Kenn Nesbitt, recipient of the U.S. Children’s poet Laureate, facilitated an amazing “virtual” field trip for our class last week.  Mr. Nesbitt thrilled our students with stories of how his love for poetry developed. Describing the boredom of family road trips, squeezed into the center seat between his older and younger brother listening to his father belt out lines from his favorite poems, it seems that the seed was planted.

Growing Up
As Mr. Nesbitt got older, his admiration for fun and funny poetry only grew. After listening to a few of his favorite poems Mr. Nesbitt took a few short polls asking what our favorite foods and sports were, giving the children the opportunity to interact with the poet and assist in writing a new poem altogether!

Q&A with the kids
Mr. Nesbitt also took questions at the end of his speaking and answered 2 questions from classroom twelve: “How old are you Mr. Nesbitt?” –Mason Hewitt. “I am 52 million years old! What? You don’t believe me? Ok, I am only 52! Lol” –Mr. Nesbitt. And our second question, “Who are your favorite poets?” –Luke Cole. “Well, my favorite poet is a guy that some of you may be familiar with, and his name is Dennis Lee, another great poet that I enjoy is Jack Prelutsky.” –Mr. Nesbitt. Not only did the students have a hand in creating a poem with Mr. Nesbitt, but they also managed to ask a couple of interesting questions.

A Day to Remember!
As field trips go, this is one that won’t be so quickly forgotten. With 21 books in publication, and well over 1500 poems published, Ken Nesbitt is both a friend to children, a national treasure, and as always a welcomed guest here at Vanguard. We learned that poetry conveys strong feeling, whether somber or exuberant. The experiences were hands-on and engaging, which isn’t always easy with poetry.

The Gift of Field Trips
We are so grateful for field trips, both virtual and off campus, to provide experiential learning opportunities for our kids!  This trip was on the heels of our most recent field trip to the Freedman’s Memorial, where we discovered David Newton’s wonderful and heart felt sculptures. We read and discussed African American poetry and heavy themes such as economic disenfranchisement, civil, social, and moral justice, and the resilience of the human spirit.

“Thriving

Friend, Cousin, Brother,

Interwoven threads of Freedom,

People of courage, caring, compassion,

An anonymous dream of Hallelujah,

One by one returned, beloved spirits,

Dignity without measure, Freedmen,”

After an emotionally driven experience a moment of levity would be a nice change of pace.

“Baseball with Bacon,

Kickball with Cake,

Swimming with Spaghetti,

Soccer with Steak,

Playing with your food is Great!”

 

Until next time, classroom 12 wishes you a great morning, spectacular afternoon, and a delightful evening .

William & Beth
Classroom 12