Making. Making. Violet Tea.

2 Cups Violets

Photo by Amy LV

Students - Today's poem is about a process: making violet jelly, something I did this week, something that made me feel happy. 

I first found some recipes and chose to make the Violet Jelly recipe over at Homestead Acres.

Visiting many places in the yard to pick, pick pick, I even found a little snake sunning himself! It took a long time to pick so many violets, but it was a cool sunny morning and picking violets was a good way to spend it.

Violets and Snake Under the Redbud

Photo by Amy LV

I gathered two cups of violets and packed them down a little bit...but not too much. But the more you pack them down, the more violet your jelly will be.

Violets and Bunny at St. Francis's Hem

Photo by Amy LV

Then I made the "violet tea," which is simply boiling water poured over violets. It sat in the fridge for two nights, though one night would have been enough. The water eventually became deep blue.

Violet Tea

Photo by Amy LV

Following the recipe, I ended up with ten sweet and sparkly jars full of spring goodness! My favorite part was pouring the lemon juice into the strained violet tea...the blue tea turned purple. My son came down to watch this part, and we were both surprised and delighted when it happened...even though the recipe promised it would.

4 oz. Jar of Violet Jelly

Photo by Amy LV

Making is inspiring. When I am down, it helps me to make something. And trying a new recipe or craft opens doors in a person's mind and heart. If you're looking for something new to make, I recommend going to your library and taking out a craft book or a gardening book or a cookbook. Check your classroom or a shelf at home. 

Make something! And then...write about it.

I love making so much that I wrote a whole book about making. You can find a maker guide with all sorts of links to fun projects at my website HERE.

Today's project is dandelion jelly. They say it tastes like honey!

Dandelion Tea

Photo by Amy LV

Carmela is hosting Poetry Friday at Teaching Authors with a "STEAM poetry sneak peek" and this week's roundup. Please know that all are welcome each Friday as folks share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship.

What new thing will you do with your hands this week?

xo,

Amy

Please share a comment below if you wish. 

If you are under 13 years old, please only comment with a parent

or as part of a group with your teacher and class.

Stepping into Summer...

The Poem Farm Pasture

Photo by Amy LV

Students - Each morning that I walk around our back pasture, a mama bluebird darts from this house you see above.  She does not want me to know about or to disturb her babies. Earlier in the season, she would fly as close to my head as possible, trying to frighten me away.  I wish she knew that I will never harm her or her children.

Today's poem is simply about a daily moment in my life during this season.  It is important for me to go outside and to do things - to experience the small majesties of the seasons and to pay close attention to what I see and think.  Sometimes children ask about why I do not have a television or video games, and my best answer is because I know how short life is, I know how addictive such things are, and I wish to save any little brain and heart and soul space for the people and animals and things that mean the most to me.

Writing about bluebirds today made me think about a poem from my new book, WITH MY HANDS: POEMS ABOUT MAKING THINGS (Clarion, 2018).  If you are looking for something interesting to do this summer, make something with your own hands.  You are capable of so much.

Teachers - If you are interested in resources for sharing this book, Erika Thulin Dawes from School Library Journal has written an extensive and beautiful post full of resources HERE.

From WITH MY HANDS

Click to Enlarge

Today is the final Poetry Peek for the 2017 - 2018, school year, and I feel fortunate to welcome Stephanie Jeppson's fifth grade poets from Crossroads Elementary School in Riverbank, California.  These students created this presentation all on their own, and I am grateful to them for publishing it here!  Welcome!

Click the Box to Enlarge

These students' poetry, books, and presentation inspire me to think about all kinds of poems and too, about the magic that happens when we work together.  Thank you very much to Teacher Stephanie Jeppson and to these poets and makers for joining us today as we lean into a summer filled with words and love.

Last week I welcomed Teacher Dana Kofitsas and her third graders with their collection of lovely, thoughtful poems.  If you did not see these, please do so HERE.  A joy!

Karen is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup at Karen Edmisten with two beautiful poem offerings.  Each week many of us gather together, sharing poems, books, and poetry ideas all at one blog.  All are always welcome to visit, comment, and post, and you can always find the host of the week in the left sidebar here or at any participating blog.

And now, I say goodbye for a bit as The Poem Farm will be on vacation this summer - vacation at home.

I plan to paint these bluebird houses built by the hands of a young 4-Her named Dylan.

I plan to spend good writing time in my new/old little camper named Betsy.

And I plan to pick berries, feed hummingbirds, make jam, knit, move plants around, and to organize many of the poems here at The Poem Farm.  I will not be sharing new poems, but hopefully I will have things in a bit more of an organized fashion by the time I return on Friday, August 31.

Happy summer to all, dear friends!

xo,

Amy

Please share a comment below if you wish.

If you are under 13 years old, please comment only with a parent 

or as part of a group with your teacher and class.

Book Birthday for a Maker Book!

Happy Book Birthday to Us!

March 27, 2018

Today is the book birthday of WITH MY HANDS: POEMS ABOUT MAKING THINGS, with poems by me and illustrations by Lou Fancher and Steve Johnson.  You can watch the trailer, made with the hands of the talented Travis Carlson, below.

WITH MY HANDS Book Trailer

I could not be happier to share this book as I have loved making things with my own hands ever since I was a little girl.  Truth be told, I am never happier than when I am knitting, baking, carving a rubber stamp, drawing, or otherwise creating.  If you visit The Poem Farm regularly, you know this.

Just yesterday, I collected two big bags full of pinecones from my father's front yard.  What to make with these?  I do not know yet, but something.

Pinecones!

Photo by Amy LV

I dedicated this book to our daughter Georgia, a person who makes so many good things, and illustrators Lou and Steve dedicated it to Nick.

With My Hands Dedications

This collection of poems is all about all kinds of making....everything from soap carvings to cookies!  It is a celebration of the joy that comes from creating.  School Library Journal says, "This is art about art."  Below you can see one of the interior spreads; the poem grew from my real memory of carving a soap whale in second grade...one of my favorite projects ever!

Click to Enlarge

You can read more about WITH MY HANDS at my website HERE or at the following blogs: 

Live Your Poem with Irene Latham

Jama's Alphabet Soup with Jama Rattigan

Beagles and Books with Laura Mossa

Publishers Weekly Shelf Talker with Cynthia Compton

12 Books about Making Things and a Giveaway with Pragmatic Mom (Giveaway through 4/29)

Take a peek at how Lou and Steve illustrated this book HERE, where they explain the process of creating illustration you see above.

Much gratitude to Dinah Stevenson of Clarion, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.  She is the wonderful editor of this book as well as my first book, FOREST HAS A SONG. I am so grateful to her as well as to Emma Gordon who is handling publicity for this book.  And hugs and kisses to my amazing agent, Elizabeth Harding, once again.

Speaking of working with one's hands, hats off to Adriana, owner and cookie artist at Mama Seuffert Sweets. Ordering from Adriana is my small way of enjoying a book birthday at home.  We have two cookies here, and I have sent some to others with my gratitude.

Cookie by the Amazing Adriana

Photo by Amy LV

You may win a copy of this book (to a resident of the United States) by commenting here by 11:59pm on Thursday, March 29.  I am also holding a giveaway on Instagram through tonight and one on Twitter for the next week!

Happy making...and thank you for celebrating this joyful year of books with me.  During the 2017-2018 school year, all four or these books were published: READ! READ! READ!, POEMS ARE TEACHERS, DREAMING OF YOU, and WITH MY HANDS.  I could not be more grateful.

xo,

Amy

Please share a comment below if you wish.

If you are under 13 years old, please comment only with a parent 

or as part of a group with your teacher and class.

Ask Your Cat, Ask Your Art, Ask.

Peace Dove

by Amy LV

Students - This year I made some peace cards by carving and printing my own rubber stamp.  Today I decided to write about this stamp, but I was not sure where to begin.

I remembered talking with a wise boy who said,  "I'm not a cat whisperer or anything, but once when I didn't know what to write, I asked my cat.  And then I knew."

So I decided to ask the dove of my stamp what it wanted to say. And then I knew.

I was also helped by this quote from Picasso, about his famous Dove painting. Picasso's father had taught him to paint doves, and addressing the 1950 Peace Congress, Picasso said, "I stand for life against death; I stand for peace against war."

May we listen to our doves, our hearts, our cats, and our inner voices as these will point toward kindness.  And they will give us writing ideas too!

Stamp and Cards

by Amy LV

At Sharing Our Notebooks, my other online home,  I am tickled to welcome third grade teacher Dina Bolan and her third grade writers from Alexander Hamilton Elementary School in Glen Rock, New Jersey.  Take a peek at their nonfiction notebook entries, and leave a comment to be entered into a drawing for a snazzy new notebook selected by me! 

Jan is hosting today's Poetry Friday roundup at Bookseedstudio. Her post honors the memory and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and you will be grateful to find the resources she shares. Please visit! 

Please share a comment below if you wish.

If you are under 13 years old, please comment only with a parent 

or as part of a group with your teacher and class.

Poetry Friday Is Here!

Welcome 

to...

Written Critter
by Amy LV

Click the arrow to hear me read this poem to you.

Students - This poem comes from two happenings that have been swirling in my brain this week.  The first happening is that I've been working on a new project and hoping that people will feel kindly toward it.  The second happening is that our children have been catching Northern rebelly snakes and twirling them around their fingers and hands.  Pets and poems.  We need to take care of both.

And now, a bit of news.  I am very happy to announce the title of my second book with Clarion!  WITH MY HANDS: POEMS ABOUT MAKING THINGS is currently under contract, and I could not be more grateful.  I am very thankful to both my agent, Elizabeth Harding, and my editor, Dinah Stevenson, for believing in this collection.  WITH MY HANDS is dear to me as I believe deeply in the power of working with our hands, the power of making.  I will let you know when this pile of typed poems becomes a real holdable book.

Poetry Friday is a special day for those of us who love poetry and visit it all around the Kidlitosphere each week.  This is a time when we gather around to celebrate words and each other.  I feel lucky to have good friends in here, friends who enrich my life even when they do not know they are doing so.  We welcome everyone to join on in, so please enjoy the links below and feel free to leave your own.

Because I will be away for much of the day, I am allowing Mister Linky the pleasure of helping me host.  Kindly leave your information below.


I look forward to visiting everyone's blogs throughout the weekend.  Happy Poetry Friday!

Please share a comment below if you wish.

To find a poem by topic, click here. To find a poem by technique, click here.

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Visit Sharing Our Notebooks to peek in all kinds of notebooks.

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