Libraries of Hope / Well-Educated Heart

Well-Educated Mother's Heart Study Guide
Month 5:Poetry

"The soldier fights for his native land, but the poet touches that land with the charm that makes it worth fighting for ... The statesman enlarges and orders liberty in the State, but the poet fosters the love of liberty in the heart of the citizen." - Newell Dwight Hillis

What will your verse be?

Daffodils by William Wordsworth

Poetry: Audio
Mother's Learning Library Volume: Poetry (free pdf version)

I opened this month's compilation of poetry thoughts with gems of thoughts from a number of poetry books to help you get a sense of why studying poetry matters and some hints for helping your children love it.  Next is a wonderful little book on The Teaching of Poetry.  You may expect it to be full of explanations of rhymes and meter, but it's not at all.  It's more about how to preserve a love a poetry and to not kill what is natural in most children.  I found he offered many practical suggestions mothers can incorporate in their homes.  Then I included a small section from a couple of books that will deepen your appreciation for the importance of poetry and a little better understanding of its 'magic'.  Finally, you'll find the introduction to a book of stories from some of the greatest poets of all time where you will be able to familiarize yourself with some of the noblest poetic souls.

Video: LaDawn Jacobs discusses the importance and benefits of memorization.

When I was a young mother, LaDawn Jacobs was one of my heroes. She is the mother of eleven and I was in her church congregation for awhile. I tried to incorporate many of the things she taught with my own family and she was one of the first to inspire me with the importance of poetry and always working on memorizing something. This is a recent presentation she gave. Prepare to be inspired!

(On the same web page, you'll find  a copy of a little book she wrote that I read and re-read as a young mother. It's out of print but available as a free pdf download. Lots of great ideas.)

Poetry book recommendations for the family:

Mother Goose
  • Mother Goose works best if you say the rhymes by heart while you're getting your child dressed or feeding him or playing with him.
  • You'll find a number of illustrated options in the S2 online library.
  • In the S2 book, Stories and Rhymes for Young Children, I've included a book that presents Mother Goose rhymes in a development order

Marguerite de Angeli's Book of Nursery and Mother Goose Rhymes
  • I love this book. Although it's out of print, there are usually inexpensive copies on Amazon. 

Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses
  • My personal illustrated favorites are Jessie Willcox Smith's, which can be viewed in the S2 online library and Tasha Tudor's which is still in print.
  • I have also included all the verses in the Stories and Rhymes book. Maybe your child would like to illustrate them for himself and put them in his Memory Gems book.

Now We Are Six and When We Were Very Young by A.A.Milne, Winnie the Pooh's author
A Child's First Book of Poems by Cyndy Szekeres (1981)
  • Out of print but watch for inexpensive used copies online


Poetry Collections: 

Favorite Poems Old and New for Boys and Girls by Helen Ferris (1957)
  • This is one of my favorites and it's still in print.

The Golden Treasury of Poetry (1966)
  • Compiled by and with commentary by Louis Untermeyer, illustrated by Joan Walsh Anglund
  • Out of print but inexpensive used copies available on Amazon.

A Child's Treasury of Poems by Mark Daniel (1986)
  • Out of print but limited inexpensive copies available. Loaded with beautiful works of fine art.

The Best Loved Poems of the American People by Hazel Felleman (1936)
  • Still in print and also inexpensive copies available.

Time for Poetry by May Hill Arbuthnot, a Teacher's Anthology (1951)
  • Out of print but limited used copies available. Prices fluctuate. Keep an eye out for inexpensive copies.

The Family Book of Best Loved Poems by David L. George (1952)
  • Out of print but used copies available.

I have also linked several collections in the S2 online library.

Poetry for the Well-Educated Heart includes pre-1923 poetry organized by Month for the 12-month rotation schedule as well as by nature subjects and home and family life. It's a free bonus gift this month for bundle subscribers or it can be purchased separately in our store.

Many years ago, the women's organization of the LDS church had cultural refinement lessons. A series of five books, Out of the Best Books, were used in connection with that study. I have learned much about poetry from these books and I highly recommend trying to get our hands on some copies. If you live where there is a Deseret Industries, I often see $2.00 copies there. Or you can keep checking for inexpensive copies online. 

Forgotten Classics:

Familiarize yourself with some of the stories from the poets


Start a Memory Gems Notebook. Include your favorite poetry-poems you love enough that you'd like to work on memorizing them. Add illustrations if you'd like.

Little children can start with Mother Goose rhymes.

Poetry Tea Time: Once a week, set a 'tea time' where you put a tablecloth on the table, a few flowers if you have them, and your finest 'tea' cups. Drink hot chocolate or juice and serve a treat your kids enjoy. Let each person share a favorite poem or two they found during the week. If they're memorizing a poem, let them share the poem they're memorizing. Be sure and create a shelf of poetry books that your kids have easy access to. I always check the poetry sections at the Friends of the Library book sales and have found some beautiful copies! You may also use the time for them to work on copying their favorite poems for their Memory Gems books.

TEACHING CHILDREN TO READ

Poetry can be an enjoyable gateway to reading. I remember one of our daughter's First Grade teacher taught the class how to read entirely through poetry. Every few days, they would be given a page with a poem written on it which the teacher had helped  the children love by reading it aloud together, and then they illustrated the pages. At the end of the year, they had a keepsake book of poetry.

In the introductory videos on the training page at welleducatedheart.com, I describe using Mother Goose rhymes in the same way. Let your little ones watch you form the words left to right, saying the words out loud as you write. Then let them illustrate the pages. This becomes a personal first reading book.

The truth is, for many children who are immersed in stories, storytelling, and poetry as children, reading happens as naturally as speaking. I've read about and met many people who say they cannot recall ever being taught to read -- they just did it! The important thing is to never force it. Some children are ready to read at very young ages. Other children develop later. You'll find many articles on the internet backing up this idea. Here are a couple to start with: 


I believe all children can benefit from phonics if it's kept light and playful and introduced when a child shows some interest. Here is a free phonics program developed by a teacher many years ago who had a tremendous success rate with it. I picked up a little white board and dry erase marker at the dollar store and tried it out with a little granddaughter. She enjoyed drawing the pictures and making up sentences with the words. It doesn't hurt to give it a try!

There are a lot of great beginning readers at the library. My personal favorites are the Little Bear Series and Frog and Toad. Here are some of my favorite online readers from yesteryear. The novelty of being allowed to read on a tablet may be an incentive to practice reading. (I'm not suggesting using readers exclusively-get them into real books as soon as possible.)