A Brave Writer's Life in Brief

Hi Julie –

I thought I would send you our latest teatime photo. I see the photos on your blog, and ours, when I manage to pull it together, seem so … rushed … by comparison. Half the time my son has finished his drink and treat by the time I manage to sit down (today I withheld both until everything was set). But, I thought some might like to see a less composed tea time, one where the table has to be cleaned off just to set it and it’s the middle of January and the Christmas tree (at least not decorated) is still in the background.

It had been one of “those” days, math had taken forever, we were getting on each other’s nerves, and we got to take some time to slow down and reset.

Thank you,

Holly

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We had our first ever Teatime Tuesday yesterday. We ate frosted cookies & scones. We drank hot tea & egg nog. We read to each other from several Shel Silverstein books and also from a children’s poem book. My kids (13, 11) told me that it was their very favorite homeschool event – ever. (This is our 8th year homeschooling.)

Carrie

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We combined tea time and Jot It Down and had a great time. After some warm cider and cookies we read The Princess and the Pea. We then wrote our own poem and made mattresses out of foam in our journal books and used dehydrated peas. They are even writing the whole poem in their fairy tale journals.

[Below] is the poem we came up with. My kids are 8, 6 and 6. There is a picture too. I didn’t correct their punctuation or anything and they came up with the rhymes and order of the content.

Blessings,
Vanessa

The Princess and the Pea: A Poem

There was a prince
Who needed a bride
A true princess on the inside.

One night it was raining,
The prince was complaining.
A knock on the door,
Puddles on the floor.

The queen put a pea
where nobody could see.
The Princess couldn’t sleep
But didn’t make a peep.

She woke up black and blue
And the Prince knew
he had found a true princess.
And he married her.

Mad Tea Party (Illustrator: Winter, 1924) – Special Collections Toronto Public Library

Last year we revitalized our Poetry Teatime Pinterest board, and we were so pleased with all the positive responses!

Popular pins included a tutorial for personalized tea bags, a recipe for melted snowman cookies, and instructions for an adorable turkey treat holder. And Creekside Learning’s blog post, 7 Ways to an Easy and Fun Poetry Tea Time, was a hit.

Top Repins in 2013

(clicking on an image takes you to the Pinterest page)

Be sure to follow us for more inspiration in 2014!

Visit our Poetry Teatime website!

Julie,

I’ve been using Bravewriter for a while, but it wasn’t until after hearing you speak in Virginia in August that I decided to really commit to Tuesday Tea and Poetry. I started with the enticements of sweet and milky chai tea and home baked treats, and after just a few weeks Poetry Teatime became a can’t miss event for my nine-year-old daughter and twelve-year-old son.

Last Tuesday the kids were both behind on their work and I told them we wouldn’t have time for Tea and Poetry. They were disappointed, but made sure to get their work done early on Thursday and even set the table themselves so we wouldn’t go all week without it.

Thanks so much for everything you do. Your words of encouragement, your insight and wisdom mean more to me (and to many of my friends) than you can know.

~Nikki

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Visit our Poetry Teatime website!