Hello and welcome to Virtual Kids Create! This is a self-paced version of the monthly kids day we host at the Poetry Center, and includes age-appropriate language arts workshops for children from infancy to ten-years-old (developed by our incredible facilitators), as well as a performance by Tucson musician Najima Rainey of Just Najima. Feel free to use this as a guide to create your own, at-home, structured Kids Create, or pick and choose activities you think the kids in your household might enjoy!

Workshops

Infant to 3-year-old read-a-loud & sing-a-long:

Want to sharpen your read-a-loud skills? Kids Create facilitator Kathy Sutton offers tips and tricks, informed by her expertise in child development, in "A Note on Reading to Babies & Young Children." After you've finished Sutton's note, try reading a favorite book out loud using her advice!

When you're done, enjoy this sing-a-long performed by Gabrielle Pietrangelo:

4-6-year-old writing workshop: Desert Creatures, Desert Sounds

"Have you ever come home from school only to be surprised by a wild animal on your block? Have you ever seen a RATTLESNAKE! a JAVELINA! a COYOTE! a GILA MONSTER! in your neighborhood?"

This lively, multimodal prompt by facilitator Raquel Gutiérrez incorporates visual art and language play. It asks young writers to explore the poetics of sound, and think about why and how we communicate with one another.

7-10-year-old writing Workshop: Villanelles

"A classic form of poetry, the villanelle has a strict form of 19 lines within five triplets and a repeating refrain. These poems are very song-like and are fun to both read and write once you know the rules behind them."

Are they a challenge? Yes! Does facilitator Chalese "Chay the Poet" Potts make writing one easy AND fun? Absolutely!

Musical Performance by Just Najima

Enjoy this performance any way you'd like: pull out some snacks, sing and dance along, or just let yourself be mesmerized by Najima Rainey's powerful voice and the music she makes on her RC-505 looper!