There is magic in the art of word collecting. What starts with noticing leads to wonderment. For me, each seasonal encounter with life opens a new world of thought as ideas pop and squirm, then find a spot to land. Each landing invites opportunity to create and massage words into nuggets of thoughts. From this point onward, thoughts crystalize and dance around the page until their placement is finely suited for their surroundings.
Word collecting is an essential stage of writing; the foundation that links the noticing stage to the development of thought, leading to multiple possibilities. Trusting myself as a writer brings me closer to the power of pen to paper or keyboard to print. Remembering that it takes time to collect words and understand their potential excites me.
Author and illustrator Peter H. Reynolds introduced the idea of word collecting as a important phase of a child's development as a writer in his inspirational picture book, The Word Collector. You can listen to Peter's short introduction to his book by clicking on the illustration below.
Are you ready to notice, reach for your own words, and wonder how to use them to tell your story? Be a word collector and let each new word, set of words, and thoughts lead you to wonderment and creation. I invite you to notice the world, listen for words that amaze you, and create like I did below. You can use Buncee to bring your words to life.
At the end of Peter Reynolds' book, Jerome watches joyful children collecting the words he released. Like Jerome, I wish to celebrate words. I am looking for children to send me their words transformed into seasonal poems for future galleries of artistic expressions. Voice becomes amplified when we find authentic ways to let them soar.
If you stroll over to Laura Purdie Salas' blog siteyou will see why she is so excited this week. Stay long enough, add to her Padlet, and perhaps you will win a free, signed, personalized copy of her newest published book, Snack, Snooze, Skedaddle.
Thank you, Laura for hosting Poetry Friday this week.
Well I do love those words that rise like piping plovers from earth to sky. We have plovers - though they look different to yours. Ours make high pitched blipping shrieks - and a very distinctive flight from earth to sky.
Our plovers are protected in areas on the beaches. They are so protective of their young (I wrote about it at https://beyondliteracylink.blogspot.com/2019/07/summer-beach-tale.html). The Long Island plovers do sweep across the sky with grace and symmetry in their grouping pattern. I have not heard high-pitched blipping shrieks so that is interesting. Thanks for sharing your story about plovers, Kat. I heard that I will miss you at NCTE 19. I am probably coming in on Thursday.
I love your season celebration in your poem, Carol, and I have Reynolds' The Word Collector, a marvelous book (as all of his are). There are quite a few favorite words that run through my head once in a while, and it is fun to collect them. Have a wonderful weekend!
Yes. "..to rise like piping plovers..." Beautiful.
Our connections deepen, dear Carol - Last evening at the World War I lecture at one of our universities, these words that grabbed me made it into my notes : emanate, intervening, dimension, doughboys, over there, trench.
Like you, I am entranced by words Carol. I love The Word Collector too! Have you read Because of Mr. Terup? I love how math and vocabulary are connected in the search for $1.00 words.
Words are wonderful, what a delightful poem Carol, and thanks for sharing Peter Reynold's new book! I love the piping plovers in your poem too! I saw some fledglings this summer via a very powerful lens at a park in Chicago. They sectioned off a large area to ensure the safety of these new birds, thanks!
Michelle, while walking on the beach this summer with my husband we saw a grouping of plovers. As we walked closer, we noticed they were babies and the parents were sitting in a large group nearby. I wanted to get closer and take a photo but my husband reminded me that the parents will swoop over us if we do. The end of the story is that the babies flew into the sky in an amazing formation - right before our eyes.
Thank you for your post, Carol. I am DEFINITELY a word collector, and I encourage my students to collect words also. (I have a word bowl that we fill up each year.) Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge talks a lot about the power of word collecting in her fabulous book POEMCRAZY too!
Thanks for letting me know about the word bowl. I will pass it on to teachers. Collecting is such a great practice. I have many collections at home: pens, antiques, books.
What a wonderful post! I collect words all the time. I have journals of words. And, these words often make it into my poems. Thank you for sharing the Reynolds book too! I love the video in Peter Reynold's voice.
I love words and combining them in new and exciting ways. Your first poem is filled with beautiful images created with thoughtful word choices, and that piping plover ending of your poem is just perfect! I walked several beaches this summer searching for chicks, but was unsuccessful. Still, they reportedly had a very successful breeding year on the coast of Maine, and that's something to celebrate!
I love words! Not just words as they stand alone, but also as they are put together. Once my daughter and I talked about what draws us into a movie... for her it is the music, for me it is the words. Sometimes I write them down... my sister-in-law calls me the family Word Nerd. Great post, Carol.
Carol, what fun to read this post about word collecting and your poetic creations. When I read about Laura's new book, I thought about skedaddle and how it's one of my favorite words. I need to make a list of them, so many are old fashioned words we don't hear as often today. "My words dance with me through nature's seasons," speaks of your season creations.
Oh I can connect to all of this, Carol. I used to read the dictionary for fun in Jr. and Sr. High. And loved finding,noticing,learning new words. I have a class set of "The Word Collector" for when I visit classrooms. Plus I love your deftly crafted poem, especially the "dainty words" cascading down in autumn. I even incorporated the word "turquoise" into my poem for Lee Bennett Hopkins' latest anthology, I AM SOMEONE ELSE. It was an homage to childhood because I can recall falling in love with "turquoise" when it was a spelling word in gr. 4. I loved the way it looked, how it sounded, what it meant. I wanted kids I talked to, to know that remembering childhood and dreaming big could lead to reaching goals you might have found almost impossible. Your blog post hit home. A delight. Janet Clare F.
I love words. I love how they can get stuck in my head or roll off my tongue. I love trying new words in writing or in conversation or in my journal. This post captures what it means to be a lover of words. Thanks for the poem and the links & the book recommendations. If you are looking for another book with a kid who collects words, I highly recommend A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd. It's delicious.
Well I do love those words that rise like piping plovers from earth to sky. We have plovers - though they look different to yours. Ours make high pitched blipping shrieks - and a very distinctive flight from earth to sky.
ReplyDeleteOur plovers are protected in areas on the beaches. They are so protective of their young (I wrote about it at https://beyondliteracylink.blogspot.com/2019/07/summer-beach-tale.html). The Long Island plovers do sweep across the sky with grace and symmetry in their grouping pattern. I have not heard high-pitched blipping shrieks so that is interesting. Thanks for sharing your story about plovers, Kat. I heard that I will miss you at NCTE 19. I am probably coming in on Thursday.
DeleteI love your season celebration in your poem, Carol, and I have Reynolds' The Word Collector, a marvelous book (as all of his are). There are quite a few favorite words that run through my head once in a while, and it is fun to collect them. Have a wonderful weekend!
ReplyDeleteI am off to a State Ed conference and hope to see some beautiful landscapes and words floating around, Linda. Have a great week.
DeleteYes. "..to rise like piping plovers..." Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteOur connections deepen, dear Carol - Last evening at the World War I lecture at one of our universities, these words that grabbed me made it into my notes : emanate, intervening, dimension, doughboys, over there, trench.
What a lovely invitation your poem is, Carol! And in the first one, those rising piping plovers--fabulous!
ReplyDeleteLike you, I am entranced by words Carol. I love The Word Collector too! Have you read Because of Mr. Terup? I love how math and vocabulary are connected in the search for $1.00 words.
ReplyDeleteWords are wonderful, what a delightful poem Carol, and thanks for sharing Peter Reynold's new book! I love the piping plovers in your poem too! I saw some fledglings this summer via a very powerful lens at a park in Chicago. They sectioned off a large area to ensure the safety of these new birds, thanks!
ReplyDeleteMichelle, while walking on the beach this summer with my husband we saw a grouping of plovers. As we walked closer, we noticed they were babies and the parents were sitting in a large group nearby. I wanted to get closer and take a photo but my husband reminded me that the parents will swoop over us if we do. The end of the story is that the babies flew into the sky in an amazing formation - right before our eyes.
DeleteThank you for your post, Carol. I am DEFINITELY a word collector, and I encourage my students to collect words also. (I have a word bowl that we fill up each year.) Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge talks a lot about the power of word collecting in her fabulous book POEMCRAZY too!
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting me know about the word bowl. I will pass it on to teachers. Collecting is such a great practice. I have many collections at home: pens, antiques, books.
Delete"...to rise like piping plovers..." I love that!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carol, for collecting -- and curating -- beautiful words this week. :)
What a wonderful post! I collect words all the time. I have journals of words. And, these words often make it into my poems. Thank you for sharing the Reynolds book too! I love the video in Peter Reynold's voice.
ReplyDeleteI love words and combining them in new and exciting ways. Your first poem is filled with beautiful images created with thoughtful word choices, and that piping plover ending of your poem is just perfect! I walked several beaches this summer searching for chicks, but was unsuccessful. Still, they reportedly had a very successful breeding year on the coast of Maine, and that's something to celebrate!
ReplyDeleteI love words! Not just words as they stand alone, but also as they are put together. Once my daughter and I talked about what draws us into a movie... for her it is the music, for me it is the words. Sometimes I write them down... my sister-in-law calls me the family Word Nerd. Great post, Carol.
ReplyDeleteCarol, what fun to read this post about word collecting and your poetic creations. When I read about Laura's new book, I thought about skedaddle and how it's one of my favorite words. I need to make a list of them, so many are old fashioned words we don't hear as often today. "My words dance with me through nature's seasons," speaks of your season creations.
ReplyDeleteseasonal
DeleteOh I can connect to all of this, Carol. I used to read the dictionary for fun in Jr. and Sr. High. And loved finding,noticing,learning new words. I have a class set of "The Word Collector" for when I visit classrooms. Plus I love your deftly crafted poem, especially the "dainty words" cascading down in autumn. I even incorporated the word "turquoise" into my poem for Lee Bennett Hopkins' latest anthology, I AM SOMEONE ELSE. It was an homage to childhood because I can recall falling in love with "turquoise" when it was a spelling word in gr. 4. I loved the way it looked, how it sounded, what it meant. I wanted kids I talked to, to know that remembering childhood and dreaming big could lead to reaching goals you might have found almost impossible. Your blog post hit home. A delight.
ReplyDeleteJanet Clare F.
I love words. I love how they can get stuck in my head or roll off my tongue. I love trying new words in writing or in conversation or in my journal. This post captures what it means to be a lover of words. Thanks for the poem and the links & the book recommendations. If you are looking for another book with a kid who collects words, I highly recommend A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd. It's delicious.
ReplyDeleteI am a word collector too, and I love your invitation poem!
ReplyDelete