Celebrate Poetry All Month Long with Read, Discuss, Do

  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...

Snack and Story Time: THE PEACH PIT PARADE


by Mindy Baker

The Peach Pit Parade: A World War 1 Story by Shana Keller and illustrated by Margeaux Lucas is a great discussion starter for elementary age children and filled with fascinating history. It takes place in the WWI era. Polly's father goes to fight in the war, and the story shows how life in America changed drastically. Families like Polly's made sacrifices to help the war effort. They planted victory gardens and collected scrap metal. They used less fuel and had meatless Mondays and wheatless Wednesdays. When chemical warfare was introduced, peach pits were needed to make filters in gas masks. Polly makes a difference by organizing a parade in her community to collect peach pits. Her fictional story is based on historical truth and will inspire you to make a difference in your own community today. Includes back matter with helpful science and history details.

Read:

The Peach Pit Parade by Shana Keller, illustrated by Margeaux Lucas

Discuss:
  1. What is war? When was World War 1?
  2. What are some of the ways that Polly's life changed because of the war?
  3. What are some of the things that Polly and the other US citizens did to help the soldiers?
  4. What did the US make with the peach pits and how did this help the soldiers?
  5. Polly and her community made a difference by working together. What is one way you can help make a difference with your community?

Do: Make a Peach Smoothie.

Recipe:
  • 2 cups frozen peaches
  • 1 -2 cups shaved ice
  • 1 cup peach juice 
  • 1 container peach Greek yogurt
  • 1 banana
  • 2 Tbsp honey (or more...as you like it)
In a blender, chop the ice until snow cone consistency. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend. Add more juice to thin if so desired. Pour into glasses, add a straw, and enjoy!

For more Peach related activities, check out this curated Pinterest Board:

https://www.pinterest.com/mindybakerbooks/peach-theme/

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