Ah, the joys of homeschooling! This week's challenge is to find an appropriate piece for my daughter M's spring recitation. Part of her curriculum is to take six weeks and memorize something larger than the usual Bible verse. The timing coincides nicely with the Easter program we have at church every year so I try to pick something that is appropriate for the service, as well. Last year I lucked up and found the perfect poem: "A Prayer in Spring" by Robert Frost. It wasn't too difficult for an eight-year-old to memorize yet it was impressive enough to let everyone know that we aren't just playing around with the homeschooling thing. Since it also mentions God and spring, it was just right for the Easter service. My Sonlight curriculum guide gives three suggestions for this year's recitation: "Paul Revere's Ride", "Hiawatha's Childhood", or Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death" speech. Paul Revere and Patrick Henry both tie in well with our history studies but they are both too difficult for my soon-to-be nine-year-old daughter. As for Hiawatha, I guess I am a child of the TV generation because I can't read the opening lines of that poem without visions of "I Love Lucy" popping into my head. So far, the front runner is Anne Bradstreet, the first English poet to live in America. She was mentioned in a book we read for history, "The Witch of Blackbird Pond", so she fits this year's curriculum. She was also a Puritan so her poetry has a Christian slant, as well. If she has a poem about spring, then I'm in business!

Feel free to direct me to any poems about Spring that might be appropriate so I can stockpile them for the future. Follow the Contact link on my home page to drop me a line.