SEEDS TO SCENERY & Science Week
It’s never too early to write a poem about science! This year’s Science Rhymes poetry blog will be called AUSSIE FLORA-VERSE. Did you know some plants remember things?
Your successful poems about PLANTS (flora) will be published in time to celebrate Science Week (15th to 23rd August) and Australian Poetry Month. Download the pdf SEEDS TO SCENERY to help you get started and check out previous Science Week poetry blogs too, if you have time!
THE BEAUTY OF IT ALL
At least six of my Science Rhymes have been embraced by Educational Publishers in India to date. As textbooks ask many comprehension questions, when I received the Amity University Press request to include The Beauty of it All in their Year 7 School Textbook (Hummingbird 7), I blogged about my own thoughts on this poem.
Although Amity had agreed to supply me with a copy of the book, it didn’t arrive. When I emailed them earlier this month, they kindly sent images of the relevant pages. I was flattered to discover the student “homework” instructions included reading three more of my FAMOUS poems!
BRANCHING OUT
This year, I’ve been supporting Australian Children’s Poetry and its new Curator, children’s poet Linda Davidson. Helping with the Poetry Prompt blogs, I’ve been asking various artists and illustrators if they are happy to give ACP permission to feature one of their artworks as a Picture Prompt. This results in each artist having a few poems written about their art!
I’ve also branched out into non-rhyming short-form poetry! We hope having picture prompts and calls for simpler poetry formats (rather than predominantly rhyme) will encourage more submissions from children (via parents or teachers). These are certainly worthy ways of improving writing and literacy skills. And seeing your poem being shared with others is a wonderful feeling.
My first Short-Form Mid-Month Poetry Prompt on ACP was the Nonet. I first encountered these during an online course on Science Communication through Poetry with UK’s Edinburgh Napier University last year.
Thank you for your continued interest in Science Rhymes and for reading to the end! Previous Newsletters were sent out to friends, associates and contributors via MailChimp. It is now distributed via direct email (or JetPack subscribers).
Newsletter #42 will be out in September 2026.