“Sharpen Up Mr Squiggle” by Jeanie Axton

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Sharpen Up Mr Squiggle

 

After 60 years of drawing

his nose was all but blunt

So our famous Mr Squiggle

went on a sharpener hunt

 

He took his rocket to the moon

with Blackboard and Miss Jane

They found a big red sharpener

and his pencils sharp again

 

“The Boomerang Returns” by Jeanie Axton

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The Boomerang Returns 

 

Throw the boomerang high in the sky

Watch the ancient hunting tool fly

Throw it straight and throw it long

Up above this tool belongs

 

Try a lob and give it a boost

See it returning come home to roost

Keep on flinging into the sky

Practice makes perfect

Give it a try.

“Cacao Beans” (Cinquain) by Jeanie Axton

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Cacao beans

brown, bitter

Grind, texture, pour

The sweet aroma floats

Hot Chocolate

‘The knitters’ club’ by Jeanie Axton

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The knitters’ club

 

Eight year olds

With needles in hand

Wool under arms

A little craft band

Sit in a circle

At lunch break

On the oval

Life is great

This craft of old

It will never die

With these mini grannies

Knitting on high.

’Slurpie’ by Jeanie Axton

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Slurpie the dog
Loves his smoothies
His tongue goes wild
His lips are groovy
He guzzles and gulps
Drinking real fast
This isn’t a drink
That was made to last
Green for goodness
Sugar for pop
No spilling here
Not one drop
Slurping and licking
Black eyes bright
Slurpie the dog
Filled with delight.

“Earthworms” by Elizabeth Cummings with Teacher Notes

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EARTHWORMS

 

 

Earthworm, you burrower extraordinaire

How can you stand to live down there

With no arms of legs in the soil so dark?

With your one cylindrical digestive tract

You move with the muscles that you contact

To make your body first short then long

And those bristles help propel you along

Through leaf litter, topsoil or deeper down

You help to mix up the stuff in the ground

This makes you the base of many a food chain

Yet your many skills are the environment’s gain

Your talent with organic matter is biological

And mixing tall the nutrients is a flair so chemical

Then there’s your physical ability of aerating

So the soil ecosystem’s restoration you’re helping

Thus let’s take some time to show a bit of gratitude

For how you improve the quality of our food!

 Elizabeth Cummings 

 

About Elizabeth: “Worms both disgust and fascinate me! I remember my brother holding a worm in his hands as a toddler and exclaiming; ‘One worm two worms!’ as he pulled it part😱. After that I had nightmares about worms for years until one of my pupils brought a worm farm into the class and taught us all about he important work of the humble earthworm… a teacher can always learn from their students!”

Teacher Notes by Jeanie Axton:

Read this poem to the class a few times and then ask a student to write key words on the whiteboard. As a class research and make a timeline of life in the worm farm. Look at how worms are a sign of a healthy garden and how worm tea helps condition soil and grow healthy plants.

If your really brave have a “Bring your gumboots day” and go out and collect worms to bring back to the classroom. Watch how they move and write a worm poem.

Remember to take the worms back to where you got them after the lesson. They belong in the environment.

 

“The Worm Farm Family” by Jeanie Axton

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Willy the wriggler

eats apple cores

In the worm farm

while he does his chores

 

Walter the wrestler

likes bean sprouts

In the worm warm

while he works out

 

Wayne the wanderer

eats bread then naps

In the worm farm

as he grows quite fat

 

Wendy the whiner

squirms in the grime

In the worm farm

she complains all the time

 

Wanda the wise worm

reads and reflects

In the worm farm

she has a calming effect

 

Wilma the wacky worm

would rather party than eat

In the worm farm

dancing to the beat

 

Together they live

Eat, poop and wee

In the worm farm

to supply our worm tea

Jeanie Axton

 

Here’s a guide on what to and what not to feed our worm friends:
https://www.twinkl.com.au/resource/t-tp-395-what-to-feed-worms-in-a-wormery-display-posters

Cat (Haiku) by Jeanie Axton

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garden bench

an old black cat

waits patiently

 

RUSTY (Acrostic) by Jeanie Axton

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RUSTY

Resting on the window sill

Under the curtains

Sleeping all day

Talking in cat language

Yawning at humans

Legs In The Air by Jeanie Axton

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What have you been eating Brock?
That is causing quite a stink
Was it green and red?
Or yellow, brown and pink?

What have you been eating Brock?
The smell is really bad
Was it a piece of carrot cake?
You stole from snoring Dad

What have you been eating Brock?
The whole house it does reek
Was it from the garbage bin
That’s been sitting there all week

What have you been eating Brock?
Your gastric juices churning
One whiff and we will leave the room
Today not be returning

Brock, your plan is very clever
As you work your inner gut
To get your favourite seat at home
You whistle out your butt

Legs In The Air by Jeanie Axton