New poem for your class

Here's a new poem for teachers and parents. You can try doing the repetitions in the poem with groups or all joining in. These repetitions are meant to be a bit like a Greek chorus, so when the chorus joins in you could turn the 'I' into 'they' or  'he' or 'his' etc.  So the 'I' lines, Mum and Hornby Teacher are solos, and the chorus lines are groups who say, 'he'/ 'his'/ 'their' etc. Experiment with it, anyway. 

If it suggests to you or children about things that they had to do in Nursery or Kindergarten or at any other time, they could write about that? Or perhaps it's about conversations between teachers and parents about the child. They might like to try this chorus repetition writing, too. 



In the afternoon at nursery

In the afternoon at nursery

we have to go to sleep

we have to go to sleep

In the afternoon at nursery

In the afternoon at nursery

I won't go to sleep

I don't go to sleep

because of the...

because of the...

HAIRY BLANKET

HAIRY BLANKET

I won't go to sleep 

I won't go to sleep 

I won't go to sleep

under the hairy blanket.

The hairy bits get into your ears

into your ears

The hairy bits get into  your eyes

into your eyes

The hairy bits get into your mouth

into your mouth

So I won't go to sleep in the afternoon

I won't go to sleep in the afternoon.

The hairy blanket is an army blanket

a browny greeny army blanket

a browny greeny hairy blanket

left over after the war.

I wriggle and wiggle 

I jiggle and squiggle

under the hairy blanket.

I don't go to sleep.

I won't go to sleep.

Hornby Teacher the Nursery Teacher

says to my Mum

Michael won't sleep in the afternoon.

Michael won't sleep in the afternoon.

My Mum says to me:

Why won't you sleep in the afternoon?

Why don't you sleep in the afternoon?

And I say to Mum

I don't go to sleep because of the...

HAIRY BLANKET

I won't go to sleep because of the...

HAIRY BLANKET

Is that it? she says.

Is that what's bothering you?

Is that it? she says.

Nothing else?

And, I say, and, I say

and, you're not there

in the afternoon

when we're supposed to go to sleep

You're not there in the afternoon

when we're supposed to go to sleep.

You're not there.