Yesterday was the poetry open house at Northfield Elementary. We had many parents, grandparents and friends come to hear the third graders read their poems.
The food poems, in particular, are a favorite of the visiting families because of food's connection to family traditions. In this workshop, I do give kids the option of using their five senses to describe a food. However, I encourage them to extend their poem, because foods can remind us of people, places, and memories.
A few years ago, my friend Christine's son was among the third grade students at Northfield. As usual, when introducing the workshop on food poetry, we spent time talking about special foods in the children's families. I reminded the children, "It doesn't have to be a holiday food. You can write about a food that someone important makes for you. Maybe your aunt has a recipe for brownies, and no one else makes brownies as delicious as hers."
Christine's son took that to heart. He wrote a sweet poem about his grandmother's oatmeal. The whole family got such a kick out of the poem, they framed the final draft. The boy's grandmother, it turns out, was not the cookie-baking, apron-wearing type. Oatmeal was her one and only specialty.
| Oatmeal from www.foodchannel.com |
In reading these third-grade food poems, look for the poets connecting a food to a specific experience or to the emotions of sharing a meal or a treat with someone they love. You will notice that we spent some time working on sensory images and similes before writing.
All my poets today share my love for sweets. Get ready for a sugar rush, readers!
Cotton Candy
by Jane H.
Fluff, sweet cotton candy.
It melts in my mouth.
They are the little clouds
that you can see up high
in the sky.
Pink, blue, purple, yellow!
The rainbow is what I see.
It is so sweet, it smells like sugar.
The fluff so soft, like my cat's fur.
A whoosh, a whirl, my cotton candy
finally made.
Poof poof poof
Chomp!
Yum!
I love cotton candy.
| www.polyvore.com |
S'Mores
by James K.
You and me
ride the car
to the food store.
We get the marshmallows
and the crackers, my favorite,
the chocolate. We go back
home and my dad gets out the grill.
We open the bags of
delicious food. I feel the
marshmallow that feels
like my fluffy pillow. Once
you put it in the
oven it melts down all
over the place. I take it
out and put it on the
table to cool. I pour my melted
chocolate in the bowl of the
white stew. I get the spoon
and mix it together and
lick it off the spoon. It tastes
like ice cream and sounds like
they day passing. It smells
like fresh baked cake. I dip
the spoon and put it on the
crackers and put it together.
My food is s'mores.
Not going camping any time soon? Here is a recipe for "Boiler S'mores."
Ice Cream
by Kiran V.
In the summer after dinner
my family goes to get ice cream
Sometimes my friend comes with us. When
we get hte ice cream it smells like
all my favorite things put together in one. It
looks like whipped cream with candy.
It sounds like somebody licking a lollipop.
It feels like creamy ice. It tastes like heaven
when it goes into your mouth. Ice cream
is the best thing in the world, ask my
friend. Oh, I love sitting outside
looking at the stars as we eat.
Easter Chocolate
by Sofia M.
Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Abuelita and Abuelito!
Yay! They're here!
Sister and I run up to the front door.
Creak... the door opens.
We can smell the sweet chocolate
that they bring every year!
Mami and Papa come up to greet
Abuelita and Abuelito.
"Time to get the chocolate open!!!"
the grandparents say.
Thump!
The chocolate gets set down on the table.
Sister and I look inside our
Easter baskets.
Chocolate! Chocolate
1, 2, 3... 20 chocolates!!?
That's a lot of chocolate!
Gobble up the chocolate!
Delicious!
But what makes the memory special
is the love all around.
Thanks to the Northfield staff and families for allowing me to share these delicious poems.
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