A writer inspired by nature and human nature

Write a Summer Limerick & Get the Kids Writing Too!

Aside

HAVE FUN WRITING LIMERICKS

Monarch Butterfly LIMERICK 2 bas 2017

Summertime is fun time! And with ‘back to school’ just around the corner, it’s a great time to write limericks and get the kids writing too…

Whether you’re a writer, a reader, a teacher, a parent or simply want to share the love of reading and writing, get the kids together and give “Limericks” a try. You’ll be glad you did!

Some of my favorite things about summer are butterflies, long lazy summer days, gardens and sunshine. I love to sit on the porch with my camera at the ready just in case I spot an amazing monarch or any of our sensational butterfly friends dropping by to enjoy the view. So far this year I’ve spotted twelve monarchs and dozens of other butterflies too—and managed to capture several of these exquisite creatures with my Canon “PowerShot.”

Butterflies are very sensitive to the environment and with their natural habitat areas being increasingly eroded and with significantly greater use of chemicals, our butterfly population is in decline. Planting and cultivating milkweed (Monarch caterpillars need milkweed) and other blooms that our pollinators need for survival is one way that I can help.

Limerick (poetic definition)

[lim-er-ik]
noun
1. a kind of humorous verse of five lines, in which the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme with each other, and the third and fourth lines, which are shorter, form a rhymed couplet.

 

My limerick is about one of the monarch butterflies (captured by my camera) that fluttered through my garden so far this summer. I had fun writing two verses to tell my monarch’s story. Check out the link at the end of the post to find out more about poetic limericks.

A Monarch Butterfly Limerick

by Bette A. Stevens

There once was a monarch so fair

She fluttered and flit through the air

’Twas milkweed she needed

And so she proceeded

To search through the garden with care

 

Monarch  knew she had nothing to fear

Her flutters would soon disappear

When milkweed she spotted

Her heart was besotted

Depositing monarch eggs there

 

WRITING POETRY WITH CHILDREN

Tips & Tools

When teaching (grades 4-8), I found that writing poems and sharing them was an exciting way get children of all ages hooked on writing. I must admit it—limericks are so much fun to write and to share! In the classroom we learn about using some of the tools in our writer’s tool box—literary devices like assonance (repeating vowel sounds) and consonance (repeating consonant sounds) to create a musical message. And of course, we had Scholastic rhyming dictionaries and thesauruses close at hand. It’s always exciting to discover alternative words (synonyms) that have just the right sounds and syllables to perfect our poems.

Whether you’re a writer, a reader, a teacher, a parent or simply want to share the love of reading and writing, get the kids together and give it a try. You’ll be glad you did!

 

Click the link to find out all about it How to Write a Limerick http://www.poetry4kids.com/blog/lessons/how-to-write-a-limerick/

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Written

on 08/08/2017

Comments on: "Write a Summer Limerick & Get the Kids Writing Too!" (37)

  1. It’s National Limerick Day! – Aurora Public Library District said:
    05/11/2020 at 12:52 pm

    […] Maine author Bette Stevens has a terrific double limerick about Monarch butterflies on her blog. […]

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Jill Weatherholt said:
    09/09/2018 at 7:43 am

    This is beautiful, Bette! Every time I see a butterfly, I think of you. ❤ For some reason your posts are going into my reader.

    Like

    • Bette A. Stevens said:
      09/09/2018 at 5:42 pm

      Thanks, Jill. ❤ A brand new Monarch emerged from the second chrysalis on the porch yesterday–it was amazing to watch it rest, flutter and get strong enough to fly over a two-hour time span. Feeling so blessed that it has been a banner year for these regal beauties here at the farmstead in central Maine. MILKWEED-if you plant it they will come! ❤ So glad you stopped by for a visit. Have an amazing week, my friend. xo

      Liked by 1 person

  3. teawithjennifer said:
    06/18/2018 at 9:35 pm

    I love all your takes on this one subject Bette, the Monarch butterfly… This limerick is such fun!
    You are so gifted in all things poetry my friend! ♥
    Jennifer

    Like

  4. macjam47 said:
    08/20/2017 at 10:13 am

    What a beautiful Limerick, Bette, befitting the lovely Monarch. My flowers attracted lots of butterflies and hummingbirds this year. My perennial garden is just getting started in our new home, but I supplemented it with lots of annuals. What a gorgeous combination they make – butterflies, hummingbirds, and flowers. Love and hugs, dear Bette.

    Like

    • Bette A. Stevens said:
      08/20/2017 at 1:19 pm

      It’s been a glorious year here for blooms, butterflies and all of those wonderful pollinators too. Our gardens, though not manicured, include mostly perennials, annual vegetable varieties, plenty of milkweed and other native species too. Enjoying the wonder of it all and glad to hear that you are too! ❤ xoxoxo…

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Limerick of Jemsbooks – Louey! | Jemsbooks said:
    08/16/2017 at 4:45 pm

    […] Recently I perused my lovely friend, Bette A. Stevens’ website, when she posted a beautiful limerick about her beloved butterflies. Check it out here. […]

    Like

  6. mistermuse said:
    08/10/2017 at 10:49 pm

    All around the mulberry bush
    The artist chased her easel.
    Though two legs had she,
    The easel had three….
    But at least it wasn’t a weasel.

    Like

  7. -Eugenia said:
    08/09/2017 at 9:44 am

    What a delightful post, Bette. I love the limerick and your story about the monarchs. I haven’t seen many monarchs in our area. In fact, I haven’t seen many butterflies, which is unusual.

    Like

    • Bette A. Stevens said:
      08/09/2017 at 7:55 pm

      Thanks so much for stopping by to read and for your gracious comment, Eugenia. It’s been a glorious year for butterflies here in Central Maine this year…seems as though my milkweed is calling them in to visit. Blessings and love! ❤ xo

      Liked by 1 person

  8. jjspina said:
    08/09/2017 at 8:28 am

    Lovely limerick, Bette! You are talented. I will give it a try. I have written a ton of poetry but not exactly in that form. It is a fun way to rhyme. I haven’t seen too many butterflies lately but a lot of dragonflies. I hope they are not going after the butterflies! Hugs & love

    Like

    • Bette A. Stevens said:
      08/09/2017 at 7:23 pm

      Thanks so much for stopping by for a chat, Janice. We’ve had lots of butterflies this year and my butterfly garden is growing and attracting them like a magnet. Even the hummiingbirds love our milkweed. Plenty of dragonflies too, but I think they’re favorite delicacy is mosquitoes and that’s just fine with me… 🙂 Enjoy the rest of our short New England summer and have lots of fun writing your first limerick–they’re addictive! ❤ xo

      Liked by 1 person

      • jjspina said:
        08/09/2017 at 8:44 pm

        I enjoyed your limerick, Bette! You inspire me to write some too! Have a wonderful rest of summer too! 😘🤗 xx

        Like

  9. Marie Hunter Atwood said:
    08/09/2017 at 3:55 am

    My thoughts are that you are wonderfully talented. I love the limerick, it is perfect. I can’t even remember the last one I have read, and I’m not at all sure I could write one!

    I have a request I would like to present to you. If you feel you aren’t interested please just tell me, there will be no hard feelings. I am writing a book and I need someone to critique me. With my last book I was never able to find anyone to do this during the writing. Had I been able to do so I would have been more confident as I would have felt more confident as it went to the publisher. Do you ever do this and if you do tell me how much you charge and how you charge and are you at all interested?

    This new book is not any thing I’ve done before. It is a memoir and is being written with an historical co-companion, an absent partner so to speak that is linked in several ways to the story. This ‘partner’ is the history of the period in which the story is written circa 1920 to 1933, at which point the ‘partner’ will take a lesser importance to allow the demonstration of the child’s development. The adult years will then reveal both personality and character in vignette type sketches at major happenings

    All three of my books have been spiritual in nature with the third one adding the genre of love which was also new for me. The spiritual tag stayed on it since it refers to the growth of the heroine. I would be happy to send you a free copy and then I could ask you for a review to post on Amazon!

    Thanks for listening. Marie

    Like

    • Bette A. Stevens said:
      08/09/2017 at 7:52 pm

      Dear Marie,

      Thanks so much for your lovely compliment and for the invitation to read your book. Currently, I am beta reading for two author friends and am a bit backlogged due to the books I am reading for book club as well. However, please email me at bettestevens@tds.net and send a sample from your book. I’ll take a look and we can go from there. With my own books, I’ve had author friends who were kind enough to read them and give brief critique before hiring a professional editor prior to publishing and found this very helpful.

      Also, when it comes to reviewing, I only post short 4 and 5 star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads for those books I most enjoy.

      Keep me posted!

      Thanks,
      Bette

      Liked by 1 person

      • Marie Hunter Atwood said:
        08/09/2017 at 9:30 pm

        Thanks for your reply. I understand the life and time factor of being a writer. I appreciate your frankness and I’m a big girl now and can accept whatever your decision might be. I do believe that a professional would spot weaknesses in a manuscript that someone else probably would not, That is why I thought of you, I am not looking for a compliment to make me feel good. I was sure that you would be able to tell me how it is and that is my hope of both receiving or giving a review. I will send a few pages for you and be thankful for whatever you have the time to give me. I will send you a copy of my novelette (110 pages). It could either help or hinder a favorable decision.

        Thank you,
        Marie

        That sounds great, Marie! xo

        Like

  10. Felicia Denise said:
    08/08/2017 at 11:05 pm

    Bette, my limerick days were SO long ago. Let’s see…

    Mister Monarch danced through the warm summer breezes
    The exact same ones which give me the sneezes
    My poor runny nose
    Made me keep tissue close
    While Mister Monarch does as he pleases!

    LOL! I was never here! 😀 😀

    Like

  11. Norah said:
    08/08/2017 at 10:46 pm

    This is great, Bette. You’ve combined two of my favourite things. I love butterflies and I love writing poems with children. Your limericks are wonderful. I like the way they combine the arts and science. They would be great to use with children as a model for their writing.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Bette A. Stevens said:
      08/09/2017 at 8:09 pm

      Thanks so much, Norah. I truly appreciate your thoughtful comments and when teaching, that’s just what I did–modeled writing and reading, using nature as our guide. As lovers of children, of nature and of words, we have much in common, my friend. Your kind words added a rainbow to my cloudy day! Blessings & love. ❤ 🙂 xo

      Liked by 1 person

      • Norah said:
        08/11/2017 at 2:03 am

        Thanks, Bette. I’m sorry you were having a cloudy day, but pleased to have added a rainbow. Your comment has done the same for me. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  12. Gayl said:
    08/08/2017 at 10:05 pm

    I love your limerick! I love a challenge so I might try my hand at writing one. 🙂 Thanks for your inspiration!

    Blessings!

    Liked by 1 person

  13. balroop2013 said:
    08/08/2017 at 10:00 pm

    Lovely post Bette and what a wonderful limerick! Butterflies are rare around this place but when one is spotted it evokes smiles and shrieks! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Bette A. Stevens said:
      08/09/2017 at 2:50 pm

      Thank you, Balroop. It has been a glorious summer for butterflies of several species for the first time in five years–and what a delight! Sending lots of love and butterfly cheers and smiles your way, dear friend! 🙂 xo

      Liked by 1 person

  14. D. Wallace Peach said:
    08/08/2017 at 9:52 pm

    I share your love of butterflies and limericks, Bette. I’ve been watching the monarchs outside my window today, and they always make me think of Matilda. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Bette A. Stevens said:
      08/09/2017 at 2:46 pm

      Monarchs are truly the royalty of butterflies… Each glorious sighting reminds me how blessed we are by creation. Thanks so much for your lovely review of AMAZING MATILDA; so thrilled that you and Tornado Boy continue to enjoy Matilda’s adventure. May your week be filled with wonders, my friend! ❤ xoxo

      Liked by 1 person

  15. Vashti Q said:
    08/08/2017 at 9:46 pm

    Beautiful limerick Bette❣️

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Marilyn Armstrong said:
    08/08/2017 at 9:13 pm

    I saw more butterflies this summer than in at least five years. All the rain maybe? For whatever reason, I saw some real beauties … a couple I’ve never seen before.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Bette A. Stevens said:
      08/08/2017 at 9:23 pm

      Me too, Marilyn! Swallowtails (three varieties), Checkers, Fritillaries, two that I’ve been unable to identify and more than a dozen of our magnificent Monarchs. I hope we’ll get to spot more of those beauties during migration. Have a lovely week enjoying the wonder of it all! HUGS & LOVE… ❤

      Like

  17. Micki Peluso said:
    08/08/2017 at 9:10 pm

    Perfect limerick.Betty. I am just learning how to do them right, but they are my favorite poetry form–so musical and upbeat–like you:) I got your card and it was lovely–just what I needed today Thank you.

    Liked by 1 person

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