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in Language Arts

Using the Random House Book of Poetry for Children

Did you know April is National Poetry Month? But whether it is April or not, poetry is always a wonderful thing to explore in your homeschool. The Random House Book of Poetry for Children is a fun and easy way to help you do that!

April is National Poetry Month & using The Random House Book of Poetry for Children makes it easy and fun to add poetry into your homeschool.

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Using The Random House Book of Poetry for Children

poetry book

The Random House Book of Poetry for Children: A Treasury of 572 Poems for Today’s Child
Selected by: Jack Prelutsky
Illustrated by: Arnold Lobel

This large, hardback volume is a wonderful investment in your language arts curriculum and in your general reading library. With 572 poems, this single book could last you three years if you read one poem each day. In fact, that is the approach we’ve taken with this book, savoring one poem each day in a Charlotte Mason style. We’ve ended up using this volume for third, fourth, and fifth grade poetry study. And we’re still not tired of it; my daughter consistently looks forward to poetry time.

I really like The Random House Book of Poetry for Children because of that last phrase, “for children.” These poems were especially chosen with children in mind. They are funny, gentle, spooky, silly, and happy. The poems are arranged in chapters according to loosely organized themes. Here are a few examples:

poem illustration
  • Nature Is…
  • The Four Seasons
  • Dogs and Cats and Bears and Bats
  • The Ways of Living Things
  • Home! You’re Where It’s Warm Inside
  • I’m Hungry
  • Some People I Know
  • Nonsense! Nonsense!

You can see the topics are wonderfully appealing to children – foods, children, animals, unique personalities, and nature.

One of my main considerations in choosing a volume of poetry was that it be engaging. I wanted my daughter’s earliest introduction to poetry to be positive so that she would always have an appreciation for verse instead of a fear of it. Other poetry collections I looked at seemed dry and too mature for young children, but The Random House Book of Poetry for Children is suitable for the earliest of students.  You could use this from Kindergarten up to fifth grade. Most of the poems are short and nonthreatening even to poetry haters.

Jack Prelutsky understands what children like to read. He has the honor of being named the first Children’s Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation in 2006.  In The Random House Book of Poetry for Children, he has chosen some outstanding poems for young readers. Of course, there are many of his own poems in the volume, but there is also a wide assortment of styles and authors ranging from classic to modern. Besides the poems themselves, the illustrations by Arnold Lobel, such as the one above, are delightful! (Remember Owl at Home and Frog and Toad? Those are illustrated by Arnold Lobel.)

How We Use The Random House Book of Poetry for Children in Our Homeschool

poetry notebooking Clickbeetle

This is how we use The Random House Book of Poetry for Children. Although we occasionally vary our pattern, usually I read the poem out loud and my daughter narrates it back orally. Once a week she copies a poem onto a notebooking page. It’s a very simple and enjoyable way to incorporate poetry into your homeschool.

We also used The Random House Book of Poetry for Children as the basis for a more in-depth poetry study which is available at Homeschool Share. It includes many figures of speech such as personification, imagery, and onomatopoeia.

Next year when my daughter moves to sixth grade, I will switch to a slightly more mature poetry collection. But I feel sure that The Random House Book of Poetry for Children will continue to be a well-loved volume on our shelf.

More Poetry Resources

The Poetry Homeschool - Curriculum Choice authors share favorite poems and poetry resources so that your family can enjoy poetry too!

The Poetry Homeschool – Throughout the ages people have sung, recited, or read poetry. Poetry seems to have always been a vital aspect of human life, and as homeschoolers we have the opportunity to introduce it to our children in such a way that they will enjoy and be inspired by it for the rest of their lives. The authors at The Curriculum Choice share their favorite poems and poetry resources so that your family, too, can enjoy poetry as you homeschool. We share with you the poetry homeschool.

The Beauty of Combining Poetry and Art in Your Homeschool – Combining poetry and art in your homeschool is a wonderful way to help your child learn. Enjoy these tips for getting started and a free worksheet!

Poetry in Your Nature Journal – Whether writing your own or using other poetry as inspiration, using poetry in your nature journal is a wonderful addition.

~ Originally published December 9, 2009, written by Jimmy

Filed Under: Language Arts Tagged With: Language Arts, poetry, updated by Heidi C, Written by Jimmie

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