Monday, September 3, 2012

LETTER LIMERICKS


Letter Limericks – I know many of you are working on letter writing this time of year, so I thought Dr. Holly's “Letter Limericks” might be just the rhyme you need to put it in children's brains.

The first is a letter called A
With straight lines in every way.
Two lines point up top,
To the bottom they drop,
And another crosses the way.

The second letter is B
For baseball, baby, and beach.
Straight line down the side,
Two humps on the right—
It looks like a fat bumble bee!

After B comes C:
Cookies, celery, and cheese!
Like a smile big and wide
Turned on its side
It’s easy to make C, you see!
  
D is a letter that’s plump
Like a tummy with one round hump.
A long line straight down,
Then go out and around
For dig, dive, dip and dump!

After D comes E.
It’s shaped like a comb with three teeth.
One line down the side,
Three more to the right
For echoes, ears, eyeballs and eat!

F is the next letter to name.
It can bring with it fortune and fame.
Like E in design
Without the bottom line
But it gets along fine all the same!

After F comes G
Which is curvy and round just like C.
When you reach the end stop,
Put a straight line across
And your G will giggle with glee!

H is a letter with pride.
It has two long straight lines side by side
Then hip, hop, and higgle
Put another ‘cross the middle
And your H will have nothing to hide!

I comes after that,
Eating ice cream, and yet it’s not fat.
One line stretches down,
One lies on the ground
And one goes on top—a flat hat!

Now jump, joke, and juggle— it’s J
With lines both curvy and straight.
The curve starts up top
Then like a hook drops
And the straight line juts over the way!

The letter K has quite a kick
With a spine as straight as a stick.
From the middle about
Two arms reach out
For kangaroos, kindness, and kids!

After K comes L
It’s a letter with lots to tell.
One line heads straight down,
One sticks out on the ground
Like a chair with no legs—how swell!

M is a letter with size,
Like two mountains side by side.
Two straight lines on the end
Two others point in
Making moms, milk, and messes—oh, my!

N is like M only thinner.
It didn’t eat quite as much dinner—
For Nick and Noelle
Two lines parallel
And a diagonal one ‘cross the center.

O is entirely round—
Not a single straight line to be found.
Like a wide open mouth
Saying oops! oh! or ouch!
It makes oceans and oranges abound!

The next of the letters is P
For people and peanuts and please.
Let one straight line prop
With a loop on the top
And you’ll make lots of pumpkins and peas!

Q comes next without fail
With quarters, quick questions, and quails:
First a circle that’s fat
Then like the back of a cat
A straight line sticks out like a tail.

R is ever so clever.
It’s P and K blended together:
The top hoops about
The bottom leg kicks out—
For running and reading there’s no better!

S is a letter with style
For summer, sunshine, and smiles.
Go up and around
Then back around down
Like a snake that slithers for miles!

T is terrific and true
Standing tall as all towers do.
One straight line sits over,
The other points lower
For tigers, trees, and tickles too!

U comes right after T.
It also comes just before V—
An upside down hump
A straight line it bumps:
Unicorn, universe, unique!

V is very healthy—it’s true!
With vitamins and vegetables for you:
Two straight lines point down
And meet at the ground
For vacations and violins, too!

W is just like 2 Vs
Stuck together—like twins, you see.
With why, when, and where?
And who will be there?
W makes words work with ease!

X is the letter that’s next.
Not many words start with an X
But X marks the spot
With two straight lines that cross—
X is never quite what you expect!

The next-to-last letter is Y
For years and yes, give it a try!
Like a small V that sits
On top of a stick
Reaching for the yellow sun in the sky!

Z comes last for a reason
Bringing zeal, zap, and zest to all seasons.
One straight line slants down
Then at foot and at crown
Two other lines zip—very pleasing!
  
Invisible Writing – Practice writing letters in the air with your index finger.  Don’t forget to erase when you’re finished!

Tummy Writing – Have children lay on their tummies and extend their finger above their head.  They can practice making lines, circles, shapes, and letters.

Body Writing – How many different body parts can you use to write letters?  Try elbows, noses, toes, or chins.  You can also write on each other’s backs.