4-H Communication Arts

 

Greg, Angelina, Zeke and Graham all competed in the county 4-H Communication Arts Contest.  All are eligible to advance to the District Contest.  Greg will be at the State FFA Convention, but the rest of the kids plan to attend and compete.  I was able to get pics of all but Greg & Angelina while they were visiting with the judges.

Graham went first!!  He’s a Cloverbud, so he can do a recitation of any length.  He chose ‘The Land of Counterpane’ by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Zeke was up a little later.  He chose to talk about Joaquin Miller and recite his most famous poem, ‘Columbus.’ 

Dash recited an excerpt from Theodore Roosevelt’s speech, ‘The Strenuous Life,’ given at the Chicago Hamilton Club.  I told Greg I chose it for him because I wanted him to learn something from it!  The title itself hints at the content; good lessons for a teen.

Angelina chose to do a demonstration this year (again!).  She made birdseed ornaments and titled the demo ‘Treats for Tweets.’ 

All the kids did a nice job.  There are, of course, areas they could improve, but that’s what’s great about 4-H.  The judges did a great job of providing positive critique that can be applied to improve their presentations before the district contest in June.

 And, CAN YOU BELIEVE JUNE IS NEXT WEEKEND!!!

Reciting Poetry

To set the scene: The kids were speaking in hushed tones just outside my bedroom door.  I didn’t even attempt to print out school syllabi this morning and I did not request that the kids do any work.  I was lying down in an attempt to quell a headache.  They believed I was alseep, but I was NOT!

The following exchange occurred between my two oldest students this morning…

Child A: Just say “I recited my poetry to Angelina.”

Child B: Here… here’s my poetry sheet.

Child A: No, just say ‘I recited my poetry to Angelina.’

Child B: I recited my poetry to Angelina.

Then, the exchange was reversed, but in briefer fashion, obviously.  Clever, I thought to myself.  Very clever play on words, children.  I may have just had a once in a lifetime chance to be the proverbial ‘fly on the wall.’  The literal meaning of words.  Of course, I was provided a similarly clever way to address this later in the day.

Wordless Wednesday – Zeke’s Current Poem

Christmas Everywhere

Christmas Everywhere

by:  Phillips Brooks

EVERYWHERE, everywhere, Christmas tonight!

Christmas in lands of the fir-tree and pine,

Christmas in lands of the palm-tree and vine,

Christmas where snow peaks stand solemn and white,

Christmas where cornfields stand sunny and bright.

Christmas where children are hopeful and gay,

Christmas where old men are patient and gray,

Christmas where peace, like a dove in his flight,

Broods o're brave men in the thick of the fight;

Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas tonight!

For the Christ-child who comes is the Master of all;

No palace too great, no cottage too small.

*I thought it very fitting that this was the final poem Angelina memorized for our Fall 2009 semester. 

Poetry

The sound of my kids voices retelling their favorite poems is such a thrill to me. The inflection of their voice adds to the words, bringing them alive and carrying me or whoever is listening into the tale. My start with poetry memorization wasn't as loved!

As a young girl of about seven or eight years, my mom MADE me memorize a poem. I believed it to be pure drudgery and would have rather spent the time reading the book from which the poem was selected in the quiet of my room. I can actually remember standing, shoulders slumped, while going through the poem line by line. The poem itself was titled 'Gathering Leaves' by Robert Frost. It was quite short (compared to those my kids are memorizing... shhhhh, don't tell them!) and when I had it memorized, she recorded me on cassette tape to memorialize the feat.

Gathering Leaves
by Robert Frost

Spades take up leaves
No better than spoons,
And bags full of leaves
Are light as balloons.

I make a great noise
Of rustling all day
Like rabbit and deer
Running away.

At the time, I didn't see the point in memorizing a poem. But since parts of the poem have stuck with me all these years, I've realized that there is worth. It brings a happy picture into my mind each time I think of even the title, and I remember the rhythm of the words.

Although my knowledge of his work is small, Robert Frost has become one of my favorite poets. 'Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening' has been memorized by both Dash and Angelina, and I look forward to Zeke's turn. The poem has been illustrated in this book... the pictures are stunning and completely capture the words written.