Slammin’ Poetry!

Think poetry is all hearts and flowers? Think again! What about song lyrics? Rap? Hip hop? Shakespearean drama? Teen novels in verse are hot too. Out there is a poem for YOU! And it may be inside you, just waiting for you to surface it…

Connect:

Ø      Nursery rhymes are childhood favorites around the world. Sometime nursery rhymes cross cultures. Explore http://itsasmallworld.co.nz/index.php. Do different cultures have different themes? Do you need to know about the culture to enjoy the rhyme? Do the rhyme patterns sound different? What feelings do the rhymes convey?

Ø      Some nursery rhymes change their meaning over time. In fact, some nursery rhymes start out as political statements. Listen to a discussion about their hidden meaning at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4933345. And here are the origins of ten nursery rhymes: http://listverse.com/2009/08/19/10-nursery-rhymes-and-their-origins/
Ø Dig music? You can learn about poetry. Parents, you can try the following ideas with your kids: http://www.corndancer.com/tunes/tunes_lesplan.html
Ø      Yee haw! What do cowboys do all day besides herding? Some of them write poetry. Lasso a few at http://www.westernfolklife.org/site1/

Ø      Find your roots in poetry. Here’s a site of African American poetry: http://www.aalbc.com/authors/poetsinfo.html 

Ø      Poets can start young. Connect with teen Canadian poets at http://www.youngpoets.ca/

Create:

Ø      It’s been said that if you keep a poem in your pocket, you’ll never be alone. Did you know there’s a “Poem in Your Pocket” Day? You can celebrate it with others – and create your own special poetry day. Look for ideas at http://www.youngpoets.ca/. This site also includes a poem-a-day app. It’s still a poem in your pocket!

Ø      What’s a haiku – and how do you create one? Here’s a good place to start: http://www.toyomasu.com/haiku/
Ø Get in shape with poetry: try writing concrete poetry -- check it out at http://www.wild-about-woods.org.uk/elearning/concretepoetry/

Ø      Make poetry a creative family habit. The International Reading Association provides simple tips for you parents to help your children create your own family of poetry: http://www.readwritethink.org/parent-afterschool-resources/tips-howtos/help-child-write-poem-30317.html

Ø      Want your own poetry page? Try Teen Space Poetry, and connect with other teen poets: http://www.ipl.org/div/teenpoet/

Ø      What’s a poetry slam? A chance to share your favorite poetry, including your own. It’s usually in the form of a competition, and you can do it just for fun too. This site -- http://www.poetryslam.com/ -- is a national organization, but you can do this as a family or community activity too. The American Library Association has a great site about poetry slams, and how to celebrate poetry: http://www.ala.org/yalsa/teenreading/trw/wayscelebrate

Care:

Poetry has been used to sooth and to incite. Poems connect the head and the heart, and move others. Here are some ways to use poetry to care for others.

Ø      The first poetry you heard was probably a lullaby. These are usually soothing sounds, although, let’s face it, “When the bough brakes the cradle will fall” doesn’t seem very calming!  Listen and read some lullabies from this collection: http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/lullabies.html. You can share your family lullabies and learn some new ones, and share them with little ones when you’re babysitting.

Ø      Protest poetry has a long tradition. Check out this website, which focuses on the history and impact of African American protest poetry: http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/freedom/1917beyond/essays/aaprotestpoetry.htm  Maybe you can think of something worth protesting about through writing poetry, such as cyberbullying. You can use the Teen Space Wiki to share your care.

Ø      Show you care by giving the gift of poetry. You can create a playlist of your favorite poems and lyrics read aloud by you, including your own writing, as a gift to a friend. You can also illustrate your favorite poems, including your own, as a special card. Or you can create a poetry poster using http://edu.glogster.com/, and post it online. Make sure to credit other people’s poems and images!

Career:

Can you make a living as a poet? It’s more than writing greeting cards! Here is a good starting point about careers in poetry:

http://www.textetc.com/modernist/career-in-poetry.html

Food for Thought

We eat to live – and maybe live to eat… and in a way, we are what we eat. The more we know about food, the better choices we can make about eating it – and the more we can appreciate the impact of food. Food can also be a creative pastime and even career. There’s lots of food for thought here.

Connect:

There is a palette of ways to think about food, and this site is a great place to start tasting: http://www.cspinet.org/smartmouth/index1.html

Now that your taste buds have been whetted, try a couple of the following activities.

> How do you know what’s good for your body to eat? Let’s start with a balanced meal: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

> Bone up on good food here: http://www.bestbonesforever.gov/

> What’s in your food? The contents may surprise you. Find out how to read food labels at http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/food/labels.html.  A fun activity is to cut out the food labels, and read aloud just the ingredients to your family – see how long it takes them to guess what the food is. Marshmallows may never look the same….

> How safe is your food? Check it out at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/educate.html> Where does food come from? Explore food chains at http://www.planetpals.com/foodchain.html

> There’s a science to cooking as you can find out at http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/

> Have you ever heard of bug juice? That’s sometimes what fruit punch is called at camp. But there really is bug food; explore the possibilities at http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/dept/bugfood1.asp

> And now for a little history: http://www.thenibble.com/REVIEWS/nutri/matter/2006-09.asp   history of the hot dog

http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/anthropology/utensil/index.html   http://inmamaskitchen.com/FOOD_IS_ART/pasta/historypasta.html

Create:

Let’s get creative with food!

> Try your hand at kid-friendly cooking at http://www.kids-cooking-activities.com  and http://www.spatulatta.com/

> Here’s a parent-approved way to play with food: http://www.goldeneggs.com.au/kids_crafty.asp

> Here’s everything you need to know about pumpkins, including how to grow them. A great ay to recycle your Halloween pumpkin is to make it into a pie! http://www.pumpkin-patch.com/

Care:

Food is very precious in some parts of the world. Is there enough food to feed everyone?  How can you help the food situation? This lesson plan has lots of good issues about food, and what you can do to help: http://learningtogive.org/lessons/unit358/lesson3.html

Here are some other sites where you can make a positive difference in terms of helping feed the world:

http://feedingamerica.org

http://www.kidscanmakeadifference.org/

http://www.thehungersite.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/CTDSites.woa/138

!! As you’re looking at ways to help out, know that not everyone is honest, so be careful as you locate “do-gooder” websites; some might be more interested in helping themselves than anyone else.

Careers:

Are you a foodie? You could make a living from being a food expert; in fact, the food industry is the largest business in the U.S. (which makes sense since everyone has to eat). Here is a list of 150 food-related jobs! http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/cookbook/2008/food-jobs/culinary-job-list.html#axzz1zOOao82j

> Find out more about careers in food at http://www.kidsarus.org/kids_go4it/your_future/food_industry.htm

> The Bureau of Labor Statistics discusses different food careers; start here at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Food-Preparation-and-Serving/Chefs-and-head-cooks.htm

> Become a Crime Scene Investigator: Check out page 1 of the family guide.

> Learn about several different forensic disciplines as you try to solve the murder of playboy Robert Hughes: http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/sgc-cms/expositions-exhibitions/detective-investigator/en/game/index.php