Here’s another playful idea which generates interesting images and allows some experimenting with rhyme if you wish. I was reminded of it during my return to Sandy Brownjohn’s books. You may already know this rhyme: I saw a Peacock with a fiery tail, I saw a blazing Comet drop down hail, I saw a Cloud … Continue reading Peacock with a fiery tail
Here is a little poem by Eve Merriam that invites playfulness. Children do love to rhyme, though they are rarely able to do so successfully. Poems tat start out well can all too easily be destroyed by the urge for rhyme over good sense. Catch a Little Rhymedoesn’t take itself too seriously. If you have enjoyed the … Continue reading Catch a Little Rhyme
This little rhyming game is described in Sandy Brownjohn’s The Ability to Name Cats. It starts out as an oral game but can be transferred to individual writers. The game can be played with any number of players. Each person takes it in turn to supply a line using the pattern ‘I rather be … than … … Continue reading I’d Rather Be …
It’s a word collecting day. I have younger children in mind, but we all love words that sound well in the ear. There is always room for a list of words. Once you start writing them down, more spring to mind and before you know it you have a story or a poem, a song … Continue reading Tittle Tattle
This is just a little something, to fit in a corner of time, to play with as you are walking somewhere, perhaps even to make into a poem of sorts. The idea is a mixture of rhyming and nonsense. The nonsense makes it easier to find rhymes without spoiling a good idea. Start with the idea … Continue reading Rhyme time
Here is a little rhyme we have often used for fun. It comes from a favourite collection of short rhymes written by Clyde Watson and illustrated by her sister, Wendy: Father Fox’s Pennyrhymes. Dilly Dilly Piccalilli has a clear pattern and invites a little bit of nonsense. Simply share the rhyme and then see if you can make … Continue reading Dilly Dilly Piccalilli
Last summer, at our book festival, our writing club had fun with this rhyme. Each line in the traditional rhyme begins with a number, from one to twelve, and all the words in that line begin with the starting letter of that number. One old Oxford ox opening oysters.Two toads totally tired of trying to … Continue reading One Old Oxford Ox
Writing Box 