Poetry and young children

Young children appreciate rhyme and simple poems. I've written about ways we enjoy poetry.

This autumn, I wanted to start the younger two, aged 4 and almost 7, learning a poem. My aim is that they learn a short poem each half term which gives about 6-8 weeks per poem. Whether we manage this remains to be seen!

The criteria for the poems are that they must be short, with a clear rhyme and relevant to the children. We aren't aiming for the whole of Gray's Elegy! The first poem that I chose was Eleanor Farjeon's  poem, Cat's sleep anywhere.

This is short, easy to memorise and relevant to my children.

Both children have enjoyed this and Younger Daughter will quote this around the house when she finds the cats sleeping, anywhere but their basket.

In November, after half term, we hope to revisit Robert Frost's poem, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. This is already familiar to the children from when we studied this as a Five in a Row book almost two years ago. I don't think that they can recite the poem now but the familiarity should make it easier to learn.

Do you have favourite poems to learn with younger children?

Cats in the garden

London has been hot-really hot for us, up to 31 Celsius. We took pity on the kittens and let them out. They had been really keen to get outside, for the last few weeks and at last, the time arrived.

They climbed

 I wondered whether they would be able to get down but that didn't seem to be a problem.

Probably, even hotter than everyone else with their fur coats.

Miscalculation and some cat books

Before we made the final decision to keep kittens, I spent ages working out the cost of them, both in financial and time terms. There was one thing that I forgot or didn't realise. That thing was how much fun and happiness these two bundles of fur have brought to all, three generations, living here.

Of course, we've been reading a few related books:

The tale of Tom kitten by Beatrix Potter

My pet kitten by Honor Head

Alfie and the birthday surprise by Shirley Hughes

Mrs Katz and Tush by Patricia Polacco

The little kitten book by Elizabeth Martyn and David Taylor

Hairy Maclary's Rumpus at the vets by Lynley Dodd-about a dog as well as various other animals but fitted in well with visiting the vet for immunisations. For anyone who has read the book, our visit to the vet wasn't quite like Hairy Maclary's!

New arrivals

These arrived at our house today.

They are nine weeks old and are causing a great deal of excitement.

Younger Daughter has been getting books about cats out of the library for weeks. I've never had a cat before so it is a learning curve for me too. 

I hope that they sleep like this tonight although they certainly aren't asleep now!