02 Mar, 2010
Stealth poetry project: The Story of Fidgety Philip
Posted by andrea tomkins in: - Stealth poetry
This is the stealth poetry project. It was first discussed here.
How it works: I dig up a kid-friendly poem, print it out, and fasten it to the back of our front door (although a fridge would come in handy for this purpose as well)! The goal here is to make poetry “top of mind” without it turning it into a boring school lesson. Here’s what we are looking at this week:
The Story of Fidgety Philip
by Heinrich Hoffman
“Let me see if Philip can
Be a little gentleman;
Let me see if he is able
To sit still for once at table.”
Thus spoke in earnest tone
The father to his son;
And the mother looked very grave
To see Philip so misbehave.
But Philip he did not mind
His father who was so kind.
He wriggled
And giggled,
And then, I declare,
Swung backward and forward
And tilted his chair
Just like any rocking horse;-
“Philip! I am getting cross!”
See the naughty, restless child,
Growing still more rude and wild,
Till his chair falls over quite.
Philip screams with all his might,
Catches at the cloth, but then
That makes matters worse again.
Down upon the ground they fall,
Glasses, bread, knives forks and all.
How Mamma did fret and frown,
When she saw them tumbling down!
And Papa made such a face!
Philip is in sad disgrace.
Where is Philip? Where is he?
Fairly cover’d up you see!
Cloth and all are lying on him;
He has pull’d down all upon him!
What a terrible to-do!
Dishes, glasses, snapt in two!
Here a knife, and there a fork!
Philip, this is naughty work.
Table all so bare, and ah!
Poor Papa and poor Mamma
Look quite cross, and wonder how
They shall make their dinner now.
