Dear Santa, here’s my list
of things I want this year:
Lots and lots of juicy leaves,
growing fresh and near.
Lots and lots of happy trees,
so I’ll always have a home,
and may the trees grow nice and tall,
so I’ll have room to roam.
Please don’t let men cut them down,
And destroy our precious bush — No!
For if the forests are destroyed,
I’ve nowhere else to go.
image from Pixabay by Michaela
Looking out the window, while sipping on my chai,
I saw a shining star in the clear night sky.
And wondered, was this the star the wise men saw too,
Two thousand years ago when baby Jesus was brand new?
Image from Pixabay
Now that’s what I call a house,
with lots of space for everyone.
Lots of stairs to run up and down,
and a room on the roof just for fun.
I could play my music really loud —
Mum and Dad wouldn’t hear it at all.
My siblings would be out of my way,
at the other end of a long, long hall.
But when it’s time for dinner,
there’s a problem I can see:
by the time I went down all that way
there’d be nothing left for me!
English stately home. Photo by Ginette Pestana
Eight hours, eight hours of sleep is best
to keep us healthy. Give us rest.
Eight hours brings opportunities
to strengthen our immunities.
To fight off winter’s colds and ‘flu.
Protecting us from cancer too.
For young and old; both short and lanky
lack of sleep can make us cranky.
Take away that eight-hour chunk
and brains act like they’re getting drunk!
Eight hours, eight hours of sleep a day
helps keep us well, live long and play.
Image from Pixabay
Summer has arrived and it’s hot, hot, hot!
Grab your togs and towel, I know a great spot.
To the beach we’ll go for a swim in the sea.
Playing in the waves will cool us down, you’ll see.
Let’s take the blue esky to have a picnic lunch.
I’ll pack some wraps and fruit to have a tasty munch.
We’ll lay down the checkered rug under shady trees
And eat our plums and cherries in the ocean breeze.
Then it will be time to find the ice-cream shop.
I’ll have macadamia – topped with the lot!
As our scorching summer day comes to a close
A thunder storm might cool us down and give the town a hose.
Image from Pexels
With watercolours or oil,
the choice is up to you.
The canvas is totally blank,
just like a day that’s new.
Perhaps you’ll draw with pencil,
or sketch with pen and ink,
why not give charcoal a go —
then sit back and see what you think.
With every single brushstroke,
with every line you draw,
you’ll create an image
that’s unmistakably yours.
Famous painter Hans Heysen’s studio at Hahndorf, South Australia. Photo by Ginette Pestana
Some call him
Father Christmas,
Some call him
Saint Nick.
Others say he’s
Santa Claus –
We just want him to come
QUICK!
Photo from Pexels by Daniel Reche
LOTS to celebrate in December! Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, St. Nicholas Day, Bodhi Day, Las Posadas and of course the summer/winter solstice. Wherever you and whatever you celebrate let us know by sending in your poems to ozchildrenspoetry@gmail.com.
Please note the website will not be checked regularly over the Christmas/New Year period but will start up again around January 10th.
And this will be my final post before handing over the reigns to the very capable hands of Linda Davidson and Celia Berrell. Both have been staunch supporters of ACP and have contributed some wonderful poetry to the site.
Thank you to everyone who has posted, liked or subscribed over the past two years! Keep your wonderful poems coming in 2026 and beyond. Have a safe and happy holiday season.
Photo from Pexels by Susanne Jutzeler, suju-foto
Oh what a lovely swamp —
I can hear things going ker-plomp!
And even though it’s blue on top,
underneath it’s slop-slop-slop.
Birds swoop low, fish dive deep,
crocodiles open their eyes for a peek.
The trees haven’t seen their roots for years
and nothing is really what it appears.
It’s all very murky and muddy in there,
and who knows what will come up for air?
Undara, North Queensland. Photo by Ginette Pestana
If I were a koala,
how happy I would be.
I’d have one branch for dinner,
and another one for tea.
There’d be no washing up,
and nothing else to do:
so I’d curl up nice and high,
and sleep an hour or two.
Photo from Pexels by Flip Side
Australian Children’s Poetry 