Kelly Bennett's Blog, page 68

7-Minute Poetry Challenge #23-Where In The World?

So fun to toss around than a fancy word for a simple task. An Acrostic Poem is one of the simplest forms of poetry and yet it’s sooo confusing to describe in words. It can also be one of the most fun to write (and thus it’s one of the first forms of poetry children learn). Every Acrostic Poems begins the same way: With a word or phrase. This word or phrase is usually the title, too. (For clarity sake, I will refer to it as “the title” from here on out.)

from Young Writers

In short, the title...

7-Minute Poetry Challenge #22-Surprise!

Poetry Challenge #22Surprise! Look around you. What do you see that surprises you? The house plants that have added new leaves and height? Dust covering a surface you just cleaned? The red flash of a cardinal in the winter landscape? List as many things as you can and then rearrange them to make a poem. Think about the order and the sound of the words and what makes it the most surprising poem you can make.Set the timer for 7 minutes.Start writing!Don’t think about it too much; just do it.

 

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7-Minute Poetry Challenge #21-Inside Out, Upside Down & Backwards

Gotta love DYI videos! And the folks who take the time to find them--like daughter Lexi, who solved one of the great frustrations of my life with the link to one short clip: HOW TO PUT ON A DUVET COVER Thank you Lexi! 

WARNING: Not all DIY tips work (neither do all poetry prompts) . . .

Dang duvet cover won't behave...

That being said, while Lexi and I were step-by-step smoothing, rolling and unrolling our perfectly stuffed duvet, (maybe because my upper half was not fully inside the cover as...

7-Minute Poetry Challenge #20-Memory Game

Do you know some poems? Did you ever have to memorize a poem for school? Have you memorized a poem just for the fun of it?

When my kids were little, they memorized Shel's poems. Lexi proudly recited her fav: Eighteen Flavors. 

Memorizing poems helps you feel the rhythm and rhyme (if there is one) and forces you to look at each word more closely. Plus, you can recite a poem to get through a tough time or to put yourself to sleep. Amazing the uses!

Poetry Challenge #20Memorize a Poem Day!Today,...

7-Minute Poetry Challenge #19-Zippity-Doodle

"Play Time! Before words came letter, before letters came doodles. According to those in the know, doodling, scribbling, drawing taps into your creative brain--the play filled side. So what happens if we get into a playful mood first, then begin writing? 

Sometime, in a bygone blog, while attending a Kindling Words retreat during which we doodled before writing each morning, I wrote about the science behind how doodling taps into creative corners and our subconscious in different and surpris...

7-Minute Poetry Challenge #18-Moody Blues

Did you miss me? More importantly, did you miss last week's prompt. Sorry. I was lost.. We zipped off to The Bahamas for a few days. If you are clever, you have already subscribed to Cindy's blog, and so you're #18 is finished. Yeah! 

If you are feeling a teensy bit jealous because I was in The Bahamas (italics intended along with a whooo-whooo) this might make you feel better: It was unseasonably cold, overcast, windy & rainy--definitely weather for this prompt. Here we go!

Poetry Challenge...

7-Minute Poetry Challenge # 17- Dream A Dream

The Third Monday every January is a day for dreaming. Many folks think of it as a day to sleep in, lounge, relax, but it's much more than that. So much more. It's a holiday set aside to honor one of the great dreamers:Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. 

King's vision of a world in which all humans are equal, a vision he expounded in his "I Have A Dream Speech," is one we are still striving to realize today. Here's a snippet of his speech, one that bares revisiting (a link to the speech, delivered Au...

7-Minute Poetry Challenge #16-Can You Say COLD?

Jane Yolen: 365 Books Published and counting...

Confession Time...again: I've been so busy holidaying, I neglected posting last week. (I hope you Challenged yourself.) In case you have qualms about the value of this SSSSSTTTREEEEEETCH read what gazillion-times published author Jane Yolen writes about her ongoing poetry challenge. (BTW: Did you know you could read a different one of Jane's books every day for a YEAR!) 

"I started writing a poem a day seven years ago as a personal challenge.  I...

7-Minute Poetry Challenge #15-Ring My Bell!

“Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings.” Does that line ring a bell? It’s little Zuzu enlightening her parents, George and Mary Bailey, in It’s a Wonderful Life (one of my favorite holiday pics). This time of year zillions of angels must get wings because Bells are Ringing! (another one of my favs). In the spirit of the season, let’s get ringing! Poetry Challenge #15Ring My Bell! Bells come in many shapes and sizes, with so many different uses, and sounds! Begin by listing as many...

7-Minute Poetry Challenge #14-Remember First!

B. learns the art of snow angels!

Poetry Challenge #14 Remember First! Do you remember the first of something in your life? Maybe you remember the first time you rode a bike, the first time you visited someone by yourself, or the first time you went somewhere by yourself. Maybe you have early memories of reading or writing or hiking. Who did these things with you? Where were you? What did you like? What feelings do you remember? [image error]

D. learning to climb "high-high!"

Make a list of anything you...