Writers often say that your brain is a bit like a muscle—the more you exercise it, the stronger it gets. It’s good to give yourself some regular mental exercises to help build your creativity over time, so your poetry will keep developing and improving. (The good news is that brain exercises don’t make you ache as much as push-ups!)

A great exercise that doesn’t need any special equipment—and that you can do anywhere at any time—is to describe the color of the sky.

Sounds really simple, right?!

Well, it can be simple to begin with, but the reason this exercise works so well is because your descriptions can become more and more elaborate as your creative muscles get stronger. The idea is to make sure every description is different!

When you start, you might just be able to come up with one word at a time. Luckily, the sky is always changing, so even if you do this exercise every day, you will still have lots of different colors and moods to describe.

A bonus is that, as well as strengthening your creativity and imagination, you will also be working out your powers of observation. You will start to be able to see and pay attention to the difference between one blue sky and another; to notice when one gray seems gentle and one seems hard; to spot all the different shades of pink, orange, purple, yellow or red (or even green!) that appear; to recognize similarities to other objects.

Some of my favorite skies have been:

• The sky that was yellowish-gray like unwashed sports socks
• The sky like fields of dandelions
• The sky like the opening credits of the Simpsons
• The sky like clouded dark chocolate
• The sky that was racing away

Don’t worry if you sometimes feel like you’re stuck! That is the moment to keep searching for a description. When you find the right one you will feel like you’ve made a real breakthrough! You will find some tips on using similes and metaphors here.

If you want to write down your descriptions in a notebook so you can use them in the future you can, but the most important thing is to flex those creativity muscles, and stretch your powers of description!

Have you heard of “book spine poetry?” It’s a kind of poetry that you don’t really write from scratch – instead, you “find” it by arranging book titles to make a poem. This type of poem can be serious or funny, just like in regular poetry.

Here’s the basic idea. Imagine that you’re sitting at a table with all of these books in front of you:

• Green Eggs and Ham
• Goodnight Moon
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar
• Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
• Oh, The Places You’ll Go
• Where the Wild Things Are
• Good Night, Gorilla
• Stone Soup

To make a book spine poem, you would start by moving these books around into stacks with the spines together so that the titles are like the lines of a poem. You would keep moving the book titles around into different stacks until you find the “lines” that go best together to make a poem. For example, one set of titles might describe a story:

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
Oh, The Places You’ll Go
Where the Wild Things Are

In this story, if you let the pigeon drive the bus, you might end up going a lot of unexpected places.

Here is a different kind of story:

Green Eggs and Ham
Stone Soup
The Very Hungry Caterpillar

In this story, the caterpillar is hungry because the only food to eat is stuff that doesn’t taste very good.

Another way that you can use book titles to make a poem is to create an imaginary conversation, as in this very short example:

Good Night, Gorilla
Goodnight Moon

For inspiration and other examples, check out these websites where other people have posted pictures of their book spine poems:

• http://100scopenotes.com/2013/04/02/2013-book-spine-poem-gallery/
• http://thelocoteacher.blogspot.com/2012/04/book-spine-poetry.html
• http://pinterest.com/pspl/book-spine-poetry/

Okay, ready to make your own book spine poetry?

First, you’ll need some books. The best place to create book spine poetry is in a library, where you’ll have access to all the books you need!

Next, you’ll need a pencil and paper. Choose one small area of the library to work in, so that you don’t get overwhelmed. If you tried to use all of the book titles in the whole library, it might take you weeks to write your poems!

Walk around the small area that you’ve chosen, looking for interesting book titles, and write down the best ones. (It’s probably not a good idea to pull down every single book that has a good title, which would make a huge pile for the poor librarian to put away later.) As you write down titles, you might notice some that seem to go together to tell a funny or interesting story.

Once you have an idea which books you’ll need for three or four poems, then it’s time to actually pull out those books and set them on a table. You’ll be able to move around the books in order to change the order of the titles until you find the arrangement that sounds the best. If there is a missing “line” in your poem, it’s okay to use the card catalog or ask a librarian for help in locating a book title that would be just right.

When you have several finished book spine poems, you can document them by taking pictures. If you come up with some good ones, I’d love to see them and perhaps post them with this lesson. Click here to contact me and I’ll tell you how to email your pictures.

Your world is shaped by the information you take in through your senses.  You know which ice cream you like best because of your taste buds.  You know that you shouldn’t touch the stove top because of your sense of touch.  The sirens warn you to get out of the way!  And most importantly, your sense of smell keeps you away from the toxic stench emanating from the facilities after your brother spends an hour “resting!”

But what if you couldn’t trust those senses anymore?  That’s exactly what happens in the following poem, where the character’s senses turn up all backward.  Imagine describing the spray of a skunk as delightful, and the smell of a rose as hideous.  People would think you were crazy!  Do you think this poem is a bit crazy?

My Senses All Are Backward

My senses all are backward
and it really makes me wonder
if on the day that I was born
somebody made a blunder.

For, strange but true, my senses
all got totally reversed.
Now everything I like the best
is what you’d call the worst.

I only like the smell of things
that frighten other noses.
I love the odor of a skunk.
I hate the smell of roses.

I only like the taste of foods
that cause most folks to shiver.
I hate the taste of chocolate.
I’m crazy over liver.

I’m not too fond of music
but there’s simply no denying
I like the sound of honking horns
and little babies crying.

I hate the feel of silky, velvet
softness on my skin.
I much prefer the way it feels
when sitting on a pin.

I hate the look of anything
that’s really cute and snuggly.
The things I think are pretty
are what most consider ugly.

So let me tell you one more thing
before I have to go:
I think YOU are the most attractive
person that I know.

–Kenn Nesbitt

Wait, did the poet just make a really sly dig at me?  Look what happens when your senses get flip-flopped.  This guy can’t really trust his senses any more, can he?  The real question is, can YOU trust YOURS?  Try out this next project to see if you can trust your own sense of smell.

What you’ll need

• 6 Plastic eggs, each a different color (like the type used for Easter Baskets)
• 12 Cotton Balls
• 2 sheets of paper and 2 pencils
• Various liquid scents

You can use anything liquid with a strong odor that won’t spoil.  Here’s what I used:  Vanilla extract, pickle juice, lilac scented air freshener spray, peppermint extract, Old Spice spray deodorant, garlic oil

Directions

1. On a sheet of paper, write down the color of each egg.
2. Separate the cotton balls into pairs, two cotton balls per egg.
3. Squirt a little bit of one scent on the first pair of cotton balls.  You want them scented, but not soaked.
4. Place the two scented cotton balls into one colored plastic egg and snap it shut.
5. Write the scent on the sheet of paper next to the corresponding color.
6. Repeat steps 3 – 5 until all of the eggs are used and the color-scent combinations are written down.

To Play the Game

1. Hand a blank sheet of paper and a pencil to your friend.
2. Ask them to write down the colors of the eggs on the paper.
3. Hand them one egg and ask them to sniff it.  Explain that they need to try to guess what smell is inside the egg.
4. Ask them to write their guess next to the egg color on the paper.
5. Next to their guess, have them write one adjective that describes the smell (i.e. sweet, spicy, funky, gross)
6. Repeat until they have guessed all of the eggs.
7. Tell them what was actually in the eggs!
8. Repeat with another friend as many times as you like!

To Write a Poem

Once you have gathered the guessing-papers from your game, you can use the answers to write your very own “smelly poem!”  Choose one of the colored egg contents as the focus of the poem.  Write down all of the guesses and the adjectives in your poetry journal.  Add some words of your own if you want to!  Use your notes to write a silly poem about smells.  Here’s the one I wrote from the words used to describe vanilla, and the guesses about what was in the egg.

Vanilla

Is it ice cream, is it cookies, maybe it’s a pastry?
It smells so sweet and yummy,
Creamy, delicious, tasty.
If you let me open it, I’ll eat it,
Yes, I will-a.
You know that I always love
The flavor of vanilla!

This lesson plan uses descriptive examples to explain what personification means and how it is used in poetry. Students will read poem excerpts in which examples of personification are identified. Then, they will create their own poetic sentences and short poems using personification.

Personification means using human qualities or actions to describe an object or an animal. The word “personification” actually contains the word “person,” and to personify an object means to describe it as if it were a person. Instead of saying that the sun is shining, we might say that the sun is smiling down at us. Instead of describing a flag as moving in the wind, we could say that the flag is dancing.

Using a human word to describe an object can make a poetic image seem more vivid. It can also give us an idea about how the narrator (the person describing the object) is feeling toward the object. For example, “The sun was smiling down at me” seems to indicate that the narrator has positive feelings about the sunshine. On the other hand, a narrator who says “The sun was glaring down” seems to have negative feelings about it.

Here are some examples of personification in excerpts from famous poems. In these examples, the object is in italics (like this) and the human-like action or quality is underlined (like this).

The Sky is Low
by Emily Dickinson

The sky is low, the clouds are mean…

Trees
by Joyce Kilmer

A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair…

April Rain Song
by Langston Hughes

The rain plays a little sleep-song on our roof at night…

Exercise 1

First, make a list of 10 action verbs that describe things that humans do.

Now, take a look around the room and write down 10 objects that you see.

Look at your two lists and find funny or interesting ways to combine the objects with the verbs. For example, you might come up with “pencil laughing” or “sandwich whispers.” Use these word combinations to create poetic sentences about each object. For example: “My ham sandwich whispers loudly that it hates being wrapped in plastic.”

Exercise 2

Using one of the personification sentences you wrote in Exercise 1, create an entire poem about the object. Your poem does not have to rhyme, but it should be at least 4 lines long.

Have you ever been raising your hand so long that it starts to tingle, go numb, and you swear it’s going to fall off any second… but the teacher just doesn’t call your name? In this poem, the kid in the very back of the class is going through just that.

I Raised My Hand in Class

I raised my hand in class this morning,
sitting in the back.
The teacher didn’t see, I think.
Instead she called on Jack.

I stretched my hand up higher,
but she called on Zach and Zoe.
I started bouncing up and down,
but, still, she called on Chloe.

I waved my arms but, even so,
she didn’t call on me.
She called on Bryan, Brooklyn, Billy,
Bailey, Ben, and Bree.

She called on Taylor, Tristan, Thomas,
Trinity, and Ty.
Then, finally, she called my name.
I breathed a heavy sigh.

She asked me for the answer.
I just frowned and clenched my knees,
and said, “I’ve no idea,
but could I use the bathroom, please?”

–Kenn Nesbitt

Now, imagine that you had something to get your teacher’s attention, in a quiet way, of course. How about a foam hand extender?! You know the type. You see them touting your team’s #1 status at basketball and baseball games. But you’re #1, too, right? Let’s make a mini version of the foam hand to tell your teacher, “Call on me!”

Foam Hand Extender Craft Project

Materials:

• Two sheets of sticky-back foam
• 1 Ruler
• 1 marker for tracing
• Sticky foam letters/markers, etc. for decorating
• Scissors

Instructions:

1. Trace an outline of your hand on the front (non-sticky) side of one foam sheet.
2. Lay the sheet with the tracing back-to-back with the second sheet of foam. The paper-covered sticky sides should be touching each other.
3. Cut along the marker lines. You will end up with two hand shapes, mirror images of one another.
4. Peel the backing off of one hand shape.
5. Lay the ruler on the exposed sticky surface, about two inches in. (see photo)
6. Peel the paper off the sticky side of the second hand shape. Carefully match it to the hand with the ruler stuck to it, pressing down firmly to secure the ruler between the two hand shapes. (see photo)
7. Decorate with markers, pom-poms, stickers and more!
8. To remember the poem, print it out small enough to cut and paste on the back of the hand!

Now your teacher is sure to see you way in the back, with your unique super-long “call on me” hand… which also works great for swatting flies.

Personification is one tool that writers use to bring their words to life. You can imagine a “sleeping meadow,” or darkness that crept in on the moon’s billowing cape. But personification doesn’t just have to be beautiful or haunting… it can also be really funny!

In the following poem, it is the personification of what the banana is unable to do that makes the experience hilarious. When you read the poem out loud, imagine the banana actually doing these things! Now, imagine your disappointment if you actually thought a banana could fetch and run and bow.

I Bought a Pet Banana

I bought a pet banana
and I tried to teach him tricks,
but he wasn’t any good at
catching balls or fetching sticks.

He could never catch a Frisbee,
and he wouldn’t sit or speak,
though we practiced every afternoon
and evening for a week.

He refused to shake or wave or crawl
or beg or take a bow,
and I tried, but couldn’t make him bark
or get him to meow.

He was terrible at playing dead.
He couldn’t jump a rope.
When he wouldn’t do a single trick
I simply gave up hope.

Though I liked my pet banana,
I returned him with regret.
Boy, I sure do hope this watermelon
makes a better pet.

–Kenn Nesbitt

So, the banana makes a really bad pet. Do you think a watermelon would be better, or do you think this kid is going to be disappointed again? In the following activity, you’ll learn how to turn an ordinary apple into your very own pet fruit. Maybe you’ll be able to train yours to sit, speak, and play dead. Or maybe just play dead!

Pet Apple Project

Materials:

• 1 firm apple (you can also use pears, peaches, or even melons)
• Pepitos (pumpkin seed kernels) or slivered almonds
• 2 mini marshmallows
• 2 raisins
• 1 fruit snack
• 2 Tooth picks
• Knife or pumpkin carver

Directions:

1. If you are planning on eating your pet (ew, gross), make sure you wash your fruit and dry it first.
2. With a knife or pumpkin carver (for younger children), slice a wedge out of the front by slicing at a downward angle toward the middle. Then move your knife down about a centimeter and slice at an upward angle. You will cut an open mouth.
3. Stick pepitos or almonds into the top and bottom of the mouth to make teeth.
4. Break a toothpick in half.
5. Place one raisin on top of each marshmallow. Spear one with half of the tooth pick. Repeat with the other half-toothpick, marshmallow and raisin.
6. Press the tooth-picked eyes into the apple a little bit above the mouth. Keep pressing until the broken end of the toothpick is no longer visible and the eyes are secure.
7. Break another toothpick and secure a fruit snack for a nose in the same way you secured the eyes.
8. Your monster is done. Clean up the mess… Pet’s make lots of messes you know.

Now you can decorate your pet any way you like, and be sure to give it a name! The one in the picture’s name is Al Apple. Does your apple make a better pet than the banana in the poem?

Did you know that kids have been skipping rope—or playing some type of very similar game—for hundreds of years? In the United States, skipping rope was a common way for city kids to play in the streets together from the early 1900s through the 1940s. A special version of jumping rope, called Double Dutch because it uses two jump ropes at the same time, was introduced to the children of New York City by Dutch families who had immigrated to America. Double Dutch later became a competitive sport worldwide.

Kids today still enjoy chanting or singing rhyming poems while they skip rope. Jump-rope rhymes allow you to combine the fun of poetry with the physical activity of skipping rope—a great way to stay physically fit while entertaining your brain!

Some of the jump-rope rhymes that you’ve heard on the playground or at the park are probably the same ones that your parents or grandparents used to recite when they were kids. Maybe you know this one:

Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack
All dressed in black, black, black
With silver buttons, buttons, buttons
All down her back, back, back
She asked her mother, mother, mother
For fifty cents, cents, cents
To see the elephant, elephant, elephant
Jump over the fence, fence, fence
He jumped so high, high, high
He touched the sky, sky, sky
And he didn’t come back, back, back
Till the Fourth of July, July, July

In “Miss Mary Mack,” the last word of each line is repeated. In some other jump-rope rhymes, instead of repeated words, there is counting included in the rhyme. Here is one example:

Cinderella
Dressed in yellow
Went upstairs to kiss her fellow
Made a mistake
Kissed a snake
How many doctors did it take?
One, two, three, four…

Sometimes the words of jump-rope rhymes have changed a little over time or in different places. For example, here’s one that you might hear differently in different parts of the United States:

Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn around
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the ground
Teddy bear, teddy bear, go upstairs
Teddy bear, teddy bear, say your prayers
Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn out the light
Teddy bear, teddy bear, say goodnight

Instead of “Teddy bear, teddy bear,” you might hear a version of this rhyme that uses the words “Ladybug, ladybug” or “Butterfly, butterfly.”

Jump-rope rhymes are meant to be chanted out loud, sometimes by one person and sometimes by a group of kids together. Some jump-rope rhymes are like songs, with their own special tunes, while other ones are simply spoken out loud in a singsong way to emphasize certain syllables, like this:

TED-dy bear, TED-dy bear, TURN a-ROUND.
TED-dy bear, TED-dy bear, TOUCH the GROUND.

If you’d like to read more about jump-rope rhymes, and maybe even give a few of them a try, here are some books you may enjoy:

• Jump Rope Magic (by Afi Scruggs)
• Schoolyard Rhymes: Kids’ Own Rhymes for Rope-Skipping, Hand Clapping, Ball Bouncing, and Just Plain Fun (by Judy Sierra)
• Double Dutch: A Celebration of Jump Rope, Rhyme, and Sisterhood (by Veronica Chambers)
• Red Hot Peppers: The Skookum Book of Jump Rope Games, Rhymes, and Fancy Footwork (by Bob Boardman)

And remember, nearly any rhyming poem with a good rhythm can be turned into a jump rope rhyme. You might want to try jumping rope while chanting one of my rhyming poems out loud—or even write one of your own!

When it comes to poetry recitals, it’s not unusual to feel a bit nervous; why not lighten the mood by turning the event into a game?

Whether your group are studying a particular poem, poet or topic – or whether you’ve been writing your own poems – you can bring some excitement to the event by creating a ‘lucky-dip’. A ‘lucky-dip’ is a British game, where small prizes are concealed inside a large container, and players have to reach inside and grab one without being able to see what it is. In this recital game, the prizes are the poetry!

Getting Ready

First, decide what you will be reciting. The text will need to be printed onto slips of paper. If you have been looking at one particular poem, each slip could have one line or phrase; if you have been studying a poet, or a theme, the slips could have short extracts of relevant poems; if your group have written their own poems, each one could be printed on an individual slip… Make sure you have enough printed slips for everybody in the group to receive one!

Next, find 2 large hats, buckets, pillowcases or similar containers. You could even get the group to decorate 2 cardboard boxes to match the theme of the recital! Fold all the slips of paper and hide them inside one of the hats.

Now you need to print the names of everyone who will be participating onto additional slips of paper (you could make these a different color so you don’t get mixed up!) and these are folded up to go into the other hat.

How It Works…

You are now ready to begin the game. You can be informal and get the group to stand in a circle, or you could set up a ‘stage’ area if you want to be a bit more dramatic.

When everyone is ready, it’s time to pull the first name from the hat. That player can then come and take a ‘lucky dip’ from the other hat, and their task is to recite the poetry text to the rest of the group! Accomplished readers can deliver their recital immediately or, alternatively, you can wait until everyone has drawn their text from the hat before going back to the first person and asking them to read (this gives a little preparation time if necessary.)

After the first player has given their recital (or chosen their slip to read), they can then pick another name out of the first hat to decide who goes next, until everybody has had a turn.

Make sure you reward each player with a big round of applause, and three cheers to celebrate when everybody has had a turn and the ‘lucky dip’ recital game is finished!

Tips

• If the slips make up the lines or couplets from a single poem, you can number the slips. Then players can read them in the numbered order to recite the entire poem.
• I have some tips for delivering a great recital here. You could share some of these with the group beforehand.
• This activity should be about making recital fun, and taking out the fear factor – it’s ok if someone stumbles or makes a mistake!
• If your group enjoy this sort of activity, why not invite an audience next time?

Beginning in 1996, April has been declared National Poetry Month in the US. This tradition was started by the Academy of American Poets to celebrate poets and the wonderful things that poetry can bring to our lives.

There are plenty of ways for kids to celebrate National Poetry Month. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

1. Write out your favorite poem in sidewalk chalk. Include a message inviting others to add their own poem (be sure to leave a basket of chalk for them to use). Then check again later to see what new poems have arrived.
2. Try your hand at a brand-new way of writing a poem, something you’ve never tried before. If you’re not sure where to begin, check out my page of poetry writing lessons for instructions on how to write an acrostic, a “found poem,” a limerick, or another interesting poetic form.
3. If you frequently write letters or emails to a friend or family member, start including a poem with each message. Ask the other person to include poems in their messages, too.
4. Invite your family to help you create a poetry treasure hunt. Each person should find (or write) one or two poems about everyday things and then hide them around the house. For example, a poem about stinky socks could end up taped to the laundry basket.
5. Ask your teacher to help you organize a poetry reading for your classroom or grade. Each kid who participates can read their favorite poem or share their own poetry.
6. Choose a classic poem to memorize with a friend or family member. You can help each other learn the poem through practice and repetition. At the end of the month, amaze your family and friends by reciting the poem out loud together!
7. Participate in “Poem In Your Pocket Day” on Thursday, April 13, by carrying a poem in your pocket to share with others. Many other people will be doing the same thing. In fact, the entire town of Charlottesville, Virginia, will be celebrating by passing out poems to each other! If you’re looking for an easy way to find pocket-sized poems, check out the book Poem in Your Pocket for Young Poets, which even has tear-out pages.

However you decide to celebrate National Poetry Month, have fun sharing your love of poetry with others!

Here are some of the poetry writing lessons  I have written. These should help you learn to write your own poems as well.

How to Write Funny Poetry

• Chapter 1: Writing Poetry
• Chapter 2: How to Rhyme
• Chapter 3: Choosing a Topic
• Chapter 4: Making it Funny

Poetic Forms

A poetic “form” is a set of rules for writing a certain type of poem. These rules can include the number of lines or syllables the poem should have, the placement of rhymes, and so on. Here are lessons for writing several common poetic forms.

• How to Write an Acrostic Poem
• How to Create Book Spine Poetry
• How to Write a Cinquain Poem
• How to Write a Clerihew
• How to Write a Concrete or “Shape” Poem
• How to Write a Diamante Poem
• How to Create a “Found Poem”
• How to Write a Free Verse Poem
• How to Write a Haiku
• How to Write a Limerick
• How to Write a Tanka Poem

Other Poetry Styles

There are many different styles of poems. These are not “poetic forms” because they don’t usually have firm rules about length, syllable counts, etc., but they are common enough that many well-known children’s poets have written poems like these.

• How to Write an Apology Poem
• How to Write a “Backward” Poem
• How to Write an Exaggeration Poem
• How to Write a Funny Epitaph Poem
• How to Write a Funny List Poem
• How to Write a Fractured Nursery Rhyme
• How to Write Riddle Rhymes
• How to Write a “Roses are Red” Valentine’s Day Poem
• How to Write a Silly Song Parody

Reciting Poetry

• How to Host an Open Mic Poetry Party
• How to Recite a Poem Like an Expert

Other Poetry Lessons

• Describe the Sky – A Poetry Creativity Workout
• Evoking the Senses in a Poem
• How to Start a Poetry Journal
• “Forced Rhymes” and How to Avoid Them
• Twenty Fun Writing Prompts for Kids

Poetry Lesson Plans for Teachers

• Alliteration and Assonance Lesson Plan
• Onomatopoeia Poetry Lesson Plan
• Personification Poetry Lesson Plan
• Rhyme Schemes Lesson Plan
• Simile and Metaphor Lesson Plan

Video Poetry Lessons

• How to Rhyme – A video poetry writing lesson

Poetry Dictionary for Kids

When reading these lessons, you may come across some unfamiliar words. If you see a poetic term and don’t know what it means, you can always look it up here.

• Poetry Dictionary for Kids