A writer inspired by nature and human nature

Maine’s Moosehead Lake HIKING & HAIKU—Here, there and everywhere!

Aside

by Bette A. Stevens

As a nature lover, teacher, reader and writer I often took my class on nature walks with clipboards, pencils and plenty of paper in hand. A great, creative writing project to do with the grandkids!  Goal—each person finds something interesting and inspiring. It might be a flower, a tree, an insect. Subjects in the great outdoors are unlimited.

Take notes, usually a list, word web or other diagram about one or two of the most interesting things you’ve observed. Then, write a poem about what you’ve selected and illustrate your poem. Haiku (three lines: 5-7-5 syllables) is one of my favorites for creating quick word snapshots that kids really enjoy writing. Talk to the kids about similes, metaphors and other figurative language. Have an example on hand to model and share with the kids.

With illustrated poems in hand, take another nature walk. Find an outdoor theatre (under the shade of a tree in the backyard or playground ). You might even choose to take a walking field trip to a nearby park. Bring a lunch or snack and enjoy a “Poetry Party,” where everyone gets to perform!

All of my life, I’ve been inspired by the beauty and wonder in the world around me. A camping trip with my family to Moosehead Lake in Greenville, Maine decades ago inspired me to write this word snapshot, and, of course, I had fun illustrating it, too.

This was one of my classroom “shares.”

  • Writing Haiku or any short form of poetry is a great, creative family or classroom activity that’s fun for everyone!
  • Discover how to write a haiku and find out why reading and writing poetry is good for everyone at Bette’s Poetry Party “Let’s Haiku“ Lesson #free Pdf. (Simply Click & Print/Includes Note to Parents & Educators).
  • Illustrate your poems and have your own Haiku Party.
  • As an extra bonus, you’ll have personal posters for rooms, bulletin boards or scrapbooks!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Inspired by nature and human nature, author Bette A. Stevens is a retired elementary and middle school teacher, a wife, mother of two and grandmother of eight. Stevens lives in Central Maine with her husband on their 37-acre farmstead where she enjoys reading, writing, gardening, walking and reveling in the beauty of nature. She advocates for children and families, for childhood literacy and for the conservation of monarch butterflies (milkweed is the only plant that monarch caterpillars will eat). Stevens has written articles for ECHOES, The Northern Maine Journal of Rural Culture. Stevens has self-published five books to date and has a second poetry collection on the drawing board.

Inspired by nature and human nature… Books by Bette A. Stevens, Maine author

 

What are some of your favorite ways to inspire kids to have fun reading and writing?

[Explore Bette’s Blog]

Written

on 05/23/2021

Comments on: "Maine’s Moosehead Lake HIKING & HAIKU—Here, there and everywhere!" (82)

  1. Vashti Q said:
    08/13/2022 at 12:18 pm

    Great post, Bette! You’ve mentioned some wonderful things to do with children to inspire their creativity. Lovely haiku and drawing too.🥰

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Annette Rochelle Aben said:
    06/14/2021 at 11:05 am

    Brava! ❤ Just lovely

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Chen Song Ping @ TPTan said:
    06/13/2021 at 4:35 pm

    “A great, creative writing project to do with the grandkids! .. And poetry party”! Great idea, you seem to enjoy your grandmother-hood!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. roughwighting said:
    06/10/2021 at 5:54 pm

    An inspiring place that you’ve taken us all to thanks to your prose, haiku, and illustration. THANKS, Bette!

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Michele Morin said:
    06/06/2021 at 3:23 pm

    Memories of Moosehead!
    This is wonderful!

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Miriam Hurdle said:
    06/04/2021 at 8:07 pm

    I can tell that Moosehead Lake is a beautiful place. It’s wonderful a trip there inspired you to write this Haiku and did the illustration. They both are beautiful, Bette! Thanks for sharing. ❤

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Mabel Kwong said:
    06/04/2021 at 10:07 am

    So lovely to hear a camping trip from years ago inspired you to write this snapshot and come up with this illustration. The colours are so vibrant and welcoming in your sketch. Your post reminded me of my days in school where my teacher eagerly took my and my class out to observe the trees and birds and sketch. Those were very fun excursions. Hope you are well and have a good weekend 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Bette A. Stevens said:
      06/04/2021 at 11:01 am

      Hi, Mabel. Thanks so much for your lovely note and visit. Delighted to hear that you enjoyed and shared your own memories. We are well and hope that you are too! Have a blessed and beautiful week, my friend! ❤ xo

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Jennie said:
    05/29/2021 at 10:21 pm

    I love this, Bette!

    Liked by 1 person

  9. da-AL said:
    05/29/2021 at 5:25 pm

    so beautiful! many tx for sharing, Bette 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  10. DutchIl said:
    05/28/2021 at 11:11 am

    Thank you for sharing your adventures!!.. seeing Maine through your eyes are like being there!… “Life gives us brief moments with another, but sometimes in those brief moments we get memories that last a lifetime, So live that your memories will be part of your happiness.” (Author Unknown)…. 🙂

    Until we meet again..
    May your day be touched
    by a bit of Irish luck,
    Brightened by a song
    in your heart,
    And warmed by the smiles
    of people you love.
    (Irish Saying)

    Liked by 2 people

  11. majaalifee said:
    05/28/2021 at 7:10 am

    Lovely post 💕😊🌹

    Liked by 2 people

  12. Baydreamer said:
    05/27/2021 at 12:01 pm

    Lovely post and haiku, Bette. Nature always inspires! Wonderful suggestions, too. 💗

    Liked by 2 people

  13. Norah said:
    05/26/2021 at 7:44 am

    I love your suggestions for writing haiku, Bette. They are similar to those I offer. 👍🤩

    Liked by 2 people

  14. Erica/Erika said:
    05/25/2021 at 11:51 pm

    I love your phrase, Bette, “…creating quick word snapshots…” You are an exceptionally creative lady, Bette! ❤️ Illustrating, poetry, prose, baking….you are an inspiration! ❤️

    Liked by 2 people

  15. Annika Perry said:
    05/25/2021 at 5:43 am

    Bette, a lovely illustration and beautiful poem inspired by your trip! Any time spent outdoors at school were the best times! In our last year at primary school, aged about 10, the class undertook one memorable walk across the moors from the local town to the school, nearly four miles! It was incredible, liberating, inspirational. Our teacher, with a particular interest in creative writing, then had us writing about the experience! I still have my illustrated piece at home. Thank you for sharing your work here and for bringing back special memories for me! xx ❤️

    Liked by 2 people

  16. tidalscribe.com said:
    05/25/2021 at 3:07 am

    My friend and I went to stay with my aunt when I was eleven and I still remember a walk on Box Hill, a Surrey beauty spot. We collected a few wildflowers to press when we got home . I have no idea what happened to my book of pressed flowers, but I can still picture the single powder blue harebell I collected and how it turned out perfectly pressed. It has taken a while to write about it!

    Liked by 3 people

  17. usfman said:
    05/24/2021 at 10:42 pm

    You’re right Bette. I’ve tried this kind of nature field trip in the past with middle school kids in the Florida Everglades and found that this environment amazingly energized them by the. experience.
    You just cannot underestimate the creative learning potential from studying a leaf, insect, or sea of grass.

    Liked by 2 people

  18. noelleg44 said:
    05/24/2021 at 6:19 pm

    How lovely, Bette. I used to take my biology classes when I taught at UC Irvine to the tide pools and also to the Anza Borrega desert. They told me those trips made the course memorable!

    Liked by 2 people

  19. balroop2013 said:
    05/24/2021 at 1:14 pm

    Your students would always remember those trips even when they grow older, as such moments of joy come alive each time we look at a tree or a flower. Wonderful teaching dear friend. Stay blessed!

    Liked by 2 people

  20. D.L. Finn, Author said:
    05/24/2021 at 1:00 pm

    Fun post, Bette:) I love the idea of a Poetry Party!

    Liked by 2 people

  21. Becky Ross Michael said:
    05/24/2021 at 12:57 pm

    Good one, Bette! You make this look easy, but I’m sure that it’s not!

    Liked by 2 people

  22. Kymber said:
    05/24/2021 at 11:30 am

    This is so inspirational! I love nature walks, and what a fun thing to do with children. Great idea, Bette!

    Liked by 2 people

  23. Sandee said:
    05/24/2021 at 11:27 am

    What a fun thing to do with your class, your kids, your grands or your great grands. Leave the phones at home and go experience nature then write about it. Brilliant.

    The lake is most beautiful. I would enjoy exploring there.

    Have a fabulous day and week, Bette. ♥

    Liked by 2 people

  24. boundlessblessingsblog said:
    05/24/2021 at 9:58 am

    Such a beautiful poem, Bette. Nature at its best. Thanks for the awesome share, Bette.

    Liked by 2 people

  25. -Eugenia said:
    05/24/2021 at 9:27 am

    Beautiful ideas, Bette! 💖xo

    Liked by 2 people

  26. Darlene said:
    05/24/2021 at 8:57 am

    Nature is so inspiring!! Taking your class outside is such a great idea. I often did it with my English as a Second Language classes and they loved it.

    Liked by 2 people

  27. marianbeaman said:
    05/24/2021 at 8:48 am

    What a talented author you are, combining haiku with your own illustrations.

    A few months ago my husband designed a birthday card for a friend in Maine. Of course it included a MOOSE and some lobsters. Ha!

    Liked by 2 people

  28. Jill Weatherholt said:
    05/24/2021 at 6:55 am

    Beautiful, Bette!❤️

    Liked by 2 people

  29. harmonykentonline said:
    05/24/2021 at 5:20 am

    Lovely poem and illustration, Bette 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  30. Felicia Denise said:
    05/24/2021 at 3:39 am

    Lovely post, Bette. I enjoyed your illustrated word snapshot. You’re quite talented! 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  31. robbiesinspiration said:
    05/24/2021 at 2:22 am

    This really is lovely, Bette. I love reading your poems about beautiful places you visit.

    Liked by 2 people

  32. Marilyn Armstrong said:
    05/23/2021 at 11:56 pm

    We used to summer at Pleasant River Lake which was north of Ellsworth (about 18 miles by dirt road). It was great. No electricity, no running water. Just the lake. Then people started bringing in power and washing machines and polluted the lake and the lumber company came and cut down all the trees. Great memories, but sad the way it ended.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Bette A. Stevens said:
      05/25/2021 at 5:10 pm

      That was the wonderful wilderness back then, Marilyn… Thankfully we still have wilderness areas to be explored, but unless they are designated and maintained by local, state or national government they just keep disappearing. ❤ So glad you had time to enjoy them while they were wild. xo

      Like

  33. francisashis said:
    05/23/2021 at 10:20 pm

    Fantastic,enjoyed reading it.Thank you very much madam for sharing your thoughts and I really appreciate your love for the nature and the beautiful world .Take care.🌹🙏

    Liked by 2 people

  34. D. Wallace Peach said:
    05/23/2021 at 9:49 pm

    A wonderful haiku in tribute to a lovely place, Bette. I have great memories of trips to Moosehead Lake as a little kid.

    Liked by 2 people

  35. Priscilla Bettis said:
    05/23/2021 at 9:47 pm

    I love this nature walk and poetry party idea! I’ve done acrostics with kids (as a classroom volunteer), but not with a nature walk.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Bette A. Stevens said:
      05/24/2021 at 10:00 pm

      Getting out and about with the kids rocks! Nature is always inspiring and provides a spark for discovery along the trail and back in the classroom… Like all of nature, Kids are amazing! ❤ xo

      Like

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