Celebrate Haiku Month in the Classroom

The other day I learned that February is Haiku Month. Maybe because it’s the shortest month and they are really short poems? I don’t know. In any case it’s a great time to learn about, read and write haiku in the classroom or at home.

Haiku is a traditional Japanese poetry form that usually has nature as its subject, but for kids haiku can be about anything. The main distinction for haiku is the breakdown of syllables per line: 5, then 7, then 5 again.

There are lots of great books about haiku for kids, but one of our favorites is Hi, Koo!, about a panda experiencing the four seasons. Check out this list from Imagination Soup for more good haiku books for kids.

If you want to keep nature the focus of your poems and the weather is cooperating, take your class on a nature walk to discover something to write about. Upper Elementary Snapshots has a printable you can use so kids can take notes on what they see, hear and feel on the walk and then write their poem based on those observations.

Notes from the Portable has another printable students can use for writing their haiku.

Imagine Forest has some great tips for how to write haiku based on traditional forms, including how to structure a haiku as you write it and how to present it on the page.

That Homeschool Family has a good post on haiku including the benefits of writing haiku, and they have a free download for writing spring-themed haiku, complete with lists of spring themed words with one, two, three and four syllables to make writing even easier.

If going outside for inspiration is not an option for you, have kids write and illustrate a haiku about their favorite animal or plant. This activity from Teach Beside Me is really cute and would be super cute to hang in the classroom or hallway.

Remembrance Day (marked as Veterans Day in the United States) is Nov. 11, and it marks the end of hostilities in World War I. Poppies are a traditional symbol of the day because it is said they were the first flower to grow again on the battlefields, which inspired a famous poem. Let’s check out some poppy crafts you can make with your kids as part of a World War I unit or for Remembrance Day.

This pretty poppy craft from Krokotak just requires the printable, some crayons, scissors and glue. The printable includes the center of the flower and kids can draw the outside as well as adding stem.

Glued to My Crafts has a printable for a torn paper poppy, or you could color or paint this one as well.

Use torn or cut pieces of paper to make these poppy suncatchers from Red Ted Art.

Happy Hooligans has a bunch of great poppy crafts but I particularly like the painted rocks and easy paper plate poppy.

Crafty Morning has a cute poppy craft made with fingerprints, which is quick and easy to do with kids of any age.

Older kids and adults can make these folded paper poppies from Chica and Jo, but they do involve hot glue and floral wire, which can be sharp, so it’s not for young kids. An easier paper poppy that only calls for regular craft glue can be found at Sugar Spice and Glitter. This one also has a printable template to make it easier.

These felt poppies from One Little Project also use a glue gun and a sewing needle, but they’re so pretty I couldn’t resist sharing them for older kids. Add a pipe cleaner stem or turn them into pins to wear for remembrance events. Check out their coffee filter poppy craft for a great option for younger kids.

Have you read?

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