Let Mint Speak....And a Peek

Front Garden...Hi, Mint!

Photo by Amy LV

Students - Last week, I visited Harold O. Brumsted Elementary School in Holland, NY as a volunteer for the grand annual Arts and Hobby Day.  I brought my red suitcase full of nature treasures and so enjoyed drawing and writing with both third and fifth graders. We drew and wrote about shells, pine cones, feathers, and chewed and drew mint leaves from my garden.  You can see some mint in the photograph above.  It is to the left of the picture, peeking up from in between the rocks.

Notebook Snip

Photo by Amy LV

Drawing a bit of mint, I was overtaken by the beauty of each leaf.  When held to the light, a person can see each tiny vein, each little hair on a mint leaf's stem.  This plant I pull so ruthlessly from my garden (it DOES take over) became new and precious to me.

After drawing for a time, I knew that I needed to write in the voice of the mighty, much maligned mint plant. Treated as a weed, I thought that mint deserved a chance to speak.  

To which other person, animal, plant, or inanimate object would you like to give voice?  Writing persona - or mask - poems is a ton of fun and also offers us insights we might not have when always writing in our own voices.

Today I am tickled to welcome Dana Kofitsas and her third grade poets from Stony Lane Elementary School in Paramus, New Jersey.  When you read these poems, you will see right away how these students have learned so many important things from their study of poetry. Read to notice their varied and thoughtful topics, figurative language, line breaks, endings, and use of repetition.  How lucky we are to have them here this week!

Click the Box to Enlarge

Thank you so much to all of these poets and to their teacher Dana Kofitsas for joining us today.  Poetry brings us together, teaches us about writing, and makes us whole.

On June 1, the second grade poets of Crossroads Acadamy Quality Hill visited the Poem Farm.  If you did not yet have a chance to read their wonderful anthologies, please go back to June 1 and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

Kiesha is hosting this past week's Poetry Friday roundup at Whispers from the Ridge with a song for summer.  Each week we gather together, sharing poems, books, and poetry ideas all at one blog.  All are always welcome to visit, comment, and post.

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