2014 Children's Poetry Celebration & Contest--Not All Poems Rhyme!!
April is National Poetry Month, and we are celebrating with the biggest online poetry celebration AND contest!!
This month I am joining forces with 17 other amazing bloggers who are passionate about education and poetry to bring you the 2014 Children's Poetry Celebration & Contest!
It is going to be HUGE!! Throughout April, these bloggers will be posting about child-friendly poetry topics, ranging from how to write I Am poems to poetry resources for homeschoolers to A.A. Milne and so much more! Readers have a chance to win a giveaway prize and parents and teachers can enter their students' poetry in the Children's Poetry Contest! All the details are here on the 2014 Children's Poetry Celebration & Contest page!! Also, be sure to join us on Facebook to stay current and enjoy the celebration!
Today, I will be sharing about how Not All Poems Rhyme, but first I want to recognize the amazing sponsors who are making this celebration exciting! Be sure read more about them all on the 2014 Children's Poetry Celebration & Contest page.
Sponsors:
Not all poems rhyme! Did you know? So, what exactly is a poem? A poem is a collection of words that expresses an idea in a vivid, imaginative, musical, or artistic way. Poems often use literary devices like rhyming, rhythm, alliteration, or metaphors, but are not required to contain any of these. A poem is required to share ideas in a unique way, or one that is different than our every-day language. Here is a poem that I wrote that does not rhyme:
Playroom
Busy! Busy! Busy!
Everyone is busy when they come to me.
I have Engineers who build train tracks,
Monster Truck Drivers,
Firemen,
Princesses,
Master Chefs,
Boat Racers,
Helicopter Drivers,
Architects,
Safari Adventurers,
and more.
Sometimes I am a desert.
Sometimes I am a volcanic mountain.
Sometimes I am an ocean.
Sometimes I am cave.
Everyone who comes to me is important.
Everyone who comes to me is busy.
Do you see how it is different than normal language? Normally, I could tell you about my playroom and the things we do there. But I would not normally talk as if I were the playroom. In a poem, though, I can talk as if I were the playroom...or anything else! It is only one way to make words a little more artistic.
Here are more examples of free verse poetry, all written by children! Enjoy reading them, and then try writing your own!
Here are three easy steps to follow to write your own poem:
1: What is something you feel strongly about? (something you love or hate or want or can't stand)
2: Write about it! What makes it special? What makes it unique? Find a unique way to tell us all about it. Don't worry about making it "good." Just write!
3: Now make it good great! Change the lines. Make it more artistic. Does it say what you want it to say? How do you feel when you read it?
If you're happy with your poem, submit it to the Children's Contest on the 2014 Children's Poetry Celebration & Contest. Save your poems in a special book or journal that you can read again on another day!
Be sure to join us all month to celebrate poetry!! And if you work with young children, go ahead and grab my {FREE} Poetry Unit for Preschoolers.
And remember to check out all the bloggers who will be hosting this poetry celebration! They are: Preschool Powol Packets ~ Homeschool Encouragement ~ Brave Writer's Life in Brief ~ Word Traveling ~ The Measured Mom ~ Wildflower Ramblings ~ Line Upon Line Learning ~ Teach Beside Me ~ Living to Learn ~ Vicky Arnold Blog ~ School Time Snippets ~ Creekside Learning ~ Are We There Yet ~ Look at What You Are Seeing ~ Look! We're Learning! ~ Our Homeschool Studio
I may share at any of these parties!
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