My Kids' Poetry, Central Casting, and More
On the advice of the school, we played around with buttons and envelopes over the weekend, sorting and organizing and discussing similarities/differences. This, apparently, is the "new math," which I think is a crock (and I will be yanking my boy out of that school next year faster than you can say "backtothebasics," but that, my friends, is another story . . .).
Anyway, to make the activity our own (ooohhh, I sound like Simon Cowell, commenting on a singer), we moved onto typical speech and language tasks: "Put the big red button beside the envelope . . . now, where is the big red button?" Then, we decided to seal our favorite buttons up into the envelopes, and write poems about them.
Here's one:
Buttons feel good.
Buttons play on a map.
Buttons eat yarn,
then fall asleep in ketchup.
They take a bath in a coffee pot.
and number two:
Buttons are hard.
They are different.
The button says "boom,"
then he rolls away,
and gets stuck under
a tunnel.
And the button knocks
something down.
Glass falls.
Some dark undertones to the second, don't ya think?
After the 'dillas on Sunday, we trudged over to the library (a Washington Post reporter took a picture of us--made me feel a bit giddy and Lindsay Lohan-ish), where we picked up a bunch of poetry books, including Early Moon by Carl Sandburg, It's Hard to Read a Map with a Beagle on Your Lap by Marilyn Singer, and Here's What You Can Do When You Can't Find Your Shoe by Andrea Perry. The "Beagle" book is our favorite--there's a sharp little poem in there about a Mexican Hairless dog and knit underpants.
I started my certificate class at Johns Hopkins last night (this class marks the halfway point). I'm always nervous walking in but I'm crazy about a syllabus so once that was passed out, I settled down. It seems incredible to me that you can plunk a graduate class from one semester down on top of one from another (even eleven years later) and the cast of characters are virtually interchangeable. I think I'm the non-traditional, non-traditional student. In the movie version of my life, I'd be so bold as to pick Christina Ricci to play me.
Mark Wahlberg can play Lou.
Anyway, to make the activity our own (ooohhh, I sound like Simon Cowell, commenting on a singer), we moved onto typical speech and language tasks: "Put the big red button beside the envelope . . . now, where is the big red button?" Then, we decided to seal our favorite buttons up into the envelopes, and write poems about them.
Here's one:
Buttons feel good.
Buttons play on a map.
Buttons eat yarn,
then fall asleep in ketchup.
They take a bath in a coffee pot.
and number two:
Buttons are hard.
They are different.
The button says "boom,"
then he rolls away,
and gets stuck under
a tunnel.
And the button knocks
something down.
Glass falls.
Some dark undertones to the second, don't ya think?
After the 'dillas on Sunday, we trudged over to the library (a Washington Post reporter took a picture of us--made me feel a bit giddy and Lindsay Lohan-ish), where we picked up a bunch of poetry books, including Early Moon by Carl Sandburg, It's Hard to Read a Map with a Beagle on Your Lap by Marilyn Singer, and Here's What You Can Do When You Can't Find Your Shoe by Andrea Perry. The "Beagle" book is our favorite--there's a sharp little poem in there about a Mexican Hairless dog and knit underpants.
I started my certificate class at Johns Hopkins last night (this class marks the halfway point). I'm always nervous walking in but I'm crazy about a syllabus so once that was passed out, I settled down. It seems incredible to me that you can plunk a graduate class from one semester down on top of one from another (even eleven years later) and the cast of characters are virtually interchangeable. I think I'm the non-traditional, non-traditional student. In the movie version of my life, I'd be so bold as to pick Christina Ricci to play me.
Mark Wahlberg can play Lou.
posted by Cate at 8:50 AM
7 Comments:
Is that Mark Wahlberg from Fear or Mark Wahlberg from his Marky Mark days?
Anyway, loved the poems. They are both unique and fitting to their personalities.
Love ya!
Mark Wahlberg from Fear. Is that okay? xo
As long as its looks and not temperament, its fine! :)
What kind of program is it? Writing?
The books sound great--and I loved the poems. I am so excited to see A grow up enough so that we can stuff like that.
Mardougrrl,
We're just starting to explore poetry--I'm sort of winging it, but at the minimum, I think they're appreciating language a bit more! I can't wait to hear about the kinds of things that you will do with Madam!
The program is for teaching students with Autism. I'm too intimidated to take any kind of writing classes! :) xo
"I'm too intimidated to take any kind of writing classes!"
WHAT????? You one of the most masterful of all bloggers initimated?
Hell girl, you could be teaching those writing classes.
The second button poem was great. It reminded me of a man struggling with his sexual identity.
xo,
Lisa (otters43x365.blogspot.com)
Oh my girls scared of writing classes. Don't be. I have first hand knowledge the two of you would do just fine! Your beautiful words are inspiration and no that isn't some cheesy statement said to make you feel good. It is the truth. Hugs!
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