Tag Archives: poems for children

“Thongs and Boardies” by Sioban Timmer

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Thongs and Boardies

Songs of yore, can be a bore

When they speak of snow and Holly.

Songs of sun are much more fun

To make our Christmas jolly.

We don’t ride sleighs – we catch some rays

As temperatures are soaring.

Hams to slice and prawns on ice

The feast is never boring.

Thongs on feet are not complete

Without our favourite boardies.

And by the pool, we’re staying cool

As Christmas hits the forties.

We don’t admire yuletide fire

Where chestnuts sit to roast.

We find fun with water guns,

Watch the sunset by the coast.

Raise a cup, with head held up

And toast the winter failure.

Sunshine above, what’s not love

That’s Christmas in Australia.

 

“Christmas Confusion” with Teacher notes

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Christmas Confusion.

Exhausted I was – one Christmas Eve,

After putting out presents for Santa – Indeed!

I sat on the sofa and ate Santa’s supper.

Instead of the milk – I had a hot cuppa.

 

I started to doze, I started to dream.

I dreamt I was flying as one of a team.

It was cold; it was freezing; my nose – it was red!

Then someone roared “Rudolf!” And I turned my head.

 

“To the top of the porch…”

“Yes I know how it goes.”

And instinctively up off the ground I arose.

Dashing here, there and yonder,

With no time to ponder.

Delivering presents all made by the elves.

 

And when the night ended,

And at last we descended;

I wearily lay down to rest on the hay.

I started to doze, I started to dream.

Then someone yelled “Dad! Where have you been?

Santa’s left presents! Mum’s set the table…

Why are you out here asleep in the stable?”

 

By: Louise McCarthy.

Teacher Notes:

Christmas is a great time of year to let the imagination go and give students tasks that are  engaging, relevant and fun.

After reading this poem ask students to write their own story of what happened when they closed their eyes on Christmas Eve. When the story is written give them a device Eg: an iPad and they can type the story into presentation software (Keynote, PowerPoint etc) and add images. These could be presented to the class. Have fun.

PS: Hang in there teachers only a week to go.

 

“The Singing Spaniel” with Teacher Notes

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“The Singing Spaniel”

Lee and Jazz

On the grass

Ukulele in hand

Learning fast

Tune in the air

Jazz’s ears prick

She starts to sing

Learning real quick

Songs in the garden

Float down the street

A boy and his dog

Sounding so sweet

A bond forged in music

A love made to last

The sounds of friendship

In music is cast

Jeanie Axton

Our son Lee and our Cocker Spaniel Jazz with Zepp the Jack Russell as an audience, have a sing a long in the garden.

 

Teacher Notes: Heres a fun December activity:

Can you write a “Dog” song. You could choose a popular tune or make one up.

Make a dog mask and perform your song to the class

 

 

This adorable dog craft uses a printable template and a paper plate to make a project suitable for a pets, mammals, or letter D theme or just for fun.

If you cut out holes instead of using the template eyes, you can convert your dog craft to a dog mask.  Attach a paint stir stick or tongue depressor to allow your child to hold it up to their face.

Materials:

  • grey paint and paintbrush (or you can keep his face white if you don’t feel like painting).
  • black marker for freckles
  • paper plate
  • something to color with (or color printer),
  • scissors
  • glue
  • paper
  • printer to print templates from internet

Instructions:

  • Paint the bottom of the paper plate grey or any colour you choose (or you can leave it white if you prefer).
  • Print out the craft template of choice.
  • Colour (if using the black and white version of the craft) and cut out the template pieces.  Most of the pieces are simple enough shapes for young children to cut out, but if needed, an adult can help with some of the harder pieces (the ears and the hair).
  • Glue the pieces to the plate to make a dog face:
    • Glue the ears onto either side of the head.
    • Glue the hair onto the center top of the head.
    • Glue the eyes onto the face under the hair (or cut out holes for eyes in a mask).
    • Glue the eyebrows above the eyes.
    • Glue the nose under the eyes.
    • Glue the mouth under the nose.
    • Use a black marker to add a few freckles on either side of the nose.

Have fun

 

 

 

A Fluffy Thermometer

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A Fluffy Thermometer

 

There’s plenty of ways

to tell if the day is

too hot or cold

without being told.

 

You could try and catch

a fluffy pet cat

then watch and observe

to see how it’s curved.

 

When days are too hot

it’s likely as not

that cat’s all sprawled-out

in some shaded spot.

 

When researchers test

what temperature’s best

for comfort of cats

they find out these facts.

 

Those felines agree

that eighteen degrees

is purr-fectly warm

for cat’s furry form.

 

Then when it’s too cold

those pussycats fold

up cosy and still

to keep out the chill.

 

by Celia Berrell

 

While the weather is warming up in Australia, winter is well on its way in the northern hemisphere.  Does that mean there will be more outside cats curled up when I go to visit?  Living in the tropics, I think even eighteen degrees is decidedly chilly!  What’s your purrfect temperature?

Scoot Scoot

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Scoot Scoot

 

Scoot Scoot

Said the scooter

Shining in the sun

Time for me

To have some fun

 

Zoom Zoom

Said the scooter

Rider and helmet ready

Today we go fast

But take it steady

 

Whoosh Whoosh

Said the scooter

Down the street

Feet on kickboard

Who can we beat?

 

Zip Zip

Said the scooter

What a fun day

Zooming along

Smiling all the way

 

Jump Jump

Said the scooter

Trying a trick

Up in the air

And down real quick

 

Ring Ring

Said the scooter

A loud ring of the bell

Turn and head back

All is well

 

Yawn Yawn

Said the scooter

I’ve had a big day

Time to go home

Slowly make my way

 

Shuffle Shuffle

Said the scooter

Trudging back to the shed

Time for scooters

To be in scooter bed

 

Snooze Snooze

Said the scooter

Snoring away

Dreaming of tomorrow

Another scooter day

 

by Jeanie Axton (my first poem ever in a published book)

 

The inspiration for Scoot Scoot was in restoring this old scooter I found in a second hand shop

This poem was included in “The Toy Chest” a novel Anthology from Prints Charming Books

Edited by Sally Odgers Published July 2017

 

 

 

I Can, I Can’t

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I CAN, I CAN’T

 

I can, I can’t, the difference is

One tiny little letter

‘won’t use the “T”, or I will be

Worse off, instead of better

 

But if I say “I can, I can”

My confidence will soar

And hope will come my way because

I opened up its door

 

“I can, I can!” will make me brave

My thinking it will change

And pocketsful of obstacles

Will vanish down the drain!

 

And if I cultivate “I can”

“I can’t” will sound so weird

And soon I’ll wonder where they went

Those things that I once feared

 

 

Lenny McGoo             ©         2017

“Progression” with Teacher notes

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Progression

 

She showed it

to her slavedriver

who saw the possibilities

He promoted slave Hannah

to supervise

the sawing team

 

Before,

hundreds pulled the immense stone block

on its log rollers

A team of twenty waited at the back

to grasp the log-load

when it had been run over

The back log had to be

hauled to the front

to be run over yet again

 

If only the stone could stay still

on the logs while they kept rolling

Clearly impossible. Hannah scowled

But a slice of log sawn from one end

would roll the same way

With a hole in the middle

supporting – well we’d call it an axle

and a second round piece from the log

On her model it worked perfectly

Wheels! Wooden wheels!

The first cart

 

Wheelbarrows, trains, cars, trucks

cogs, pulleys, clocks,  machines

 

Life on earth would never be the same.

 

Virginia Lowe

Notes:

The Israelites or Jews were kept slaves by the Egyptians, so I’m imagining it was the same time as they built the pyramids – that’s why I called the slave Hannah, originally a Jewish name.

In fact it wasn’t the same time – the pyramids were built about 300 years before the Israelite’s turned up. But it makes a more interesting story. A very very old story.

I couldn’t think of any way to describe the axle apart from our word, but it’s a concept they wouldn’t have had. I’d like to hear if anyone can think of how the rod holding the two wheels together and on the ground, could be described otherwise.

The Jews escaped from Egypt with the help of Moses, who persuaded the king, Pharaoh, to let them go with the help of ten plagues. It is all there told in the Bible in the book Exodus, and is celebrated each year by the Jewish community as Passover.

Ideas:

Maths:           Looking at shape make Pyramids with cardboard

Humanities: Research the logistics of the building of the Pyramids

Learn about Jewish history and culture

Music:          “Let my people go” This includes images that will help in learning about

Jewish history

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkEmS3hWmmU

Art:               Paint: Make a giant class cardboard pyramid and creatively decorate it

The Wrong Wheels

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The Wrong Wheels

 

When the humans were asleep

In nightgowns and nightcaps,

The midnight rat would creep inside

And feast upon their scraps.

 

The midnight rat was crafty,

The midnight rat was sly,

He’d always slink in shadows,

Unseen by human eyes.

 

But there was someone watching,

With eyes that gleamed in black,

The midnight rat could see him:

The cunning household cat.

 

The midnight rat was agile,

And cautious, quick and smart,

That cat could never catch the rat,

When the house was clothed in dark.

 

So the cat approached politely

And he bent down very low.

“Oh rapturous rat I love your work,

I do admire you so.

 

“But I would make a suggestion,

If I could be so bold.

A king like you should never dine

On scraps so soggy and cold.

 

“The humans have cake in the daytime,

And bread and scones and pies,

There’s so much good food in the daytime,

You wouldn’t believe your eyes.

 

“The only thing you really need,

Ask anyone who steals,

If you are going to make a getaway –

Is a brand new set of wheels.”

 

The rat told him to keep away

And ran off with his loot,

But then he started pondering

As he chewed on soggy fruit.

 

He was the Midnight Rat!

The cleverest rat by far!

It would be a snap for him

To build a speedy car.

 

And build away he did,

Though you may find it surprising,

The rat had made that car

By the time the sun was rising.

 

And he could smell the breakfast

And he didn’t stop to think,

The car whizzed straight inside

Faster than a blink.

 

And what a tale of glory!

What a momentous day,

The rat snatched a delectable haul

And was making his getaway.

 

But outside the car slowed

And the cat caught him with ease…

Instead of using tyres,

He had used four wheels of cheese.

 

As he watched them melting on the road

The rat knew we was done,

His greatest foe was not the cat

But that infernal sun.

 

The cat smiled a wicked grin,

“I never thought of that!

I think my favourite meal might be

Grilled cheese à la rat.”

 

By Kylie Covark

Car Sick

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CAR SICK

 

Green

Our fast green car

Green world

Stomach churning

Head spinning

Spinning

The world turning

Upside down

Downside up

Around and around

Wheels rolling

Streets passing

Blurred buildings

Blurred faces

Blur blur blur

Ur…

Dad, stop!

I’m going to throw …

 

Too late.

 

 

© Dianne Bates

Warm and Fluffy

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Warm And Fluffy

 

The animals have hairy fur.

The birds have got their feathers.

These keep their bodies warm enough

throughout the chilly weather.

 

The fibres in those fluffy coats

criss-cross to form some air-holes

that can’t escape or waft away

because of all the hair-folds.

 

Their skin gives off some body-warmth.

Just like a radiator.

Their fluffy coats help keep that heat

as thermal insulators.

 

The warm air’s trapped inside the fur

to shield them from the outside.

The way that blankets on a bed

are cosy on the inside.

 

But if that fluffy coat gets wet

those air-holes fill with water.

Their body’s warmth escapes as that

wet coat’s a heat conductor.

 

The soggy fur clings to their skin.

No longer insulated.

And water makes their body cold

as it’s evaporated.

 

Any fluffy animal will

shake that water well away.

So if your puppy’s had a swim …

Watch-out for all that water spray!

 

 

When it comes to having a fluffy coat, it’s a good idea to shaking off any water, so as not to get cold.  Dogs are the best shakers!  I love the sound of their lips and soggy ears slapping their head as they do it.

 

by Celia Berrell