My kids HATE Robert Frost, and he's my FAVORITE!

[mrsrandolph]

My kids detest Robert Frost's poetry. I'm like, "HOW can you not LOVE it?"

Many of his poems were set to choral arrangements to be sung by choral groups, and they get more into a poem if I can find a choir singing it on youtube. The song for A Road Not Taken is Beautiful. So is Stopping By Woods On a Snowy Evening.

Is there any way to make them fall in live with it??

[Nealewill]

I don't really have any advice and just wanted to say I am sorry to hear that. I know for myself, poetry and reading for meaning are not really my passion. I do think they are important, but just not how I am bent. I much prefer math and the discovery of science. With your kids, even if it is isn't their favorite, I would still push through it. Things like this are very important for kids as they grow.

On a side note - I had no idea that the poems were set to choral arrangements! I think I will be hang out with youtube later........

[LynnH]

I think Poetry can be hard to understand for some kids especially if they are more concrete thinkers. Robert Frost is challenging and fairly deep. My ds didn't grasp everything that was in a Robert Frost poem and that was ok. My aim was exposure. I wanted him to be exposed to it. He didn't have to love it, but he wasn't allowed to say he hated it either. We basically just did what the guide said and moved on. I figure later as an older teen or adult he might revisit some of those poems and they might really mean something to him then. I don't think you can make someone love a certain type of poetry because poetry is one of those things that has to evoke feelings or connections that are often based on experiences the reader has had. There is certain poetry I absolutely love and will read it out loud to my husband or kids and they don't see the appeal of it at all, because they haven't had the same life experiences I have had.

[Tami]

I think poetry is mostly an acquired taste. Early ages need exposure and memorization....later years will bring enjoyment and understanding. My mother loved poetry and even wrote some pretty amazing poems but she didn't share them with any of us (her children). I found many of them while going through her things after she passed away. I wish she would have shared that love!

Poetry is still not a passion I have, but I have certainly learned to appreciate and enjoy it. Robert Frost is one of my favorites, too. I'm honestly looking forward to that portion of HOD!

[lmercon]

Make poetry time coincide with snack time! They'll look forward to it every day. Lol! But seriously, sometimes we all need a little help acquiring a taste for the "beautiful" things of life. I desperately want to love tea, so I always drink it in a lovely tea cup with something sweet....when I drink it. Maybe pair the poetry with something else they enjoy. A hot chocolate with whipped cream break and a poem. Hey, it's worth a try!

[chillin'inandover]

MrsRandolph,
My daughter and I saw a choir performance of Robert Frost's poems. They were performed at my 2nd daughter's university by their choir and orchestra as a special children's concert. It was delightful!
I would just continue with the reading and activities in HOD. Poetry is an acquired taste. The child can't acquire the taste unless they are exposed. The activities are short. Plus as children age and are able to think more abstract or analytical they will appreciate more. Early elementary is more concrete thinking/learning.
I have several poetry books for children on CD. It helps to hear a professional read. I may not be the best at reading poetry. Through the years in HOD and with different activities I can appreciate poetry more fully.

[Mumkins]

Robert Frost is my favourite too! But, I studied him in highschool. My kids don't care for poetry. Neither did I as a child. Perhaps they will later.

[Mommamo]

I didn't like poetry either as a child, and while it's not something I read for fun now as an adult, I do have an appreciation for it now. Because I wanted my kids to grow up liking poetry, I did nursery rhymes with them a lot as babies and toddlers, moving into an anthology of poetry for children grouped by topic (farm animals, seasons, etc) and other fun poems (like Shel Silverstein) as they became pre-schoolers and early-elementary, which transitioned well into HODs poetry as they got a little older. All my children really enjoy listening to and reading poetry. My independent readers will even read poetry completely on their own. So all of that is to say that poetry is definitely an acquired taste, but with the exposure in HOD they may end up really enjoying poetry some day. Keep at it even if they don't like it right now.

[Music Mom]

I love poetry. I began writing poetry in 5th grade, and have never stopped. I have read poetry to my children since before they could talk. They both enjoy it immensely.

I'm sorry, but I don't care for Robert Frost either. I do like a few of his poems: Stopping By Woods . . .; The Road Not Taken. But I really do not enjoy the majority of his poetry. Eugene Field is my favorite poet. I also love Edgar Guest. I have the Anthology of American Poetry and we read out of it all the time. I used it for a program that I presented at the library today. One of the poems I shared was The Owl Critic by James T. Fields. I don't know how old your children are but they might really enjoy that poem. Fields also wrote Jupiter and Ten, which is really funny.

I suggest that if you want your children to enjoy Frost, read them the "good" poems - the ones most often taught. Find poems that you know would interest them. Don't overdo it. Just let them enjoy two or three then move on to someone else. Especially when you are starting out let them enjoy poems that have beat and rhythm and flow. And yes, give them poems that RHYME. I consider poetry to be music without melody, and it can be really hard to get that feeling when you have a poem that doesn't have rhythm and rhyme.

Engage your children in writing poems. Make up silly rhymes and verses. I have always done that and both my children excel at it. It's what they've always known. Experiment with different forms: couplets; tercets; quatrains; limericks . . . Just play with rhymes and rhythm - informally as you go about your day.

When you read poems, use lots of expression and really make them come alive. Try reading them some poems that cover things they know about: Longfellow's The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere or Browning's Pied Piper. Give them some short poems and have them read them aloud. Let them read them different ways: happy, sad, excited, bored, etc. Have them read them as though presenting to a particular audience: pre-school children; nursing home residents; a roomful of professionals; etc. If they enjoy speaking in different accents like my children do, have them read a poem in a different accent: British; Russian; German; etc. You'll find that as you do this periodically, your children's presentation styles will really grow. If what you do with a poem is fun, then pretty soon the poetry itself will become fun.

Make sure your children know that just because other people enjoy a particular poet does not mean they have to. (I don't care for most of Emily Dickinson's poems either.) Everyone has different tastes, and limiting our exposure to just those poets that someone else tells us are "good" is a surefire way to kill the enjoyment of poetry. Check out an anthology from the library and flip through it. Read the poems that catch your eye. If you don't enjoy it after a few lines then stop and find another one. When you find a few you like, read them a few times and choose some to share with your children. Many times it is enough to just read the poem and go on - no discussion or analysis, just experience it and move on to something else. Let them just enjoy some poetry, rather than making it an assignment.

If your children enjoy art, let them create art to go along with a poem. If they like music, let them make or find some instruments and create some music to accompany a reading. If they enjoy working on the computer let them create something there to illustrate a poem: animation; a video; anything they like to do. You don't have to do this, but if you have children who look for any excuse to do this kind of thing then a poem is a great excuse. If they just enjoy hearing you read, then read them a poem and move on.

Keep us posted.

[my3sons]

Much of the Bible is poetic (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon), and even more of it contains poetic devices. I look at Robert Frost's poetry as opening wide the door to worshiping God as our Creator, since much of his poetry celebrates the outdoors. Appreciating, understanding, and applying poetic devices are skills that have many academic benefits for dc, but more importantly (at least to me) they have many Spiritual benefits. In short, they help us read and understand the Bible better. I did not love poetry earlier in life, but I have learned to more and more through the years of using HOD with my dc. I see my dc enjoying poetry more and more as they grow older and mature, and I also see them applying what they have learned to their own writing. They like to play with words, to search for the best words or a certain rhythm or rhyme when writing, even when writing written narrations or essays. I saw much application of what was learned from studying poetry in the 'adoration' portion of prayer (especially in my oldest ds's prayer journal last year). That son is in high school now! So, this didn't happen overnight. It took years of poetry study in the previous HOD guides. I found the memorization of Psalms passages previously in PHFHG, as well as the entire PHFHG Bible study, alongside PHFHG's poetry study of Robert Louis Stevenson, transitioned so well into the Robert Frost study of CTC. I do think linking the love of God's creation to the Creator is a beautiful connection to make, so maybe that is something that would help as you talk to your dc about the attitude they are having toward their poetry study.

In Christ,
Julie

[mrsrandolph]

Theyb LOVED Robert Lewis Stevenson in Preparing. I just love Robert Frost, but I was in High School and college when I developed that love.

[Carrie]

My best advice for poetry is to make the lessons short and sweet and not to make it something that the kiddos need to discuss endlessly. Just do what is written in the guide and move on. In CTC, the poetry is actually just reading the poetry, copying a bit of it, and watercolor painting along with it. There is a once weekly poetry reading where kiddos must share the poem in front of an audience, along with a couple of audience participation starters, which many kiddos may not love doing (but are excellent preparation for more formal speaking). So sometimes it may not be the actual poet but the assignments that are stretching the kiddos in a way that isn't always comfortable! Yet, each assignment has purpose and helps our kiddos grow in different areas. I actually don't allow my boys to speak negatively about any of the poetry in HOD. I don't require them to love it, but they have learned to look for that which they can take from all things, even those that may not be their favorite.

Blessings,
Carrie