A Wee Bit of Poetry

In the last few weeks I have discovered that my kids love poetry. We have had a lot of fun reading Falling Up by Shel Silverstein - a few times. We have all of these daily reading requirements with Jack's school and more reading requirements for Andy. So Jack and I will work on his daily Take Home Library book, we will work on his site words and his spelling words and then we get to sit down with our poetry. I end up with both boys sitting on each side of me and looking at the book intently. Typically Andy wiggles his way into my lap and then gets his huge head in my way so that I cannot read the poem. Have you seen the size of that boys noggin? Anyhow, Natty usually sits on one of the chairs on the opposite side of the room reading her book but still listening in on the poems. There are a few favorites but at the top of the list is a poem called No. The kids laugh and laugh at this poem - perhaps it is more because of the last line and the accompanying picture. Anyway, for your reading pleasure here is the poem:

No by Shel Silverstein

No smoking
No spitting
No loitering
No littering
No drinking
No Eating
No Parking
No Speeding
No fishing
No floating
No swimming
No boating
No surfing
No hiking
No hunting
No biking
No running
No skipping
No skinny-dipping
No volleyball players
No spray can sprayers
No fly rod casters
No boom box blasters
No trash leavers
No Frisbee heavers
Hey - It didn't say no Beavers!

The picture is a big sign at the park that is fastened to a wooden post. The poem is written down the sign. The post has been completely chewed around and there is a beaver walking off and looking at the reader. The beaver says "Hey - it didn't say no beavers"! I like to add in "eh" at the end.

So there are many others that just make them laugh and laugh. It is great fun to read this with them. On a good day I make it very dramatic for them with random pauses in the poem. Then Jack will wake me up to get me rolling again.

We are looking forward to more poetry books for our collection. I know what I am putting on the Christmas list anyway. Tonight we mixed it up a bit and started reading It's not easy being Green. It is a Jim Henson, Muppet quote book and other thoughts. They were loving that one too and got to enjoy a special musical number by "John" doing his best Kermit the Frog impersonation and singing the Rainbow Connection. I am sure I will get to sing that a few hundred times in the coming weeks. We shall see.