Reflections on the Teche

To celebrate National Poetry Month, #AuthorsTakeAction2023 is organizing a community poetry project for kids.

Children’s poets and authors from all over the country are offering poetry prompts and inviting teachers and children to write poems on the topic of climate change.

You can find all the prompts at the Authors Take Action website.

My poem prompt is a Things to Do Poem. This is a form I used in my book Bayou Song: Exploration of the South Louisiana Landscape. The alligator snapping turtle is not endangered as far as I know, but it is a celebrated Louisiana critter.

To begin, select a bird or animal that is endangered in your area. I did a Google search for my state “Endangered animals in Louisiana.” I was amazed to find out that Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles had hatched near New Orleans. And I also thought they were very cute to draw.

My friend Julie Burchstead sent me instructions for a crayon resist art project.

1. With a pencil, draw your chosen bird or animal on watercolor paper. Create a contour drawing with no shading. It will look like a coloring book page.

2. After drawing, outline the pencil lines in Sharpie marker. (The marker must be permanent or the ink will smear.)

3. Color with crayon or Cray-pas. Julie says, “Note: The crayon must be applied darkly (thick). If it is too light, there will not be enough wax to resist the wash, and the crayon work will be lost. Any areas that must remain white, must be colored white with crayon. ”

4. Using watercolor paint, select a single color of paint. Pool a few drops of clean water into the chosen color with a wide brush. (Do not use the skinny one that comes with the kit.) Wash (spread) the paint over the whole image. Where there is crayon, the wax will resist the paint.

5. Create a list poem using action words to begin each phrase. You may personify your chosen animal.

Here are a few student examples:

Things to do if you’re an Eagle

Fly in the air.
Attack little fish.
Snag on meat. 
Glide over the ocean.
Soar over 10,000 feet!
Symbolize our nation.

by Brayden, 3rd grade