This is me with my soft toy and a butterfly bow in my hair. I can’t remember the soft toy. Is it a rabbit? What is it called? I will have to write a wee poem about it!
Sometimes I write poems that are based on a memory. I remember something from the past and I switch it into a poem.
Sometime I use objects / things to JUMP START a memory.
I was thinking it would be very cool to make an album of memories of when we were younger. Or even just a page.
A Memory Album
1. write down as many objects and things as you can in 3 minutes. They can be as big as the sky or as small as a pin. They can be alive (like a cat or a dog, inside the house (like a chair or a sock or a teddy or a book) or outside the house (like a tree or a river or sand or a ball).
2. look at all the words and see which one JUMP STARTS a memory.
3. switch your memory into a poem, a little story, a drawing, a painting, a collage, a comic, an audio, a video
4 see how many memories you can jump start and gather into an album
5 send me photos or scans of the pages or the poems or audios or videos
6 I will have at least one book to give away
Another Memory Album
1 jot down some of your favourite memories of when you were younger
2 they might be funny happy strange mysterious beautiful! Anything!
3 choose one to start on for your album or memory page and switch it into a poem, a little story, a drawing, a painting, a collage, a comic, an audio, a video
4 see how many memories you can jump start and gather into an album
5 send me photos or scans of the pages or the poems or audios or videos
6 I will have at least one book to give away
Here is where you send things
send to paulajoygreen@gmail.com
please include your name age and name of school
don’t forget to put MEMORY challenge in subject line so I don’t miss it or name of challenge
don’t put your surname on drawings or paintings or collages (Poetry Box policy)
There is no deadline while we are living in our bubbles! Every Friday I will post some work by children. I will always answer your emails but not straightaway. If I haven’t replied after 3 or 4 days nudge me as I may have missed it.
(I will have pop-up mystery giveaways every Friday when I post your work. See the list below!).
Here is what you can choose from so far:
Try my lost-wonder challenges and listen Sarah Ell’s new book Lost Wonders!
Loads of MAKING ideas inside and outside
Do something rainy or snowy! Watch me read my rain and cold poems from The Letterbox Cat
Listen to Melinda Szymanik read her alien mother story and try your own
Send me pictures, photos or poems of curious things you see on your walks
Listen to Maisie and I read fish poems and invite you to do fishy things
Listen to my unpublished very very very strange tail story and do some illustrations for it or invent your own strange tail!
Try writing a postcard poem from where you’d like to be!
Mixed up animals and hear Paula read ‘Anifables’ poem
Sally Sutton’s magic hat challenge
Celebrate your hero and listen to Barbara Else read
Tell me about your favourite bookshop or library
Play Pass the Poem with at least one other person
Write draw video comic strip letters poems stories about being in your bubble
My cloudy challenges and hear my cloud poem
My thank our supermarket workers challenge
Listen to me read Aunt Concertina and offer a cool challenge
Listen to me read my poem ‘Lick Lick Riff’ dog poem and offer a doggy cat tiger bat any animal challenge
Check out David Hill’s wonderful photo challenge
Listen to Swapna Haddow read her book and try a rabbit challenge
Try Johanna Aitchison’s hunt the teddy challenges
Ruth Paul reads her muddy poem and I offer muddy challenges