Here we are back in 2018, celebrating Poem in a Pocket Day at school. Children made pockets to wear around their necks, and inside the pocket was a poem or two to read. I had guest listeners (parents, teachers) at school to listen to children as they read their poems. The guest listeners gave the children stickers to put on their pockets after the successful completion of the reading.
It was always great fun. We found that PreK and Kinder kids sometimes enjoyed reading their poems as a choral reading, with 3-5 kids in a group. Some children would take on five or six poems, and some wrote their own poems.
April 30 is National Poem in a Pocket Day. Here are ways to celebrate from the website:
- Select a poem and share it on social media using the hashtag #pocketpoem.
- Simultaneously participate in the Shelter in Poems initiative, and select a poem that brings you solace during this time of distance and solitude. Share what it means to you and use the hashtags #pocketpoem and #ShelterInPoems.
- Print a poem from the Poem in Your Pocket Day PDF and draw an image from the poem in the white space, or use the instructions on pages 59-60 of the PDF to make an origami swan.
- Record a video of yourself reading a poem, then share it on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or another social media platform you use.
- Email a poem to your friends, family, neighbors, or local government leaders.
- Schedule a video chat and read a poem to your loved ones.
- Add a poem to your email footer.
- Read a poem out loud from your porch, window, backyard or outdoor space.
Poems a beautiful way to express ones-self or love of another. Never been very good at writing them myself
ReplyDeletePoems are the best of all writing. In my opinion.
DeleteWhat a wonderful idea. I heard about the #Shelterinpoems but not the #poeminapocket. It's brilliant :-)
ReplyDeleteI hope someone has come up with a good alternative right now.
DeleteWhat a fun day! I love that young lady's smile!
ReplyDeleteI'll never forget how proud this child was when she read her poem aloud.
DeleteThat's nice what a good surprise for the children !
ReplyDeleteIt was always so much fun.
DeleteIt's events/days like this that really bring home that we're in the middle of a pandemic lockdown. I really liked seeing students with poems on this day, reading them, carrying them, etc. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteIt was one of the best, most productive days at our school. There's really no good substitute for it.
ReplyDelete#pocketpoem day is new to me, too. What fun! And the picture of the little girl is great. She's clearly having so much fun.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea!
ReplyDeleteI have had several good years doing poem in a pocket. The first poem I carried in my pocket was Edna St. Vincent Millay's "The Coin." Another year I carried Lucado's pocket prayer--a four line prayer that covered everything. One year, the best, my Advanced Writing students brought and shared poems in their pockets. I love the day!
ReplyDeleteRae
Missed it! But what a delightful exercise at school for the kids.
ReplyDeleteShe sure seems to be having a jolly good time.
I used to write various forms of poetry. But find it tough to dose. Guess have become rusty and need to bring it back some day.