Keeping the Kiddos Busy

A list poem is just that: a poem that consists of a list of things about a given subject. A list poem does not have to have regular rhythm and rhyme, but it can.  Writing one is easy: choose a topic, write a list of things related to the topic, then fix the the wording until it sounds just right as a poem. You can add introductory and concluding lines if you want, as well as refrains. One popular example of a list poem is the song My Favorite Things  from Sound of Music . Here are other examples , just to illustrate how easy it is to write good list poems. Indeed, who would have thought that a list could be poetic? But it can! Now, it's your turn to try writing list poems.

Explorers of long ago made bestiaries, or books with drawings and descriptions of the strange new creatures they encountered in their voyages.  You and your children can pretend you are explorers and make bestiaries of your own. For your bestiary, you can use an old notebook or diary that still has blank pages, or you can make and bind your  own  book .   You can make your bestiary about real animals.  Perhaps you have done the other nature observing activities featured in this blog, like bird watching or observing indoor wildlife , and you would like to make a bestiary as a way to record your observations.  You can fill your bestiary with your observations -- in words and in drawings  of how various animals look like and behave.  Or you might want to fill your bestiary with animals of your own imagination, like what Matthew Mehan did in his book entitled Mr. Mehan's Mildly Amusing Mythical Mammals .  Ask yourself what your imagin...

Maybe you and your children have been following this blog ever since the beginning of this lockdown, have been trying the activities featured here, and have written a sizable collection of haiku , cinquains , or clerihews ; or a collection of zines that you want to bind in one volume;  or a well-researched family history ; as well as various art works.  Or maybe you want to compile heirloom recipes in a beautiful handmade cookbook. Or perhaps you just want a unique-looking personal diary where you can record your experiences of the day or your secret thoughts and feelings.  Whatever the case, making a handmade book is another good project to do.  There are many ways of hand-binding a book. Instructions can be found here .  Whether you choose the simplest or most elaborate method of making and binding your homemade book,  you will end up with a precious keepsake which you will enjoy leafing through again and again.

A zine is just a homemade magazine.  It is a lot of fun to make, and you and your children can make it about any topic you want:  stories, poetry, artwork, hobbies, life during ECQ...All you need for a basic zine are sheets of paper, writing materials, and a pair of scissors.  Of course, you can make a more elaborate zine using additional materials if you want. This article describes a simple method for creating a zine.  Here are some other ideas. After you make your zine, you can scan it and e-mail it to family and friends. Or you can just keep it, for the whole family to read, enjoy, and be proud of.

Today, instead of featuring a suggested activity for your children, I am featuring a read-aloud story for them written by my friend, the award-winning author Dr. Joem Antonio . Joem has won several Palanca awards for his plays and short stories for both adults and children.  He also conducts writing workshops for aspiring writers of all ages. If you are interested in letting him conduct an online workshop for you and your children, you may contact the Storywriting School at its website .  The story Joem tells is a heartwarming one which does not shy away from depicting harsh realities of life but views them from from children's innocent and sincere eyes. You will enjoy telling it to your children as I have enjoyed reading it.  Unfortunately there are no illustrations yet, but the absence of illustrations does not take away its charm. Without further ado: PAPER HUGS by Joem Antonio "Big Hug Race!" Ada raced Macky towards Mama as she entered the ...

Clerihews are fun to write. They are humorous poems about people  - famous people, people you know, or even fictional characters. A clerihew has four lines. The first and second lines rhyme with each other. The first line names or identifies the person who is the subject of the clerihew. The third and fourth lines rhyme with each other. Syllable counts do not matter in clerihews. A clerihew is funny. (Take note that I wrote "funny", not "mean". It is not a good idea to write clerihews that insult or bully others.  Be careful about posting your clerihews online.) Here is my favorite clerihew written by G.K.  Chesterton about Cervantes, where he pokes gentle fun at the rivalry between Spain's and Italy's most famous writers: "The people of Spain think Cervantes Equal to half-a-dozen Dantes; An opinion resented most bitterly By the people of Italy." Like I wrote above, clerihews can even be written about fictional characters, l...

In my first-ever post in this blog , I wrote about haiku writing. Another poetic form that children can have fun experimenting with is the cinquain. A cinquain has five lines. The first line has 2 syllables. The second line has 4 syllables. The third line has 6 syllables. The fourth line has 8 syllables. The fifth line has two syllables. A cinquain can be about anything. It does not have to rhyme, but it can have rhymes in it. Here is an example of a cinquain composed by Ken Nesbitt: Ice Cream Ice cream. Cold and yummy. I love its sweet richness as it finds its way into my tummy. (By the way, he has a wonderful website called poetry4kids.com , which has a page of tips on how to write cinquains.) Here is another example which I composed just now: Virus Virus - How I hate it. It makes the people sick And it keeps me from going out To play. Now, you and your kids try it.

A group of friends have started a gratitude letter drive where you can write personal messages for the heroes fighting the battle against Co-VID-2019! The letters will be transcribed in a PUBMAT, posted online, and then shared until they reach our heroes working in different fields. You and your kids may write to health workers, uniformed personnel manning the borders, security guards, bankers, supermarket sales persons...You may write letters to the afflicted also. One group of frontliners who are often not mentioned are the priests. They administer the sacraments, and these days they are most likely swamped with requests for prayers and spiritual consolation. Giving these can be tiring too. We often ask for prayers and advice from priests without realizing that they also need our support. Perhaps some of you might want to write them letters too. Whatever you and your kids do, what matters is to send words of gratitude and encouragement to those who need and deserve them. And...

Words are free, easily available, and can do a lot of things.  It is no wonder that my friends and I turn to writing as a way to beat boredom during these days of community quarantine. Introducing kids to poetry writing is a fun way to help use their time productively during these days. One short but expressive poetry form they (and you as well) can learn is the haiku. A haiku is a verse with three lines. The first has 5 syllables, the second has 7, while the third has 5. Modern haiku writers usually do not strictly follow this syllable scheme, however, and usually the syllable scheme gets lost in English translations of haiku in Japanese. Haiku are usually about nature. Writing a haiku is like taking a photo of something interesting using your camera phone, except that you are using words instead of your phone. Want to try it? Here are some tips: 1. Start by observing your surroundings. Take note of the sights, sounds, feelings, scents, and tastes you ...