March 2026

Helping Kids Make Friends with Poetry
​Resources for Homeschool Parents and Educators

Dear Reader,

GREETINGS friends and new Subscribers! A blessed, beautiful March to you. Here's what's beautiful in our neck of the woods (Seattleland). Flowering plum trees. With snow. In the 30 plus years we have lived here there has never been snow in March. It was a surprise for sure! ((We are back to the green of Spring as I type this...but it was lovely while it lasted)).

The Poetry of Trees

-J.L. Collins

Poiema, a made thing

by Creator God, crafted

for His glory, they raise

velvet-dripped branches,

a surfeit of emeralds.

Skyward gemstrands

speak with no words,

volumes rich with meaning,

mute with praise.

Trees with snow and trees as poems, God's creation speaks everywhere.

*poiema is the Greek word for 'a thing that is made'. We are God's poems.

Here's a snapshot of this month's newsletter:

• Making the most of kids' love of nonsense words
• A Making Friends with Poetry Lesson using Lewis Carroll's 'Jabberwocky'
• Free download of 10 Best Poetry Books for Kids
• And a two-question poll: Would You Rather?

Boys and Nonsense (or How to Entice Kids into Poetry)

I have four grandsons, ages 14 to 23, and trust me, I know how goofy they can be. Introducing poetry to kids can often be challenging, especially for boys, but who doesn't love nonsense? I recently came across the poem "Jabberwocky" in one of my children's poetry collections and noticed even though the poem is full of words that are completely made up--slithy toves, frumious, Bandersnatch and so on--the meaning of the poem is still clear. Plus there's a classic hero story embedded in the text. Who knew?

According to mythster.com​

There are loads of literary gems in this poem, which is why I've crafted a poetry lesson resource using "Jabberwocky" to teach reading, grammar and vocabulary. Including this lesson outline in your homeschool teaching rhythms allows for great flexibility; the activity can be adapted for students age 5 - 15 and up. Plus they can pretend to slay a Bandersnatch with their vorpal swords! Cardboard and tin foil come to mind...

To that end here's a link to the Jabberwocky lesson here as a free download. I hope you'll use the resource in your teaching and enjoy the process, (plus impart some learning along the way to those squirrely boys you know; simply reading it out loud is a joy.)

The format includes reading, grammar and vocabulary. Everything you need is in the 5 page PDF download, including the poem text.

The lesson format: Children will read (or listen to the poem), identify end rhymes, identify nonsense words as parts of speech--nouns, verbs or adjectives--and make up 5 nonsense word definitions of their own.

If you use the "Jabberwocky" lesson with your kids this month, please let me know how it went! Email me? I'd especially love to know what kinds of nonsense definitions your kids come up with. What does 'frumious' mean, anyway?

Home school parents have to juggle a lot when it comes to educating their kids at home. When I surveyed a group of 25 parents last year about including poetry in their home school rhythms, many of them responded, "There's no time for anything extra in our days...where would I include poetry?"

I would like to encourage you with a why:

​
​Why Should Kids Read (or listen to) Poetry?

• Poetry hones our ears for language and new vocabulary
• It helps us learn to read metaphorically—a key skill for Bible readers!
• It requires careful attention—whether reading it or writing

Kids who hear poetry:

• Are better listeners
• More engaged readers
• Have the foundation needed to write poems of their own

And a how:

Read a poem a day right after family devotions or breakfast.

Include a 15 minute poetry lesson once a week.

Need a place to start? Access the suggestions in my Poetry 101 Starter Kit, available on my website. The 12 resource includes:

• Why Teach Poetry?
• Poetry-A Definition
• What it’s NOT (a GENRE)
• What it IS (a FORM)
• Two Basic Styles- Free Verse and Rhyme & Meter
• Three Mini Poetry Lessons and activities; poems included.

And a what:

Not sure where to begin with your 5 minutes of poetry a day? Or maybe you've a burgeoning bookshelf of poetic beauty already. you can download a list of my favorites by clicking on the salmon colored link and voila! The free list is yours.

​TEN BEST POETRY COLLECTIONS FOR KIDS​

Thanks to all of you who responded to my question last month, "What birds do you hear around your house?" What a variety!

I would love to know your thoughts about working and teaching styles. As a retired classroom teacher and (Random Abstract Processing Global Thinker) I am well aware that schools and offices run on schedules. But schedules were only suggestions in my book, most of my teaching days were topsy turvy by 9 am. It's still true--try as I might life never goes according to schedule. Tell me...

My readers in the Midwest and on the East Coast are probably shaking their heads... but I hope you don't mind me sharing. Proof of Snow.

Be sure to subscribe to my list and find out the results of this Would You Rather poll! I write monthly to homeschool parents and friends with free resources, poetry and encouragement.

Also, If you know a homeschool parent or friend who could use some of the resources and ideas here, will you forward this email to them? Thank you!

Got a question or comment about poetry? Email me at jodyo70 (at) gmail.... or simply hit 'Reply' on this email--I read every one.

Until next time,

Jody

www.jodyleecollins.com

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