I’m a huge fan of Sarah Kay and she has a new hardcover book of Β B
If any of you are struggling with getting your own kids into loving language, here’s an excerpt from herΒ interview on Amazon
on how her parents got her into language:
From kindergarten through fourth grade I brought my lunch to school with me every day. And every day for those five years, one of my parents wrote me a poem and tucked it in my lunchbox. It was usually on a colored piece of paper, folded in half. They were short poems that were sort of Dr. Seuss-y or Shel Silverstein-esque. They made poetry something to look forward to. Each note was a story, a message, a secret, a rhyme; each note made me stop whatever I was doing and surrender to the surprise inside. I donβt think either one of them considers themselves poets, but they definitely gave me a hunger (wink!) for poetry.
Text of the horrible poem I wrote for my daughter this morning:
Shush, shush, shush.
You say I am in a
rush, rush, rush.
Daddy’s motorcycle is faster than the
bus, bus, bus
I love you.
Please don’t give me a
Punch, punch, punch.
Last time I watched it I cried, this time again I’m fascinated. Thanks for reminding us of such beauty.
And what a wonderful idea for a Christmas present!
I had the most amazing experience with Genki English. A 5th grader from Japan came to may school and was assigned to a male teacher whom she couldn’t look at because of customs. She was a one-on-one student so she was extremely shy and reserved. We hooked up two lap top so I could talk to her through Babble and Genki. She was so excited with the songs the other children in her class were singing them with her. The flash cards help culturally and linguistically. We all had a wonderful experiecnce. She can now ask for wter, ford, restroom, etc. Genki saved the day!