This is one of many many many poems which i've written over the last five years of "retirement" as a teacher.
Many are in my books or on my website (Google JOSIE'S POEMS) but this one you can use in your classrooms or libraries to read to the children as autumn is well and truly here. Well it is here in England as my back tells me because I've been picking up many leaves today. Do let me know if the children enjoy this poem:
An Autumn Visit
By Josie Whitehead
Autumn is wearing her bright golden crown.
She’s coming this morning to visit our town,
And Wind, her best friend, will be joining her too.
Will they have a nice day and what will they do?
She’ll be changing the colours of leaves on our trees
And Wind likes to tease with his cold, playful breeze.
As the leaves tumble down in a pile on the ground,
He will take a deep breath and blow them around.
They’ll both knock down conkers for children to find,
But the nuts aren’t just there for the good of mankind.
The squirrels like nuts and they’ll store them away
But then out they will come on those cold wintry days.
So what do you think that the two friends might eat?
What sorts of things would be good for a treat?
There are sweet tasting berries and fruits of all kinds
Which are wonderful treats for the two friends to find.
They will chase over hills and along by the river.
Wind’s cold wintry breath may well cause us to shiver.
The swallows will see them and say their goodbye,
Calling “See you next year” as they fly through the sky.
With the sun going down there’s no time left to play,
But the two friends have had such a marvellous day!”
When you look all around at this colourful scene,
You will see very clearly where these friends have been.
Copyright 2011
What fun when I read this to a class recently:
"So, what do you think the two friends might eat?" Answer: "Crisps, chocolate, sweets, cake, biscuits."
"No, they didn't eat these things. Think "healthy eating". No answer.
"Well, look out of your classroom. It is autumn outside. What do you see by the window that they may like to eat?" (There were berries and apples outside).
Answer: "Pineapples". Teacher: "Now you are being really really silly and you don't want Mrs Whitehead to think that do you?
Look out of the window. What do you see".
Answer: "Berries and apples". Another child: "No they didn't!! Mummy told me that we must not eat berries or they would poison us."
Then trying to explain to them that Autumn and Wind are personifications is a bit difficult, so we told them that of course they are not human beings. One was a season and one was an element of nature - ie weather.
At last we have them completely satisfied and decided it was better not to ask any more questions. ha ha So what would your answers have been?
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