I’m always looking for ways that my students can experience the play of poetry, encouraging them to take some risks and express those surprises deep in their imaginations. I have a few tried and true practices that I use year to year like poetry dice and poetry comics. But like my students, I love a bit of novelty, so when I come across a promising new tool or practice, I’m all over it.

One of my colleagues recently introduced me to Ouisi Nature, a set of 210 stunning photo cards of plants, animals, and other natural formations. cropped in interesting ways. Some are extreme close ups, some are super cute animals, some are patterns that leave you guessing. The cards are meant to encourage connections between cards, allowing people to establish categories to sort the photos into.

I introduced my first grade students to these cards as an opportunity to play. In small groups they examined cards, talked about the cards, noticed details, and started sorting them into categories. They enjoyed the photos and puzzled over what some of the photos represented. The next day, I brought the cards out again. This time, I asked students to pick three photos and use them as inspiration for a poem.

Some students were worried at first. I left lots of room–and sometimes all that room just feels scary. I encouraged them to use their imaginations and not worry if the photo was actually what they thought of when they looked at the image. And after a few false starts, poems began to emerge.

S wrote about flowers and also began experimenting with line breaks.

Small Flowers but Mighty

Small purple flowers growing like pople

waking up in the morning with a yawn

flowers will get pollinated by bees and insects

Some flowers might be small but

a lot of them are mighty

P struggled a bit, feeling frustrated by feeling like instead of writing a poem it was story that appeared on the page. But perseverance paid off with this beauty.

Glittering eyes like a black sun

shining in the sky with reflections

from down below

H went in the science direction with maximum energy.

Blue energy dots like the sun

charging us all up so blue so read powerful

like waves CRASHING on to the ocean

L’s poem took me back to my recent Hawaii trip.

Hawaii

Hawaiian flowers dance like hula dancers bringing joy

and happiness to others making more and more people

happy

And yes, of course I wrote with my students! I’m not sure I got finished, but I love that the photos took me in a direction I don’t think I would have found on my own.

How do you encourage playfulness with poetry and writing with your students or with yourself? Feel free to share lessons, ideas, and resources in the comments!