Poems all over the house

Thank you so much for all the lovely comments yesterday! I've been so inspired by all of you; it's nice to have something to offer in return.

I've continued copying out poems whenever I have a moment. I began with selections from Catch Me and Kiss Me and Say it Again by Clyde and Wendy Watson. This is an absolute gem of a book; new nursery rhymes with great language and rhythms, reflecting a family's daily life. I first read about it in Under the Chinaberry Tree by Ann Ruethling and Patti Pitcher (another must-have book, in my opinion), and I knew I had to have it. I spent an unprecedented $10 to buy it on eBay, and I'm so glad I did! I've used it with infants and toddlers in my program, but this method is going to help me remember so many more with my own children (and, of course, with the others, too).

As I chose from this book, I found so many that were perfect for daily routines: washing hands, clipping fingernails, baking, dressing. The poems suggested new places to put them. So now they're all over my house:

In our office, where we change her downstairs (see them, tucked into the shelf off to the right? And by the way, how do you take photos of a window?):


("This little pig found a hole in the fence...")

In the kitchen:


("Clapcake, clapcake, butter and milk...")

In the bathroom:

("Sing a song of soapsuds, filling up the sink...")

I'm loving them already. And so does Lucy. This morning, she saw me shuffle the cards in the office to find a new one to read. Later in the morning, as she sat on her potty, I started reciting one of the poems I'd already memorized. She looked over her shoulder to the spot where I'd tucked the cards! A reader in the making.

Keep a poem in your pocket

I'm in the midst of a project.



I always supposed I'd have a stash of poetry in my head to share with my baby. I've collected tons of poetry books over the years, with a wealth of perfect choices. But when I want a little rhyme to share as, for example, I change her diaper, only a very few come to mind, over and over. I needed a reminder.

When I was in the sixth grade, my teacher posted short poems all around the room, wherever you'd pause: by the pencil sharpener, the sink, the water fountain. I still remember "As I was going down the stair/I met a man who wasn't there./He wasn't there again today./I wish that man would go away." which I memorized that year, just from seeing it so often.

I decided to adapt her idea to home. I'm copying out some of my most favorite little rhymes to display by her changing table, so we will memorize them by frequent exposure. I'm going for ease of use here, so I'm just using index cards, propped up so that I can quickly switch to a new one as needed.




"Keep a poem in your pocket." Or maybe on your changing table. "The little poem will sing to you."