learning all the time

Poetry with Laura Purdie Salas

31 March 2017 by Kortney

Poetry Month! The crown jewel of the year, the sweetest part of the sweetest month.

To welcome the month, we’re attending a workshop taught by Laura Purdie Salas! On April 5th at 4pm Pacific, Laura willing be leading children and their parents through writing and revising exercises: 15 Word Poems, Things To Do Poems, and Rename It Poems.

Yes, Laura Purdie Salas of If You Were the Moon, the luminous new picture book all about our satellite! What I love most is the supplemental text on each spread–elegant explanations of the scientific phenomenon hinted at in the poetry. The brooding, atmospheric blues and greys of the illustrations are the perfect pairing with Laura’s poetry. Whimsy with a touch of science, science that opens you up to wonder–If You Were the Moon is a revelation.

The workshop is hosted by Read-Aloud Revival and costs $15. This will also get you access to an afternoon with Tomie dePaola on April and a recording of Laura’s previous Author Access event. You can cancel after the first month or stick around for Marla Frazee, Jennifer Trafton, and Jane Yolen!

Laura will also be posting poems + pictures most days during the month. You can follow her on Instagram…and look for #wonderbreak. We can’t wait to start this month off right! And be sure to head to The Poem Farm for more Poetry Friday goodness.

Paint :: Scissors :: Poems–Making Haiku Cards

27 March 2017 by Kortney

Last Fall I made a collection of Haiku Cards–tiny cards with watercolors on one side and a line from Basho on the other. I shuffle the cards and create random operation poems. The source material is rich, so the simple three line poems end up quirky and nearly always inspiring. Here’s how I made them!

:: Paint ::

I used 9×12 mixed media paper. It’s heavier than copy paper, more absorbent than cardstock, smoother than watercolor paper. Use what you have! Index cards cut in half would be perfect. I painted saturated fields of color in 1 or 2 colors.

:: Scissors ::

I cut my big sheets of paper into 2½ x 3″ pieces after the paint had dried overnight. Then I used a punch to round the corners. This makes the cards look and feel more finished.

:: Poems ::

I used Basho because he’s my favorite. I found this collection online and copied about 30 into my journal. Then I made the final selection and wrote 1 line from a poem on each card. Now a 3 card pull creates a completely new poem.

Over the Moon Oracle

If you are interested in Haiku Cards, but don’t want to make them yourself, Kristen has a wonderful deck available. She is also teaching a free class on using the cards. During Poetry Month, Kristen is also hosting the #HaikuOracleChallenge–so be sure to follow that hashtag on Instagram!

April Is the Sweetest Month

24 March 2017 by Kortney

It’s got a lot going for it! April sees the Pink Moon come full and Spring really comes into it’s own where we live. The days are longer, the trees will be blooming, the yard calling out for care. Our second born will turn 8! Plus it’s Poetry Month. Here’s what I’ll be doing to celebrate.

A collection of past poetry happenings…

Poetic Glimmers

Hand lettered quote by Laurie Blackwell

A few lines hand-lettered of poetry and an image to color. A few minutes of beauty and joy every day for a month. We received Laurie’s December offering and just really loved the artwork and quotes combo. So many days seemed to be just what we needed to hear. I can’t wait to see what this month holds!

This woman is creating such richness! Each month Laurie sends out a hand-lettered newsletter with lovely printable freebies too!

A Chance to Win!

**GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED** Laurie has generously offered TWO free subscriptions to Poetic Glimmers for readers here at One Deep Drawer! Just leave a comment on this post, and I’ll pick winners on Monday, March 27th! **GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED**

Writer’s Almanac

It’s true–you don’t have to wait for Poetry Month to listen to Garrison read poems to you. But this month I want to listen with the ears of my heart. I want to let the language do it’s work on me. I’ve got a stack of books to be reading too (Jane Kenyon, Billy Collins, Kenneth Koch). But this month especially I want the pleasures of oral language.

Writing Every Day

I want to be at it! At least a haiku each day. Taking a walk and tucking the WriteAlm prompt in my pocket makes this approachable. I’ll also be visiting 15 Words or Less hosted by Laura Purdie Salas. I find the images so evocative and the collection of poets so creative. And my children and I get to attend a poetry writing workshop taught by Laura in April! (More on that next week!) If nothing else, I’ll be creating chance operation poems from my haiku oracle–more on that too!

More Poetry Friday goodness at Reading to the Core…and don’t forget to enter the drawing!

Finding the Right Math Curriculum

18 March 2017 by Kortney

This is one of those topics that really strikes fear into the heart of homeschoolers! Which math curriculum should we use? Which one is going to equip our children for their future…and not leave someone in tears each day? This balance between meaningful progress and familial peace can seem an elusive goal.

We have used Miquon Math and Teaching Textbooks–both with great success! Our kids are building math skills, and we are preserving the peace. Even in a household that lives and breathes books.

I’ve written reviews of our experience with both programs for The Curriculum Choice.

Every family–and every child–is gifted in different ways. But I hope reading about our experience might help you navigate the choices before you. If you have specific questions about how we use these published resources, I’d love to chat in the comments!

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Poetry with Laura Purdie Salas

Paint :: Scissors :: Poems–Making Haiku Cards