LISTEN FOR THE WORDS

February 11, 2021

The process of writing has always brought me joy.  Beyond myself there is the magic of children’s writing.  Imagery is bountiful and contained in a child’s words, both spoken and written.

A few times I’ve integrated writing into my Seedlings classes with remarkable success.  Numerous insightful poems were written by Seedlings sitting still at the pond.  Each child  was in his/her own little island of thought. As pencil touched the paper words flowed at different speeds resulting in various themes.   Whether the writing was about birds, silence or swaying trees it was born of an individual experience.     

I look forward to guiding the Seedlings to the redesigned upper pond at Avalon this Spring (under construction).  I  imagine the stream flowing gently down to the pond where they can sit with pencil and paper and record their own impressions from their imagination.

Expressing  oneself through writing invites exploration into your own mind.  It only belongs to others if you want to share it.  I love the idea of inviting your child to a writing space where he/she can write and even illustrate their thoughts without guidance or interruption.  Opportunities  for children to  express thoughts, feelings and ideas can open up new worlds and build confidence. Even if their work doesn’t make sense to you, it does to them.   So just let it be. 

I stumbled upon this wonderful woman, Nancy Kangas, who  worked with 3–5-year-old children in Columbus, Ohio.  She  sat with  the children as they expressed themselves in  a free flowing conversation. Through her talent and questioning techniques, Ms. Kangas was able to record children’s ideas. 

Her  passion grew into “Preschool Poets” where such poems as “Miracle’s Poem” and “Mr. Grumpy, Mr. Crumpy and Mr. Bumpy” have been animated and narrated by the child authors. Click on the  link to watch and hear the poems.   It is amazing how much   a 3-5- year-old has swirling in his/her little head.   There is also a great documentary on how Kangas accomplished this.  https://www.preschoolpoets.org/poems

Children as well as adults have so much to say.  Allowing for opportunities of expression is a gift to oneself or to others.   Give it a try. 

Please feel free to share you or your children’s poems or stories with me at sue@avalonparkandpreserve.org

Sue

A moment of stillness and expression