We had a nice weekend, though it wasn't quite long enough. Remind me next winter when I am complaining of the cold that at least I don't have to spend hours of my weekend mowing and weed whacking.
(The strawberries are actually pretty tasteless, but I love their color!)
The kids and I spent some time on Sunday lounging on the deck drinking milkshakes and writing bad limericks in preparation for the poetry class today. I like haiku, but Travis and Katie both prefer limericks.
I was pretty nervous about teaching poetry to our homeschool book group, but it actually went very well. There were a few children missing, so we had about fifteen, which is a nice size. I had suggested that the children bring favorite poems, and most of them did, and they presented them very well (Katie was so cute reciting her "Sandpaper Kisses!"), and the children absolutely loved the Shel Silverstein poems I read (thanks Mom!), especially...
There was a girl named Abigail
Who was taking a drive
Through the country
With her parents
When she spied a beautiful sad-eyed
Grey and white pony.
And next to it was a sign
That said,
FOR SALE--CHEAP.
"Oh," said Abigail,
"May I have that pony?
May I please?"
And her parents said,
"No you may not."
And Abigail said,
"But I MUST have that pony."
And her parents said,
"Well, you can have a nice butter pecan
Ice cream cone when we get home."
And Abigail said,
"I don't want a butter pecan
Ice cream cone,
I WANT THAT PONY--
I MUST HAVE THAT PONY."
And her parents said,
"Be quiet and stop nagging--
You're not getting that pony."
And Abigail began to cry and said,
"If I don't get that pony I'll die."
And her parents said, "You won't die.
No child ever died yet from not getting a pony."
And Abigail felt so bad
That when she got home she went to bed,
And she couldn't eat,
And she couldn't sleep,
And her heart was broken,
And she DID die--
All because of a pony
That her parents wouldn't buy.
(This is a good story
To read to your folks
When they won't buy
You something you want.)
The kids seemed to really enjoy the writing we did, and even were enthusiastic about similes, metaphors, and onomatopoeia. The compliments I got from the moms and kids were so very gratifying that now I am worried about how things will go next week, since I can't possibly be lucky enough to have things go smoothly two weeks in a row. Travis benefited, though, as I gave him short, easy school assignments this afternoon, just to keep my "I'm a good teacher glow" going!
5 comments:
It sounds like you more than survived it!
You did well and even enjoyed it!
That's always a good feeling.
Good luck for upcoming classes.
You are brave! I am glad the class went well for you. Hopefully, next week will be even better!
Samantha just wandered in and I read that poem to her - Abigail and the Pony - and she said, "There! You see?" She's been begging us for a pony for about four years now! ;)
Elisheva,
Thanks! I Did enjoy it, which is amazing to me after all my years as a Shy Person.
Jules,
Glad I bolstered Samantha's case -- every girl should have a pony!
We're getting strawberries, too. :) They're a little tart, but still tasty.
I love Shel Silverstein, and so do the boys. :D
Oh, that sounds like such fun! In high school, a group of us performed poems for the elem. school kids - the teachers were always surprised at how much the kids enjoyed it. But I think if you enjoy it, that's contagious.
Tell K and T that I'm w/ them - I like limericks, too. Never have been able to wrap my mind around haiku. :-S
Dy
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