More Of Palma's Favorite Things

Kids Love Poems:

And so do I.  I made a "Poetry Cube" for each month.  

I used cute graphics from D.J. Inker when I printed these poems.

We roll it every day to see which poem we land on.  It's a great way to include the word "cube" in your daily routine too.

They Are Easy To Make:

You will need:

Two milk or juice cartons  (I use the 1/2 gallon size)

Some pretty wrapping paper & clear Contact Paper

6 poems for each month

Scissors and a glue stick.

Cut both cartons so they are just as tall as they are wide.  Rinse them out well and dry them.  The opening of one carton will fit into the other to create a cube.

Cover the cube with wrapping paper just like you would if you were wrapping a gift.  Choose paper to go with the month.  You can also just use colored bulletin board paper.

Print 6 poems so they fit on the side of the cube.  Cut them out and glue them on the 6 sides of the cube with a glue stick.

Cover the entire cube with clear Contact paper.  This will make your Poetry Cubes last for years.  I have had mine for almost 30 years and they still look brand new.

That's it.  You're done!  

How We Use Our Poetry Cubes:

Each morning, the "special calendar helper" gets to roll the cube like you would if you were bowling.  The teacher reads the poem that is on the top of the cube when it stops rolling.  I learned, the hard way, to have students roll the cube rather than throw it.  I was hit in the face once by a sweet child who threw the cube right at me.  Ever since then, we have "rolled" the cube.  :)  There are 6 poems so you end up reading each one about 3-4 times each month.  

Great For Listening For Rhymes:

I usually read the poem all the way through and then I read it a second time, but this time we stop after each rhyme to say our rhyming chant:

(If the rhyming words were "cat" and "hat" we say the following chant.)

"Cat, hat.  

Cat, hat.

They both end with 'at'"

This chant works great for most words, but don't use it for words like "grass".  :o/

I have one poetry cube for each month, plus one birthday cube that the birthday girl or boy gets to roll.  

I hope you liked this idea for incorporating poetry, rhyming, and the math term "cube" into your daily routine.  That's what I call efficient teaching through integrating curriculum!  :)

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See you all tomorrow!

Palma ;)