A Spring Art & Poetry Practice
Wednesday Wings Week #7
In March 2020, the early days of the pandemic, we tried to make our homeschool experience resemble public school. We learned in more formal ways, with planned activities and collectible outputs.
At that time, I foraged through my poetry books and gathered up the most visual verses about spring. My son sat on the sofa with a pad of blank white paper and a box of colored pencils, and I read to him.
The goal was for him to draw whatever images came to mind while he listened to the poems — these could be literal or abstract, illustrative or inspired.
My favorite was his response to Mary Oliver’s poem, “Spring.”
On a different day, we followed a similar protocol but with colorful chalk in the driveway. I read William Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” in the fresh March air.
If you don’t have many (or any) poetry books at home, you can use the internet. You can even find some beautiful spring poetry on Medium, like this one by Tulip Chowdhury:
Or this heartfelt description of springtime joy shared by Tesie Mills:
You or your child can use any medium you like to create art inspired by poets — paint, chalk, collage. You can focus on feelings, key words, or building a narrative. Anything goes!
If you’d like to share the poem that you read, the ensuing art, or a story about your experience with this practice, please submit it to Blossoms of Beautiful Minds! Use the subtitle Wednesday Wings Week #7.
Happy reading, happy creating, and happy almost-spring! 🌸
