Nature Activity Poems Published

 

Congratulations to these talented Russley writers, who have had their poems published on Poetry Box. 

Blake W | Wind

Sam L | Ginko Walk

James DW | Ginko

Anabelle K | extreme ginko walk

Mostafa | I Wonder Why

Esme | Scribbles

Paula Green's Poetry Box challenge was to write a nature poem, inspired by some of the activities in The Nature Activity Book, by Rachel Haydon and Pippa Keel. Paula invited students to explore nature, to listen and look, use their imagination, and take their time writing a poem.

She received hundreds of poems from all over NZ and said it was an exceptionally hard job choosing just a few. 

Paula said, "I loved reading your poems and I can tell you loved writing them. I especially loved the way you went outside and you listened and looked. What a terrific time the students at Russley School had slowing down in the world to look and listen."

"I loved the way some words stayed with me all day. I loved the way Esme ended her poem with a pencil scribbling!"

Paula Green chose Blake's poem, Wind, as one of her favourites and he will receive his own copy of the The Nature Activity Book. Congratulations, Blake!

I Wonder Why

 

In front of the library filled with books 

mysteries and adventures

a warning 

COVID-19 poster

the bare oak tree stretches its branches to reach the sky

soft breeze cools me down 

a flock of house sparrows chirp gracefully  

delicate flowers shine in the sun

and I wonder

why the sky 

is such a very bright blue?

- Mostafa Elnahas | 9 years old | year 5

Inspired by Nature

 Ginko:  a Japanese word meaning a walk taken with the purpose of writing a haiku poem

Our walk around the Russley School grounds was great inspiration for some nature-themed poetry. We decided to write free-verse poems as an artistic expression of our response to our environment. We love free-verse poetry, as it gives us permission to break all the rules. We can choose the words, sounds, shape and form we want to convey our thoughts to the reader. We are not confined to following a particular pattern, syllable or word count or number of lines. We can make it up as we go along. We don't even have to use full stops or capital letters. Our line breaks and stanzas (verses) help the reader know when to pause and take a breath, like punctuation.

Look for the poetic language we've used to create vivid images; similes and metaphors, strong verbs, specific nouns and senses such as sound.

Nature poem 

 

Pastel yellow of a sunflower 

The freeze of the cold breeze

Roses bloom with joy 

Spiky thorns prick like needles 

Iceberg of fresh air whips my bare legs

Sky high trees sway like wind chimes 

 

Tiny ant runs on the slippery grass 

A nest balances on a thin branch 

I wonder 

why do birds chirp

chirp away?

• By Morgan Campbell | age 9 yrs | year 5

I Wonder Why

 

In front of the library filled with books 

mysteries and adventures

a warning 

COVID-19 poster

the bare oak tree stretches its branches to reach the sky

soft breeze cools me down 

a flock of house sparrows chirp gracefully  

delicate flowers shine in the sun

and I wonder

why the sky 

is such a very bright blue?

• By Mostafa Elnahas | 9 years old | year 5

Scribbles

Wind so shivering cold

I pull down my sleeves

until they cover my hands

The NZ flag flies awkwardly 

grasps the pole like a sail on a boat

A small rock in my shoe

pokes my foot hurting my heel 

A  fabulous fragile yellow nemesia

drops its petals

My red, sharp WARWICK pencil scribbles

adjectives and verbs

• By Esme Stalker/10yrs/year 5

Colouring our World with Poems

Our Russley Writers have been exploring colour. They each created a poem which celebrates a colour of their choosing and entered the Poetry Box Challenge. Author Paula Green congratulated all our students who submitted their writing. She said, 'Your choice of words made colours come alive, your poems were full of movement and zest. I really liked the pictures that grew in my head as I read. I especially liked the way they all flowed so beautifully. So many standout lines and images. Brilliant!'

Paula received hundreds of submissions from schools all over NZ and has chosen some of her favourites to publish on the Poetry Box website. Twelve students from Russley School have had their poems selected. 

Special mention to Beau Twidle, who Paula chose as one of her top three favourites overall! Beau wrote a fabulous poem about black and has received a copy of Paula Green's book, 'Groovy Fish' as a prize. Congratulations Beau, and to the other published poets:

Beau T 

Esme S

Evrin M-T

Morgan C

Madeleine H

Jay P

Akhila S

Joseph S

James DW

Isaac E

Henry P

Oliver P

Here is Beau's poem:

Black

night covering penwood street

ants running across the dirt

a sleuth of bears sleeping

a box of old fashioned telephones

a patrol unit of arrows flying at the target

a bundle of cables, like snakes

by Beau Twidle | Year 5