Live Poet's' Society is one of the joys of home schooling.
Once a month, we have a gathering of big and little poets who recite a poem to an audience of their peers—anything from Shakespeare to Mother Goose. Afterwards we have cookies and juice and some really feral outdoor play.
Come to think of it, it's only a "home schooler" event because it happens on a school day. It could be an anyone event.
My children hate (HATE) performing, and admittedly public speaking is one of the weak spots in home schooling. (To this day the very sight of a microphone makes me weak in the knees.) But I am pressing on, in the hope that by the time my children leave home they will be able to speak audibly to a group and maybe even remember some Lewis Carroll or William Blake. Or Ogden Nash, in a pinch.
It's fun to see how family culture affects the literary choices of this group. My own boys tend toward the absurd and humorous, while another family makes very classical choices of Shakespeare and Tennyson, and another enjoys the whimsy of Robert Louis Stevenson and Hilaire Belloc. There are at least a hundred toddlers (or so it seems...) who come along to observe and be inspired.
I am looking forward to the day when someone will write their own poem for this happy meeting! And performing plays is just around the corner.
And while I was snapping pictures, I got a selfie of Will and I! Which is rare, you understand, since we don't usually goof off with cameras, and besides...
...this is what we usually look like:
The picture above is a metaphor of our life.
i love you guys!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the little Poets have made an appearance on your blog! It's certainly a greatly anticipated event in our home. And I think you underestimated -- there are about 300 toddlers.
ReplyDeleteLive Poet's Society! I love it!! It's important for kids to have the kind of experience you're providing. Good for you!!
ReplyDeleteLive Poet's Society! I love it!! This kind of experience is so good for children and will pay off later in their lives. Good for you!!
ReplyDeleteWished we lived closer
ReplyDeleteLive Poet's Society... brilliant Mary. I may steal it for our local purposes...
ReplyDeleteFun fact: Public Speaking is the NUMBER ONE fear of adults. I'm trying in very little ways to remedy this. We were attending a Young Presenter's Club up north until Agnes was born. Now the idea of driving anywhere with that vehicle-hating lass is horrifying. Our parish homeschooling group is dwindling in energy... I think something like Live Poet's Society just might breathe some new life in it!