Put Poems in Your Pockets:
Imagine your campers gathered in a circle
for the beginning of their first day at camp.
You give a warm welcome; make some introductions; sing a few lively, favorite songs;
and before activities begin, you pull a poem
from your pocket to share with everyone.
When the day is done, your pocket yields
another poem in celebration of a child’s
birthday or a storm that whipped the trees or
a special new friend or the frogs that punctuated the day with their croaking.
Why Poetry at Camp?
Campers receive a message in a moment, a
flash of understanding, a validation of their
experience, or a new perception when a
planned or spontaneous poem is woven into
their everyday experience. Poems provide a
brief but memorable bookend for the camp
day. At school, children are accustomed to
ringing bells that mark the day’s beginning
and ending . . . why not the more engaging
sounds of a poem, chosen and read (or even
written) by a counselor or a camper? Share
poems about camp things — bugs, night,
dreams, quarrels, trees, crying, or questions.
Daily or weekly good-byes at camp may be
commemorated with more poems.
Poetry at Camp Goes Beyond the
Classroom
Camp has long offered activities and experiences introduced in school, but camp gives
more in-depth opportunities for campers
to connect with their real lives . . . poetry at
camp is a chance to “slip in the back door”
with new expressions, ideas, outlooks, links
to experience, and the magic of a wellturned phrase.
Schools struggle to teach the written language, wrestling with the impact of text messaging, which filters words to the simplest
message. Even the traditional “love note or
letter” that offers a teen a chance to express
his feelings, may be text messaged. Poems
provide campers with another’s view of
their common experience, spoken in words
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Why Use Poetry at Camp?
different from their own. Poems naturally
expand campers’ options for vocabulary and
their expression of daily syntax.
Timing Is Everything
A well-timed poem shared by a camp leader
can send a message to campers that sets a
tone. Talk of friends, love, caring, sharing,
nature’s beauty, and other less tangible
subjects may be more easily communicated in a poem rather than the speaker’s
less-practiced words. A well-placed poem
may support the camp leader’s request,
or reprimand, or open or close a difficult
conversation. Poems of appreciation may
be given as a simple and heart-felt “thank
you.” Poetry at camp takes minutes to prepare, minutes to share, and costs nothing.
. . a simple, valuable, and perhaps, unique
addition to your program.
Daily Camp Experiences With Poetry
Staff can begin to collect poems from
the children’s section in any library. It is
crammed with books of poems — humorous and serious, about food, family, animals,
nature, morals, and more — in so many
subjects you will be taxed to choose just
a few. Copy them, and stuff them in your
pocket. After a few readings, campers begin
to ask for more!
Give copies to campers and encourage them to read them aloud. Make extra
copies available to start camper collections.
Plaster poems on bathroom doors and
bulletin boards, add them to newsletters,
and use them as a basis for camp skits and
plays. A budding musician might provide
background music for a fellow camper as
she recites her poem. Place books of poems
in the nurse’s station, places where campers
wait, and in staff rooms — give them time to
read and start their own collections. When
you find creative times and places to present
poems, you may be surprised at your own
keenness for finding and sharing them.
Faith Evans
Find a Poem for Every Camp
Situation . . . .
From the public domain, here are a few
poems to pull out of your pocket during
those teachable moments at camp:
Poetry at Play
Camp playgrounds teem with rhymes and
rhythms, often passed from one generation
to another. One example is Miss Polly Had
a Dolly. Young campers often jump rope
longer and better while shouting breathlessly . . . .
Miss Polly Had a Dolly
Miss Polly had a dolly who was sick,
sick, sick.
So she phoned for the doctor to be
quick, quick, quick.
The doctor came with his bag and his
hat,
And he knocked on the door with a
rat-a-tat-tat.
He looked at the dolly and he shook his
head.
And he said, “Miss Molly, put her
straight to bed.”
He wrote on the paper for a pill, pill,
pill,
“I’ll be back in the morning with my
bill, bill, bill.”
- Anonymous
Settling Arguments
Who goes first? Who get’s the chocolate one?
Who’s IT? Camper arguments and decisions
may be settled by toning nonsense rhymes
while pointing to one child per word. “Out
goes you!” decides the winner or the loser.
Ecka, decka, donie, creak,
Ecka, decka, do.
Ease, cheese, butter, bread
Out goes you!
- Anonymous
Dispelling Fears
A simple poem about the universal experience of stargazing will ring familiar to most,
young and old. At camp, campers from the
urban areas may be able to see stars, previously hidden by ambient light or pollution.
Stimulate their imaginations by inviting
them to lie on their backs and title the star
groups using their own creative names. Any
fear of darkness may dissipate when campers
become immersed, together, in the beauty
of a starry night.
Starlight
Starlight, star bright,
First star I see tonight.
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.
- Anonymous
Teach Environmental Awareness
Written more than a century ago, Christine
Rossetti’s poem gives voice to today’s Leave
No Trace ethic:
Hurt No Living Thing
Hurt no living thing;
Ladybird, nor butterfly,
Nor moth with dusty wing,
Nor cricket chirping cheerily,
Nor grasshopper so light of leap,
Nor dancing gnat, nor beetle fat,
Nor harmless worms that creep.
- Christine Rossetti
Active Poetry
Poems can stand alone, inspire a good
discussion, or be the basis for activity and
further exploration. For example, wrap
cookies in copies of Vachel Lindsay’s poem,
The Moon is the North Wind’s Cookie. Invite
campers to write their own poems about
the moon, or cookies, while dipping them
in milk.
CAMPING magazine • November/December 2008 51
Why Poetry Matters David Markwardt
It is my premise that a love of poetry is innate. Humans are
born with a sense of the importance of rhythm which develops
in the womb from being close to the comforting beat of
our mother’s heart. Later, as infants, held tightly near our
mother’s chest, and her familiar heartbeat, we absorbed the
soft rhythms of lullabies. And later yet, we chanted our ABCs,
carrying the beat with our bodies, and remembering the letters
that rhymed.
If a love of poetry is innate, then what happens to poetry’s
place in kids’ lives as they get older? Poetry may be nurtured
or it may fall into a kind of dormancy. Parents, who are busy
making financial ends meet, may not have time to nurture the
poetic impulse. Reading time to their kids may be delegated
to the babysitter or television. The love of poetry may become
latent.
Poetry can make a difference in the lives of kids. As a
parent, I make it a habit of memorizing poems that are
pleasing to me and reciting them to my oldest son August as
I drive him to elementary school. A favorite has been William
Blake’s The Tyger.
The Tyger
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand, dare seize the fire?
And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?
What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
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CAMPING magazine • November/December 2008
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?
When the stars threw down their spears,
And water’d heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
- William Blake
One July night, two months after the daily recitations had ended
for summer’s school break, August surprised me by reciting the
first stanza of The Tyger. August hadn’t been asked to memorize
The Tyger but had absorbed it anyway. August said he enjoyed
the rhyming and the music of the poem. His life was made
richer by it.
As children grow older and their lives grow in complexity,
they may turn to poetry to give them words to attach to their
feelings. They may move on to poetry that explains the world
to them or find new things in a favorite poem. When he was
in first grade, August loved The Tyger’s energy and rhymes.
By second grade, August, whose reasoning faculties were
developing, wanted to talk about how the poem addresses the
mysteries of life and the origins of animals.
The language of poetry needs to be suitable for a camper’s
growing experiences because it is language that sets human
beings apart from other animals. We can give voice to our
camp experiences through poetry. We shape our lives by how
we talk about what happens to us and how we feel about it.
Poetry matters because it helps define who we are.
David Markwardt is a published poet, owner of a consulting business,
and director of Teamwork in Action, a team and leadership development
program that he began at Santa Fe Community College. He received a
master of science in organization development and a master of fine arts
in poetry. He lives outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico, with his wife, Tracey,
and his two sons, August, age eight, and Elliot, age three.
The Moon Is the North Wind’s Cookie
The moon is the North Wind’s cookie.
He bites it day by day,
Until there’s but a rim of scraps
That crumble all away.
The South Wind is a baker.
He kneads clouds in his den.
And bakes a crisp new moon that –
greedy
North Wind –eats – again.
Consider creating a “Poetry Trail” where
campers read or memorize a poem at stations across camp, using props and costumes
as desired. Other campers follow a map
or hike the trail and stop to hear poems
performed by their friends. For example,
next to the water, a camper might share
E.E. Cummings’ poem about four girls at
the shore:
Maggie and Milly and Molly and May
maggie and milly and molly and may
went down to the beach (to play one
day)
and maggie discovered a shell that sang
so sweetly she couldn’t remember
her troubles, and
milly befriended a stranded star
whose rays five languid fingers were;
and molly was chased by a horrible thing
which raced sideways while blowing
bubbles: and
may came home with a smooth round
stone
so small as a world and large as alone.
for whatever we lose (like a you or a me)
it’s always ourselves we find in the sea.”
- E.E. Cummings
This “comfort” poem sets the tone for
rest or sleep:
All around me quiet.
All around me peaceful.
All around me lasting,
All around me home
- Ute Indian
Healing Relationships
Poems can help put things in perspective
when campers are faced with relationship
challenges. This ditty rings with a lighthearted outlook.
It’s hard to lose your lover (or your
friend)
When your heart is full of hope.
But it’s worse to lose your towel
When your eyes are full of soap.
- Anonymous
Poetry
Resources
Web Sites
• Gogglepoetry.com
• Poetry4Kids.com
• Storyit.com
Teaching Lessons
Weather at camp is always a consideration
when it affects outdoor activities. This
tongue twister communicates to campers
the invaluable attitude of perseverance. It’s
a good one to memorize and recite (to expected groans from campers who have heard
it before!). Yet, campers get the message and
often join you on the last three lines.
Whether the Weather
Whether the weather be fine
Or whether the weather be not
Whether the weather be cold
Or whether the weather be hot –
We’ll weather the weather
Whatever the weather
Whether we like it or not!
- Anonymous
Find a Place for Poetry
Metaphorically, poetry at camp is like dessert — it’s not essential to the meal, but it
adds delicious pleasure, and most poetry
consumers feel full and satisfied. Unlike dessert, not all poetry is sweet, yet, few desserts
are thought provoking. Both poems and
desserts may be inspiring, and campers may
look forward to more! Oh, and you can’t
gain weight with poetry! So read poems,
recite poems, post poems, write poems, and
find a place for them on your camp program
plate. Consider making a commitment to fill
your pockets with poems and share them
with campers. Use the magic of a poem as a
springboard, a place from which to plunge
into the depths of the moment, for yourself
— and for your campers.
Faith Evans, M.Ed., is the owner of PlayFully,
Inc.. Evans is a national camp staff trainer and
team builder, author, and speaker. Her professional history in the world of camp spans forty
years and has been nationally recognized by the
American Camp Association for outstanding
staff training.
• PoetryFoundation.org – Features
for Children
Books
• Anything by Jack Prelutsky,
considered the Poet Laureate
for Children. Find silly and
unpredictable poems at www.
JackPrelutsky.com and in
numerous books of poetry
compiled by Prelutsky. Learn to
write poetry with his book, Read
a Rhyme, Write a Rhyme.
• Shel Silverstein –read anything
by the author, plus classics,
Where the Sidewalk Ends and
A Light in the Attic. Highly
imaginative!
• Poetry Speaks to Children edited
by Elise Paschen, with wonderful
illustrations, including a CD of
poems read by their authors.
• Poetry by Heart compiled by Liz
Attenborough. Find a delightful
collection for many ages by
well-known writers.
• Bugs – Poems about Creeping
Things by David L. Harrison who
“revels in that which most of us
revile.” Fun!
• A Writing Kind of Day by Ralph
Fletcher who writes poems
about almost anything.
• A Family of Poems compiled
by Caroline Kennedy is an
anthology of poems that she
and her family cherished . . .
a broad selection by famous
authors, with memorable
illustrations.
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