August 18 is Bad Poetry Day
You know the kind of poems I mean-the kind that make you say “ouch!” when you hear them. Some bad poetry is created on purpose, and some is quite accidental. All of it is fun to read, and you can have alot of fun writing it.
Limericks are some of the best bad poetry around. These little poems are great jokes and puns, and some are hilarious. They’re also pretty easy to write. Writing limericks is an exercise in control over language and humor, and it’s as much fun as it is good for you. Check out these favorite Limerick Sites:
Limericks A wide selection here, and some info about writing limericks.
Loony Limericks Here’s a fun collection, but it’s definitely rated PG.
Limerick Lesson Plan Teaching a lesson on limericks? Check this out.
Other poetry is simply bad. It was done by accident, usually by someone who thought he or she was writing good poetry. The author just completely missed the boat. For examples, check out these websites:
The Bad Poetry Page -this one features a do-it-yourself system! You can post your own bad poetry here.
Very Bad Poetry Visit here and you’ll be treated to a randomly selected bad poem.
Writing Bad Poetry It’s true that you must truly master something to mess it up on purpose. Check this one out!
Sometimes the best way to appreciate the good stuff is to read the bad. Have fun with Bad Poetry Day!
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© 2008 Sandra Fleming
Happy Sea Serpent Day! (August 7)
Now here’s a holiday for all ages! Celebrate sea serpents all day today. Try writing a story or a poem with a sea serpent in it. Make up a recipe for sea serpent stew. Use rulers, yardsticks and tape measures to pace out imaginary sea serpents of various sizes. Get artistic and draw a sea serpent. The sky’s the limit, and you can really get your imagination in gear for this party. How could you build a sea serpent or make a sea serpent costume with what you have around the house? Let’s see…some blankets would come in handy, and maybe some rope.
And check out these helpful links:
Look! Sea Serpents in Wikipedia!
Here’s a real winner: a Sea Serpent PARTY!
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© 2008 Sandra Fleming
Hooray for National Mustard Day!
August 5 is National Mustard Day, and what a great day for cooking with the kids. Check your favorite cookbooks or internet recipe sites and find a few mustard-related recipes, like potato salad, baked beans, or honey-mustard sauce. Head off to the kitchen and let the kids loose. While they’re having fun, they will be learning about sequencing, following directions, reading comprehension, measurement, time management and more.
And don’t forget that mustard is also a color. Can you come up with a yellow art project to round out your day? Try this with young children: get a collection of yellow paint sample sheets from your local hardware store. Cut the yellows apart and then challenge your young child to arrange them in order of shade. You can make this as easy or as tough as you like-just change the number of shades you use and how closely they resemble each other.
Finally, take some time to learn about mustard itself. Where does it come from? What is its history? What is it used for? Who makes it? Do all of the plants with the name ‘mustard’ actually have anything to do with the condiment? Why do they have the names they do?
Have fun!
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© 2008 Sandra Fleming
August Holiday Round-Up
Here is a summary of all the great holidays I’ve discovered for August. Check back often, because I’ll be linking the days to activity ideas for children as I post them.
August 1…………National Raspberry Cream Pie Day
August 2…………National Ice Cream Sandwich Day
August 3………..National Watermelon Day
August 4…………Twins Day Festival
August 5…………National Mustard Day
August 6…………Wiggle Your Toes Day
August 8…………Sneak Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Night
August 9…………National Polka Festival
August 10……….Lazy Day
August 11……….Presidential Joke Day
August 12………Middle Child’s Day
August 13………Left Hander’s Day
August 14……….National Creamsicle Day
August 15………National Relaxation Day
August 16………National Tell a Joke Day
August 17………National Thriftshop Day
August 18………Bad Poetry Day
August 19………Potato Day
Aviation Day
August 20………National Radio Day
August 21……..National Spumoni Day
Senior Citizen’s Day
August 22……..Be An Angel Day
National Tooth Fairy Day
August 23…….National Spongecake Day
Ride the Wind Day
August 24…….Vesuvius Day
August 25…….Kiss and Make Up Day
August 26…….National Cherry Popsicle Day
August 27…….Petroleum Day
Just Because Day
August 28…….World Sauntering Day
Race Your Mouse Day
August 29…….More Herbs, Less Salt Day
August 30…….Frankenstein Day
National Toasted Marshmallow Day
August 31…….National Trail Mix Day
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