Celebrate Poetry All Month Long with Read, Discuss, Do

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  Happy National Poetry Month! We are celebrating National Poetry Month with a weekly poetry challenge all month long. To follow along, subscribe to our newsletter or check back here every Monday and Friday throughout the month of April for updates.  Kickoff: Books and resources for National Poetry Month   Week one: Read and write haiku  Article: A Brief History of Poetry by Marci Whitehurst Week two: Read and write odes Article: Eight Creative Ways to Explore Poetry All Year Long by Rebecca J. Gomez Week three: Read and write riddle poems   Week four: Poet's choice! If you and/or your children/students participate in any of our challenges this month, we'd love to hear from you.  You can  email  us or  tag us  on Instagram (use the hashtag #RDDPoetryChallenge or #RDDPoetryMonth). We will be sharing some readers’ poems in a round-up post at the end of the month, so if you’d like your poems to be considered, please let us know when you s...
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Summer Challenge Week Three: Amazing Animals!

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Who doesn't love a good animal story? This week's Summer Challenge theme is Amazing Animals! This week, we encourage you to read some books about animals, both fiction and nonfiction, then get out and enjoy some animal antics together with friends or family. 

Recommended reads:

Crossings: Extraordinary Structures for Extraordinary Animals by Katy S. Duffield, illustrated by Mike Orodan. This book is both moving and educational, a testament to what humans can accomplish when they have a common purpose and caring hearts. 

Honey: The Dog Who Saved Abraham Lincoln by Shari Swanson, illustrated by Chuck Groenink. A charming story about Abraham Lincoln as a child and his real life hero dog.

After Dark: Poems about Nocturnal Animals by David L. Harrison, illustrated by Stephanie Laberis. This book of poems is creative and educational and is pleasant to read. The illustrations are lovely too!

This Way, Charlie by Caron Levis, illustrated by Charles Santoso. A truly charming and moving story inspired by a real life animal friendship. 

Ideas for things to discuss:

  • Talk about the story. Is it fiction or nonfiction? Realistic or fantastical?
  • What kind of animals do you find most amazing?
  • What kinds of animals make good pets? What might make the worst pet?
  • How can you help make the world a better place for animals? How can you start in your own back yard?
  • Did you learn something new about an animal in the book you read?
Ideas for things to do:
  • Head to the zoo!
  • Go on a neighborhood safari. Take pictures or keep a list of the animals you see.
  • Donate to an animal shelter.
  • Hang a bird feeder in your yard. Here are some DIY bird feeders kids can make on their own from LetGrow. 
  • Have an animal-themed movie night. 
  • Create some animal-inspired art, like this torn paper animal art collage from EduArt 4 Kids.
How will you celebrate Amazing Animals this week? Do you or your kids have any favorite animal books? Let us know in the comments or share on social media with #RDDSummerChallenge.

 

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