Medals, medals, medals
Medals, medals, medals,
Australia’s won its share.
Medals, medals, medals,
We won them everywhere!
Medals, medals, medals,
Our athletes brought them home.
Medals, medals, medals,
From pool to velodrome.
Medals, medals, medals,
Our athletes did us proud,
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie,
Let’s shout it out so loud.
Medals, medals, medals,
We’ve won a tidy sum!
But if I had my way,
I’d give a Gold to Mum.
James Aitchison
Words are weird
My shoe has a tongue
but can’t talk.
All it can do is walk.
My nose has a bridge
you can’t cross.
Which leaves me at a loss.
My eyes have pupils
you can’t teach.
What’s the purpose of each?
My ears have two drums
you can’t play.
What kind of drums are they?
What weird things words are —
they have too
many meanings by far!
James Aitchison
Poem by James Aitchison
Teacher Notes by Jeanie Axton
I think students would find shape poems a lot of fun to write. James has given us an excellent example of a balloon shape poem. Students could copy this example and write their own words.
Other examples of simple shapes to start with are:
Students in groups could make giant shape poems on coloured card to be displayed.
Another opportunity here is to build on IT skills and get the students to learn how to make shape poems digitally in different programs.
Have fun with shape poems.
There’s someone for everyone
Valentine Day was a lonely bloke,
Wherever he went, he was called a joke.
He parted his hair down the middle;
Under his arm he carried a fiddle.
His nose was big, his lips couldn’t smile,
The girls took one look and they ran a mile.
He couldn’t dance, and he couldn’t sing,
In fact, poor chap couldn’t do anything!
’Til the day he met a lonely girl,
On a chain round her neck she wore a pearl.
She parted her hair down the middle;
Under her arm she carried a fiddle.
Her nose was big, her lips couldn’t smile,
The boys took one look and they ran a mile.
She couldn’t dance and she couldn’t sing,
In fact, poor girl couldn’t do anything!
Valentine fell in love when they met;
Likewise Valentina — her heart was set.
Valentine asked, “Will you be my wife?”
“Yes,” she replied, “for the rest of my life!”
James Aitchison
Melvin: the fool in the pool
Melvin McWhirter
had a water gun —
a super-size squirter
if I ever saw one!
One day in the pool
Melvin went barmy —
just by playing the fool,
he made a tsunami.
He squeezed the trigger
faster and faster;
the cascade grew bigger
and then came — disaster!
A wave so immense
swept Melvin from sight,
right over the back fence
and we don’t know his plight.
James Aitchison
I have a fish in my room made of metal,
(the fish, that is, not my room). The fish is
green and bold, with a mouth shaped like a kettle.
Why not a flower with a nice rosy petal?
I’m a Pisces; my fish is auspicious.
James Aitchison
Someone’s living in my Christmas tree!
A monster lives in my Christmas tree;
he shakes the branches at half-past three.
The tinsel swings from side to side,
the decorations slip and slide,
Jingle-dingle! Jingle-dingle!
Tinkly dingles intermingle.
Even if I stand up on a chair,
I can’t see him — but I know he’s there!
Then I gave him a monstrous cake,
and now he’s got a tummy ache.
There’s no more monster in my tree
so Santa Claus can come to me!
James Aitchison
LETTER “C”
C them there on windows,
C them there in stores,
C them up all over,
C them now because…
C is for Christmas cards!
Christmas cards with holly,
Cards with silver bells,
Cards with laughing Santas,
Cards that wish you well.
Christmas cards with angels,
Cards with trees and snow,
Cards with candles burning,
Cards that gleam and glow.
Christmas cards with reindeers,
Leaping through the sky,
Up there on the mantel —
Christmas Day is nigh!
Christmas cards with sparkle,
Heartfelt cards so true;
Why can’t all that goodwill
Last the whole year through?
James Aitchison
Let’s go to…
Let’s go to Toowoomba,
The two of us by bus,
Toot, toot to Toowoomba,
We won’t cause any fuss.
Let’s all go to Weewaa,
We’ll ride there on a horse,
Whee-hee-hee to Weewaa,
I’ll bring tomato sauce.
Let’s all go to Bairnsdale,
Upon a fleecy sheep,
Baaaaaaa to Bairnsdale,
But please don’t fall asleep.
Let’s all go to Hawthorn,
We’ll ride a donkey there,
Hee-haw-haw to Hawthorn,
Without a single care.
James Aitchison
Teachers’ notes: A fun poem for classroom participation
Themes: Learning the rules of rhymes and how to scan syllables
Also, have fun learning about Australian towns and suburbs
Classroom: Invite students to add more verses to the poem
Begin by choosing amusing town names
Then work together to suggest rhymes and verses
Swerving Irving
Irving McDrane can fly a plane;
He flies it up and down again.
He flies by night, he flies by day,
Upside down or up the right way.
He loops the loop and barrel rolls,
Through the air he twists and scrolls,
Across the sky with great panache …
Look out, Irving — you’re going to crash!
SPLAT!
Irving McDrane can’t fly a plane;
Now he goes everywhere by train.
James Aitchison
Australian Children’s Poetry 