Poetry For Kids: Resources & Celebrations

I learned just recently that on Saturday April 18, the Poetry Foundation  in Chicago is going to have a free event in honor of National Poetry Month, celebrating poetry for and by kids. (details below)

I am a big fan of both poetry and children, and while I don't think I can make it to this event, I hope that some of my readers can attend, and if you can't attend, that you take a moment to celebrate poetry with your own child.

To that end, I've pointed out some excellent web resources for children's poetry (reading and writing) below.

Also here's one of my favorite poems ever: Eating Poetry by Mark Strand.

Mark passed away last year, but this poem of his lives on, and is a great reminder of the joy of reading (and eating) poetry.  It was one of the first poems I remember reading and completely loving.  It makes several leaps of metaphor that just make perfect sense to me. I have been hungry for poetry ever since.

If you've got other resources to add, please tell me in the comments below and I'll add them to the list.

Children's Poetry Day: A Poetry Menagerie

Illustration by Diana Sudyka

Saturday, Apr 18, 10:00AM–1:00PM
Poetry Foundation
61 West Superior Street Chicago IL
Free Admission

Celebrate National Poetry Month with a delightful open house just for kids at the Poetry Foundation Library. This special weekend event will feature performances by Adventure Sandwich and Jasmine Barber, Animal Shadow Puppets led by Youth and Family Programs at the Art Institute of Chicago, and poetry writing activities for children up to 13 years old.

POEMS TO READ (BY ADULTS, MOSTLY):

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/browse/#filter_good_for_children=1

http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poems/famous/children/

http://storyit.com/Classics/JustPoems/

http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/poems-kids

http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/poems-for-kids

POEMS TO READ (BY KIDS, MOSTLY)

http://www.loriswebs.com/youngpoets/

https://stonesoup.com/article-categories/poems/

http://www.shavick.com/section/11/1/young-poets

HOW TO WRITE POEMS WITH KIDS

http://www.poetry4kids.com/blog/lessons/poetry-writing-lessons/

http://www.readwritethink.org/parent-afterschool-resources/tips-howtos/help-child-write-poem-30317.html

https://www.pinterest.com/judyhelton/teaching-poetry/

http://www.supersummary.com/poetry-guide/

http://www.kathimitchell.com/poemtypes.html