Poetry School Membership

The Poetry School Activities will support children and young people to develop their imaginative thinking skills, creativity and also learn to be resourceful promoting daily living skills and  supporting social and emotional development.

The activities will  improve language and communication skills. While developing learning and problem solving abilities. Also enhancing  physical development.

Poetry School Mission Statement:
Children and young people,
must have access to poetry and literature,
while exploring nature and having fun.

December 2023 to February 2024.

Poetry School Winter Activities:

Create a Winter story through poetry of all the things you see and experience through nature during the Winter months.

You can add pictures with your poetry of things connected to the season of Winter.

Poetry and Pictures

Examples:

A cutting from a Christmas tree and/or homemade decorations.

Foods prepared and sourced from nature e.g. root vegetables, casseroles, butternut squash, pulses, ginger, stews, fruits, soups, fish, roast dinners, spinach etc……

Time you spent with your family

Cinnamon sticks

Nutmeg

Cloves

Star Anise

The Weather

Feelings

Abstract nature photography

Abstract thinking is the ability to understand concepts that are real, such as freedom or vulnerability, but which are not directly tied to concrete physical objects and experiences.

Natural photography comprises pictures of nature as viewed from the eyes of the photographer. Contrary to what many people believe, nature photography is not only restricted to capturing the images of trees, plants or animals.

Use pieces of craft paper or card to create your story book.You could use coloured ribbon, jute twine or straw to hold your poetic story book pages together. Let the artist in you flow freely while decorating your book.
(Young Children must be supervised while using craft supplies).

Summary

When you have finished creating your story you will have beautiful poetic memories of the Winter months and how you visualised and experienced nature. 

© 2023 Carol Natasha Diviney

September:

Body :

Collect anything you wish connected to natural nature that comes from the main core e.g. fallen leaves, tree bark, grass, plant stems….

Start thinking about how the things you collected make you feel.

If you made the Summer Solstice Emotional Recharging Sun Box you could keep your core nature collection in this. (Details are on the Poetry School website page). If not, find a container you like.

October:

Action:
Think about how a crispy leaf makes you want to move your body?

Facial expressions, small facial expressions, gestures as well as larger movements what comes from your touch?

Action is also pauses and stillness during movements.

Space:
Space general or personal space level size direction focus around you.

Unlike traditional forms of dance, contemporary is considered to be somewhat unbound by much rigidity and rules. Dancers of this genre have the ability to transform a performance based on their own interpretations.

November:

Time:
Practice with your favourite music
Time is applied as both musical and dance elements beat, tempo, rhythm, sudden,
slow or sustained.

Energy:
Variations of Movement:
Example an arm gesture may be free flowing or easily stopped, powerful, gentle, tight or loose, heavy or light.

© 2023 Carol Natasha Diviney

Previous Activity:
When the Sun box is opened things inside should fill you with joy, warmth and happiness, colours that fill you with a sunshine feeling. Collect anything that is related to nature, use textures, and create your Sun box.

Use your Sun box as little or as often as you like. When the Sun box is opened children and young people can express a word, sound or expression they would like to use for poetry in their Sun box.

This Poetry School Activity is adaptable if a child or young person's person-centred needs, means materials of different colours or textures would be more beneficial. Then change the nature supplies to materials.

Sun Artisan Art

There are summer solstice celebrations around the world for many different reasons. Some celebrate nature on that day and others celebrate with food and bonfires

You will need cardboard not too thick.
Boxes you have at home or ones you may receive home orders in are fine to use.

Biodegradable paper plates

Wool different colours

Jute Twine

Scissors (Children must be supervised).

Different shades of orange and yellow material ribbon. If you have materials at home that are no longer used, these can be recycled and used to decorate your artistain art.

Biodegradable Disposable Plates

Use natural nature supplies if you want to decorate the plate/plates.
Child friendly art and craft paints can be used to paint on the plate also.

Plates can be drawn on or colouring pencils used.
Use your imagination when creating a backdrop for your Sun art.

Decorate the bottom edge of the plate with the different coloured ribbon. This will look beautiful hanging in the sunshine or gentle breeze.

Sun/Star Shape

Draw a star shape or go online and find a free downloadable template and print it. Then place the shape onto the cardboard and cut around the shape. You can use blue tac to hold the template in place which makes it easier to cut around.
(Children must be supervised when using scissors).

Wool

Use oranges and yellows giving representation to the Sun and light.

Weave the wool with combined colours to cover your star shape. Leave a small space on one of the points of the star so you can make a hole to thread jute twine through for hanging.

Finish at the back of your decoration and tuck the end of the wool into the weaving so it is not seen. Once covered and the jute twine has been thread through the small hole take your disposal and biodegradable paper plate make a small hole through it e.g. the top of the plate and thread the jute twine through that is attached to the star.

You can hang your Sun Artisan Art inside or outside in your garden. These can remain throughout the Summer reminding you of sunshine and light.

© 2023 Carol Natasha Diviney

Koko
It is pleasant and tasty.
It is bright and cheerful,
The children are blameless.
for the reason that they drink it.
Because their world is virtuous,
Ever since it was green and polite,
It is bright and blue.
So, the morning is flawless.
For sure, today's weather is good.
because the children are drinking "Koko."
And they eat so copiously of Kosai,
Their mouths feel the sweetest,
Their ears stood up straight.
Their bodies are boogying,
They dance well, twirling.
Because of the tasty taste of Koko,
And this was boiled so freshly,
In Safana's Poetry Kitchen,
For children, drink it hot.
It is really good.
It is really tasty.
Children, remember spring,
The millet is harvested.
Children, remember summer,
The corn is harvested.
Go to the farm and cut the crop.
It is a good thing in the morning,
for grannies to mix a porridge
A corn and millet porridge
and is an aroma in a pleasant atmosphere.
Children, let's dance and dance,
Because Koko is delicious,
And Kosai is also delicious.

Made from
Safana's Poetry Kitchen
By Auwal Habeeb Abdulqadeer
Safana-The-Poet

Comments:

Koko(also eko in Yoruba) is spicy millet porridge. It is a popular Nigerian and Ghanaian street food and commonly consumed as a breakfast meal. It can also be taken in the morning or late afternoon as snack. It is made from millet with a few local spices added to give it a particular taste and color. It is called Hausa koko because of the notion it was created in the Northern areas of Nigeria and Ghana. It is also common in the various communities in both countries.

It is usually accompanied by a fried bean bun called Kosai, Pinkaso, a spicy fried flour dumpling, or the Nigerian bean cake called Akara, which the former is created from.

Hausa koko is mostly found in West African countries and is credited to the Northern people, it is believed to have been first made by the Hausa among whom millet is a dietary staple. It is a very popular Ghanaian street food. On most mornings it is sold on street corners. Sugar, milk and groundnuts are sometimes added to give it a very delicious taste.

Benefit:

Hausa Koko is made from millet which contains Magnesium, Manganese, Tryptophan, Calcium, Fibre and Vitamin B.

Taushe
Wow!  
Today Taushe,
taught my tongue to taste
Pumpkin made with soup,
in the time of cooking
and sipping.
You know pumpkin,
so if no,
try and say yes.
Get spinach leaves,
cut the leaves cleanly
Mix the oil in the pot.
the water is so vital
This is a matter of Hausa culture,
their food, environment, and taste
The soup is taushe
delicious, nutritious,
improves health,
and restores health,
because of its ingredients
of pumpkin,
spinach, sorrel leaf,
peppers, tomatoes and onions,
garlic, ginger, and salt
White-seed melon, seasoning
The Taushe soup,
makes everyone happy,
while having fun
Older ages drink
Young people are drinking,
especially school children,
because it boosts sight,
to read vowels and consonants,
that are arranged in order of series
A series of alphabets,
that make poetry

Comment:

Miyan taushe is a soup made from pumpkin, it is commonly eaten by Hausa tribe in the northern part of Nigeria. The soup is mostly prepared with yakuwa leaf, dawadawa (locust beans), crayfish, meat, onions, and spices.

It is native and popular with the Hausa and Fulani tribes of northern Nigeria. It is eaten with the necessary starch (tuwon shinkafa, tuwon masara, tuwon alkama, fufu, rice, naan, and other northern Nigerian dishes). These starches are usually made from high-starch carbohydrates like rice, yams, cassavas/yoca, plantains and many others which are collectively given the term "fufu", "okele", or swallow. because of how these foods used to be eaten by wrapping a small piece of the starch ball in soup using the hands and swallowing with minimal chewing.

Benefit: It improves and restores health.

Zobo

Zobo, the water of pleasure

Drink and feel sweet.

Drink and feel good.

It is a dry red flower.

Mixed in water.

black-red with a slight sourness

If sugar is put on it, it is so sweet.

If flavour is added, it is not sour.

The story of Zobo is puffy.

A sundry with water during the day

At home and in the ceremonies

In school and the market

Everyone is drinking.

like youngsters and grown-ups

And school children

At lunchtime

It makes children shine and be bright.

Adults enjoy drinking it.

especially in hot weather.

Since the north is hot

in this season of global warming.

And spring and summer.

The zobo in the fridge is cool.

Zobo in a jug, then a cup

Zobo in the cup

Then we sip.

Zobo: These are hibiscus leaves mixed with some important ingredients that are used to make Zobo drinks. Zobo is a popular cold-served drink in Nigeria, particularly in the northern part of the country.

Auwal Habeeb Abdulqadeer
Safana-The-Poet

Benefit: Zobo helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and scientists have found that Hibiscus sabdariffa leaf extract inhibits human prostate cancer cell invasion. Zobo helps control blood sugar levels, which is useful for people with diabetes.