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. April's theme is theater and performance. The activities include read- and sing-a-longs, exercises for early and middle elementary students, and a special video performance by Stories That Soar. 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.
Infant to 3-year-old read-a-loud & sing-a-long:
When you're done, enjoy this sing-a-long with musician and teacher Gabrielle Pietrangelo. It includes "There's a Hole in the Bucket" and "She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain":
4-6-year-old writing workshop: Creating Masks, Creating Alter Egos
In this writing prompt, facilitator Sophie Daws draws on Noh and Commedia Dell'arte performance traditions; and invites participants to invent a new persona, create a mask, and write an acrostic poem:
"If you could have your own mask—any mask—what would you want it to be? Would you want to be a demon like kishin? Or a ghost who walks invisible amongst the living? Think of your special mask as an alter ego—a version of yourself you’ve always wanted to be!
An alter ego is a version of you, but with a different personality. What version of yourself do you want to be? A brave warrior? A mysterious ghost? Masks allow us to become anything we want!"
7-10-year-old writing workshop: Water Dancing
In this activity, facilitator Chalese Potts invites young writers to craft a persona performance poem, writing from the point of view of:
"A drop of water as it circulates around the earth perpetually, transforming, mixing, and moving. Where do you see yourself going, as water? What places and people do you connect through your movement?"
The exercise includes tips for performing your poem effectively!
And finally, we're excited to present a special video performance by Stories That Soar ...
Feature image by Gwen King