Creating a Treasure: The Poetry Notebook

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A Poetry Notebook is a treasure. I have such fond memories of my poetry notebooks growing up and even more especially of my mother’s old school ones. One day in the attic of our barn (where I was not supposed to be) I opened a box filled with notebooks, they looked pretty and definitely intriguing. I pulled one out and just could not put it down. It was my mother’s old school poetry notebooks and they were stunning. The handwriting was beautiful cursive, each poem was illustrated with a beautiful colored pencil drawing, and the poetry itself was the best. And ever since I have wanted to be able to produce such beautiful notebooks.

The Poetry Notebook

The reason I love the Poetry Notebook in particular is because it combines so many skills. First, there is the poem. Then there is the handwriting. And finally, the illustrations. Put all together in a notebook these three elements create a wonder filled and delightful work of art, unique to each person. Just like the Nature Journal, the Poetry Notebook is a multifaceted endeavor that teaches so much. In all honesty, we have not been keeping Poetry Notebooks for the last couple of years as I wanted my daughters to perfect their handwriting first. We were also focusing on Nature Journaling. But we are restarting Poetry Notebooking this semester and I am thrilled about it!

The poems

Choosing a poem can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. I usually start with Nursery Rhymes, that we all learn by heart, orally only, no Notebook yet. Then as the child grows I introduce longer rhymes and poems. Start small then grow the rhymes and poems as you grow. We often study one poem as a family but if we are studying a particular poet, I will let each child pick a poem that they like from that poet. Letting the child choose is important for creativity, motivation and ownership. I will list below some of our favorite nursery rhyme and poetry resources, it could easily become an endless list, lol! The poem chosen should be beautiful, of appropriate length to copy and memorize and ignite wonder.

Penmanship

Once a poem has been chosen, it is copied in the notebook, as well as learned by heart. I demand beautiful handwriting to write such beautiful words as poetry. Depending on my child’s ability, she will practice on scrap paper first before finally writing the poem in her Poetry Notebook.  I will copy the poem for the pre-writing child in her notebook and she will illustrate it. The Poetry Notebook is a great place for penmanship to excel. It is not a rushed job, depending on the length of the poem it might take a few weeks to memorize it. We are totally fine taking several days or weeks copying the poem as well. This is a school of excellence and patience as well as of beauty.

Illustrations

The only requirements for the illustrations are neatness, application and imagination. Any medium is allowed, but usually colored pencils work best. It really depends on the  format of your Notebook. If using a binder then any paper can be added and therefore any medium can be used. Just make sure that the paper fits the medium and that it won’t bleed through the paper. If using actual notebooks, usually only pencils, charcoal and pastels are good mediums. Some markers and ink pens might work as well, but not always, so we usually test in a small corner. In the past we have enjoyed using these notebooks: one page is blank and one is lined and they alternate that way throughout the notebook. These are very reminiscent of the poetry notebooks we used in school in France, just bigger.

The French standard

French teachers in the 1960s, and all the way into the 80s, were no joke. The standards were high and you’d better apply yourself. All work was to be turned in with beautiful handwriting, everything was written in fountain pen or dipped ink quill pens (no blotches allowed though). If illustrations were included, they also had to be well composed and colored. The expectations were high but the training to achieve these expectations were in place as well. From First Grade on we were taught to write in cursive, with fountain pens. No one would have considered pencils a proper writing tool. Pencils were for drawing. Period. In order to develop a beautiful cursive handwriting the notebooks were lined appropriately. To summarize, the standards were simple: clean, neat work, well written, and beautifully illustrated.

Discipline

I have been lazy, sometimes for a long time, and not demanded excellence from my children. It was just too much of a fight, at least in my head. But recently I have doubled down on the “French standard” and the results have been very surprising. I mentioned it in the general post about Notebooking and I want to repeat it here: our children are capable of excellence, we just need to ask for it. Since the School Work Presentation Guidelines have been implemented in our homeschool, my girls’ work has improved slowly but very visibly, which is another reason I feel that we are ready to bring back the Poetry Notebooks. And this time, I want my own. I’ll probably just add the poems into my disc bound Notebook. I am planning on being reasonably demanding in the hope that these new Poetry Notebooks will be a source of joy for my daughters for the rest of their lives.

Going forward

I remember going back to that box in the attic over and over again, totally disregarding the fact that the rotten wooden floor could give way at any minute. These notebooks just held a spell over me. They had a magic that I could not find anywhere else. Everything about them exuded beauty. I am not sure where they are now, but I wish I could show them to my children as an example of a standard that was very much achievable. And that I will try to help my children achieve again. We can always do better. And a note that to this day my mother still has one of the most beautiful handwriting I know.
Love,
Mattie

Nursery Rhymes:

• The Real Mother Goose, by Blanche Fish Wrigth
• Tomie dePaola’s Mother Goose, by Tomie dePaola
• Marguerite De Angeli’s Book of Nursery and Mother Goose Rhymes, By Marguerite De Angeli
• Mother Goose by Gyo Fujikawa
• Babushka’s Mother Goose by Patricia Polacco
• Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes by Robert Wyndham

Poetry Anthologies

• Favorite Poems Old and New: Selected for Boys and Girls, by Helen Ferris Tibbets
• Off to the Sweet Shores of Africa: And Other Talking Drum Rhymes, by Uzo Unobagha, illustrated by Julia Cairns
• Poetry for Young People series
• Individual poets anthologies 
• A Daily Picture Book Booklover booklist

Aesop’s Fables

• Aesop’s Fables, illustrated by Milo Winter
• Aesop’s Fables, illustrated by Michael Hague