women carry. And then what do we do? We need to have courage. It is time to be brave, as we once were , on  that first venture into the darkness of the bathroom late at night, that first step into the classroom, that first break-up .

I digress. This is supposed to be about the new worksheet that’s coming soon!

This activity requires your child to focus on the details when writing a poem. You can actually do this activity alongside your child and then compare the interpretations.

First, choose a picture of a place. It could be as expansive as  the sea or a little room in a ghetto.

Ask your child, the following questions:

-  What else do you think could be in this picture ?

For example, a boat ( when it’s the picture of the sea. The boat is not in the picture. The question is about ‘what-if’s)

Then, write on a piece of paper ( you write so it doesn’t ‘block’ your child’s train of thought):  On the sea, there is a boat.

Then ask your child the next questions: What is in the boat ? Who is in the boat?

(If your child is up to it, let her do the asking of questions. Or you could take turns.)

Then, your add the next line tothe poem.

“On the sea, there is a boat.

In the boat, there is a dog. ”

Again, ask questions about what has just been written: What is the dog doing? Is it alone? Why is it there?

Add another line:

“On the sea, there is a boat.

In the boat, there is a dog.

By the dog, an old man.”

Ask the next questions: What is the old man doing? What does he want?

Add the next line or lines:

“On the sea , there is a boat.

In the boat , there is a dog.

By the dog, an old man,

adorned in green satin with red ribbons

on his wings,

looking for land to sleep in.”

Some ideas of what to do with the fairytale –Sleeping Beauty.

1. The king and queen and those in their court were supposed to have slept for a hundred years. Together with your child, list down the changes that would have taken place outside.

-Which of those changes would have been very difficult for the king’s family when they woke from their hundred-year sleep ?

2. Imagine that Sleeping Beauty did not like the prince when he woke her up. What would she have done? How would the story end?

“Katie and the Sunflowers” by James Mayhew, 2000. Picture Book. Orchard Books. Ages 4-6.

Engaging introduction for young ones to the works of Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin and Paul Cezanne. There are startlingly gorgeous reproductions of the artists’ works in the book so that flipping through the pages itself becomes a real visual treat!

The story begins when Katie and her grandmother decide to visit the art gallery. As grandma sits down to rest, Katie wonders off on her own. The first picture she sees is Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers”. “Perhaps I could grow the seeds in my garden,” Katie says to herself. She reaches for the sunflowers in the picture and they spill out of the picture frame! Katie rushes through the gallery, entering paintings and bringing the various characters through the gallery with her on an adventure of sorts.

Try reading the rest in the series: “Katie’s Picture Show”, “Katie Meets the Impressionists” and “Katie and the Mona Lisa”.