Thank you, Irene, for making a special Poetry Friday. I can't wait to see what everyone shares.
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| tonight's moon peeking through the branches |
Several times through my teaching years I facilitated a moon journaling unit in my class, with the help of a special professional book, Moon Journals: Writing, Art, and Inquiry Through Focused Nature Study, by Joni Chancer and Gina Rester-Zodrow. Other books with moon themes like Owl Moon, by Jane Yolen, Many Moons by James Thurber, along with native American tales of the moon, enhanced our study. There are more recent ones today, like Laura Purdie Salas' wonderful If You Were The Moon, illustrated by Jaime Kim. We journaled every night for five weeks, first waiting for, and then observing our wonderful earth's moon. We wrote, sketched, questioned, watched with family and friends, and concluded with a full-moon watch on the prairie outside of Denver.
Since that time, I have continued to be so aware of the moon in its cycles and its beauty, and was lucky enough a few years ago to see a moon eclipse right here in Denver. I collect poems and quotes about the moon, like Karla Kuskin's awesome collection, Moon, Have You Met My Mother? and have written a few poems through the years. Here is one that remains a favorite!
Thanks for hosting, Irene. I can't wait to see your own "moon" book!
The moon as rose petal--lovely! I'll bet your students still remember their moon journals.
ReplyDeleteMoon journals! That sounds so inspiring. Thank you for the resource. And thank you for the "cheese" too. :) The wind blowing the moon into the tree is magical! xo
ReplyDeleteMoon journaling with your students sounds like a memorable experience, Linda. I love the imaginative thought of the wind blowing the moon into a tree's branches. - very creative. Thanks for the resources also.
ReplyDeleteLove your fanciful rose-petal-cheese poem Linda! Thanks for the smiles here today, all the books mentioned, and your 💗 for our moon!
ReplyDelete"a rose petal gone astray" - SOO beautiful, Linda, and I love that it gone "blown" into the trees. What an amazing experience you facilitated for your students; and it inspired you so much as well! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLinda, I think I need that moon journal book. What a great idea for a writing activity. Love your poem! "no/cheese at all" made me smile.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a lovely and intense writing project. I bet the moon stays with those kids forever. And your rose-petal moon is just stunning. Thanks for the IF YOU WERE THE MOON shout-out.
ReplyDeleteI would have LOVED to be in your class!! We didn't do moon journals in my classes, but once upon a long time ago we did go on nighttime owl walks, calling in screech and great horned owls in the woods behind the school (before the subdivision went in).
ReplyDeleteLinda, yes--we all crave the deep dive, the chance to sit with our learning over time, to enact it with our bodies all day, and in this case, all night! That's what we get with a 5-week project and what we don't typically give kids as we skate over the surface of dozens of concepts and topics. That kind of focus gives rise to poems like yours, both simple and complex.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea! I've heard Aimee Nezhukumatathil talk about keeping a sky journal and a moon journal. So fascinating.
ReplyDeleteI love your moon journals idea, Linda! So clever!
ReplyDeleteThe breeze blowing the moon into the branches of a tree - great imagery captured in words and art. I'd have loved a project like a moon journal as a kid!
ReplyDeleteSo glad I stopped by today. A moon journal sounds fabulous and I'm sure you have many wonderful memories of the journals you kept with your students. We are kindred spirits - I love the moon, too! "a rose petal gone astray" - beautiful!
ReplyDeleteLinda, I'm smiling that we both posted photos of the moon through trees - and I do believe they both have heart images showing <3 - love that wind that blew a moon into branches :)
ReplyDeleteI echo the praise for your "rose petal" imagery in this poem, Linda. Both you and the moon 'rose' to the occasion. ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone! What a special Poetry Friday this was! I hope you're planning to watch the full, "Buck", and supermoon, rise tonight! And, Happy Independence Day!
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