March 9, 2026
Important Dates…
Tuesday, March 10: Dine to Donate from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Troy Chipotle.
Wednesday, March 11: Evening appointments for Parent-Teacher Conferences, 4:30-7:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 12: School CLOSED for Parent-Teacher Conferences.
Thursday, March 19: Overfield Family Partnership (OFP) Meeting, 6:30 p.m. in the Gathering Place.
Friday, March 20: OFP Trivia Night, 7-10 p.m. in the Gathering Place.
Saturday, March 21: Storytime and Songs at Jay and Mary’s Book Center, 11-11:45 a.m.
Friday, March 27: Last day before Spring Break.
Tuesday, April 7: School resumes after Spring Break.
Tuesday, April 7-Thursday, April 9: Grandparents/Special Friends Days.
Insights from the World of Words and Music
“Poems can be about many, many things, like someone jumps so high on a trampoline. Poems were alive before songs and someone made it into a song by adding music.”
-North Side Student
During the poetry residency with Mama O in January, the children were introduced to various nuances and styles of poems. In her sessions, she highlighted the rhythm of words by clapping out the syllables and inviting the children to join in. She explained that some poems have words that rhyme, while others do not. As a closing provocation, she offered the prompt, “May there always be . . .” as an invitation for the children to add their own thoughts. The richness of their responses and drawings indicated to me the range and depth of their ideas and abilities. I decided to extend what Mama O began by giving the children, South Side through Primary, more time to experience and play with words. And, by doing so, deepen their comfort and familiarity with what words can accomplish and convey in a more guided structure.
We only know what we know, right? Talking about poems with children means bringing their life experiences into an arena where words, rhythm, and ideas are alive. Children already know poetry, the rhythmic play with words, but they may not realize it. Many are familiar with nursery rhymes but don’t perceive them as snippets of poetry. Phrases of words carefully–or even haphazardly–chosen, can be poems. Songs are musical poems. There is no end to the creative possibilities that define poems. So, to start, I posed this question to the children, “What is a poem?” Initially, there were shrugs and muffled responses of, “I don’t know.” Then, memories of favorite nursery rhymes and songs kicked in. As children began to share their ideas, more children spoke up, bolstered with confidence after hearing their peers speak out. Ideas are contagious!
A poem is a little story.
Poems are about writing words.
I know a poem, “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”
Poems can be about animals, songs and reading.
Words can make sentences, and sentences make stories and poems.
Poems can be about colors and what is beautiful.
A poem can be a song, and a song can be a poem.
Some poems rhyme.
Mommy reads from a book. Poems are in a book.
A poem is something that is true, and it can be silly.
It’s like a little song. I write so many songs on the piano.
I know a poem, like a rhyme.
A poem is rhyming words that are in sentences.
A poem is something that sort of rhymes and sometimes doesn’t make sense.
To extend the focus on poems, I decided to use a prompt to give the children a framework to begin. I have found that poetry prompts work well to provide a creative structure, reducing the mental weight for children of having to come up with a topic on their own. They offer a doable beginning to what may seem like an unreachable task. Having a place to start can make all the difference. Inspired by Margaret Wise Brown’s book, The Important Book, I offered the prompt, “The important thing about _____ is that ______.” In the book, Brown highlights a range of things: a spoon, daisies, grass, an apple, snow, clouds, air, and rain. She includes ordinary objects and natural occurrences that all children are familiar with. Here is an excerpt from the book:
“The important thing about a spoon is that you can eat with it.
It’s like a little shovel.
You hold it in your hand.
You can put it in your mouth.
It isn’t flat,
It’s hollow,
And it spoons things up.
But the important thing about a spoon is that you eat with it.”
Brown’s style of repeating the first line at the very end cleverly brings together each of the individual vignettes. It adds completeness and its own unique rhythmical flourish. It’s like tying up a gift in a lyrical bow.
To begin, we examined the cover of the book. I asked, “What do you think this book is about?” There are always clues in the pictures. We discussed the title, the author and illustrator. With this particular book, we discussed the meaning of “important.” Listed below are some of their thoughts:
“Important” means you really care about something.
“Important” means you have to do the right thing.
“Important” means “special.”
“Important” means something we really like, something that is special.
It means “valuable.”
It is something that you shouldn’t miss.
Mommy’s patience is “important.”
Then, I read the book. With each of the things Brown chose to talk about, the children spontaneously added more things they thought were important. This occurred with each class of children. It was an organic response that pulled them in so seamlessly. With the structure Brown used as a scaffold, I proposed that each child create their own poem. It was quite interesting to hear their responses: everything from “I don’t know how,” to ”I want to write one with a friend,” to “I don’t know what to write about,” to “I got it!” I reassured them they could do it together as a group, with a friend, or on their own. Creating a poem collaboratively was a good start for the children to get a feel for how it was done. Children who were unsure or more conservative in sharing their thoughts seemed to be at ease with the structure. Every one of the children who joined me found a level of comfort in sharing their ideas. The range of strategies the children used to find their object/topic:
Personal or family interests
Favorite objects or animals
The environment as a resource to find interesting things
The view out the Studio window
Objects on a tray intentionally set out to inspire the children
These poetry sessions were valuable in a multitude of ways. The children’s enthusiasm was contagious, especially when creating a poem together. They were inspired by their peers’ contributions and suggestions. Their confidence grew and generated an atmosphere of more possibilities of poems waiting to be born. There was enjoyment, humor, togetherness, and ownership! Many asked to return. The value of a shared experience was palpable through the children’s different perspectives and the satisfaction they felt when I read to them their finished poems. I always asked, “Is there more you want to say?” Sometimes, there was more. Other times, the children were satisfied. This exploration demonstrated children’s ability to think, often deeply, about the topic or object they chose to talk about, often pausing to find the right words to describe something or ponder the subject. This, definitely, encouraged the children to use a wider, more descriptive vocabulary. Words as seeds have been planted. Imagine all the marvelous things that will blossom forth!
There are many enjoyable ways to play with words as a family. Poetry prompts are creative, spontaneous, and effortless. Offer them as a game with your children when you are driving in a car, sitting at dinner, waiting in a restaurant or doctor’s office, or whenever. You can use the ones we’ve had success with at school, for example “May there always be . . .” and “The important thing . . .” Or, create your own! Here are some you can try:
Colors
“Red as the feathers on a cardinal. Red as the nose of a clown. Red as the skin of a tomato. . .etc.”
Because
A statement and then the reason why.
I like _______. Ask me why. Because, _______________.
(I like pickles. Ask me why. Because, sometimes they’re sweet, and sometimes they’re sour.)
Feelings and animals
When I am (emotion), I am like a (animal) that is (use a verb to describe).
(When I am happy, I am like a bird singing in a tree.)
(When I am scared, I am like a mouse hiding from an owl.)
Now, go forth and play with words! Create new ones. Write poems. Be witty. Be whimsical! Be imaginative. And most importantly, do it together with your child!
Carla Briggs – Librarian/Music Lead
Primary’s Plant Sale
Our Naturalist, Robin, and our industrious Primary students made $462 on the plant sale and all the plants sold out! Now we can purchase the two heaters we wanted for the greenhouse! We couldn’t have done this without your support as purchasers, nor without the support of the Ernst Family Foundation and the Overfield Family Partnership who brought the greenhouse to campus. We have the best community–thank you!!
Thank You, Beth Wright!
What an absolutely awesome week we had with Beth Wright! Beth used various prompts and props to help our children think about all our bodies can communicate, to reflect on feelings and communication, and to bind us together as a community through the language of dance. dance to connect with each other and build community.
Many thanks to the Ohio Arts Council, whose grant support makes this program possible!
Please join us in thanking Beth, The Muse Machine, and The Ohio Arts Council for a wonderful week!
Artwork from some of Overfield’s 2nd and 3rd graders is now on display at the Troy-Hayner Cultural Center as part of the annual Young Masters exhibit. This show highlights the creative efforts of K-12 students from Troy City Schools, Troy Christian Schools, St. Patrick School, and Overfield. It features nearly 400 pieces of student artwork. The exhibit is open during Hayner’s regular business hours through Sunday, April 22. Exhibits at Troy-Hayner Cultural Center are always free and open to the public.
