TREES GRAB ME.........
Student Haiku Workshop
 

Cavalry Primary School,  Cambridgeshire UK Paul Conneally, WHC Education and Regional Director Fresh verses, written in March 2005 are first attempts at haiku by primary school children from Cavalry Primary School, Cambridgeshire, UK. Paul Conneally, WHC Education and Regional Director, told the children a story about the history of haiku, and led the young TA8, 9 and 10 students in a haiku workshop during the school's Creative Arts Week 2005 themed, "Exploring Japan". The haiku were each arranged next to nature-fragments brought in from from the outdoors where the haiku were written, and then photographed separately. The photographs with the childrens' original haiku and nature-fragments are uploaded to an online gallery. Paul continues to tour the UK and Europe giving readings, and running art and poetry workshops based on haikai art forms. As he always stresses, Paul says he's 'learning more from children and beginners than I could ever teach them'.

View the Cavalry Primary School Haiku Gallery here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/98509073@N00/sets/386644/show/

View Cavalry Primary School's "Japan Week" website page with pictures of the children and their projects:

http://www.cavalry.cambs.sch.uk/artsweek05/creativeartsweek2005.htm

THE WORKSHOP POEMS:

Trees grab me. frogs jump in the old pond Charlotte Fletcher	Lilac flowers, irises standing in a pond Francesca Carter	leaves swishing the cracked bark of an old tree Matthew Hart
Daisies in the grass grey clouds dance around the sun Lily	a bumpy old hill birds squeaking up high in the sky Jake Poole	cool breeze yellow buttercups around the brown bark David Stewart
birds singing, we tread on daisies all squished Tayla Debenham-Scott	A cooling breeze Daisies swaying In the tall grass Joe Davis	Breezy day windy day the trees rustling Jamie
Breeze in my hair weeds growing around the pond wind blowing dust blue ball in the pond Martha Slack		old acorns a roll of haystacks rising in the sun Danielle Cook
a blue ball in the lovely pond birds tweet Harley Day	birds fly bark chips blowing grasses, speeding in the wind James Reeson
birds singing dust is rising in the windy air Lara Eke	birds twittering trees blowing in the noisy wind Lara Eke	green leaves fall the sound of stamping and birds singing Josh Dando
Birds humming Reeds swaying Daisies everywhere Nikita	Spiky thistles trees sway in the wind Natalie Clark	Fresh air Bumblebees upon the leaves Flying to and fro Adele Worallo
Bright green bushes Ready for birds to Make their nests Sophie Marshall	Fully grown weeds the rustle of wind against the trees. Jacob	Birds and bees the sound of footsteps coming toward me Elizabeth Nicholson
Fast ants a hill with a slide long grass around Adam Lyshack	footsteps vibrate! ants rush out of the way in fear of death Charlie	A blue stool brambles curled around the wire fence Charlie

 

Teachers: for great ideas, see more photos from some of Paul's haiku workshops with school children: 

gigei arts, 2005: haiku hands

Cotham School Bristol UK 'ripples' haiku and haiga

Shelthorpe Primary School,  Loughborough, UK: HAIKU INSTALLATION 2004

Martin High School Anstey Charnwood Leicestershire UK Big Art Day 2003: Phrase and Fragment

Paul Conneally writes haiku and makes art. For twenty-years Paul taught school (11-16 year olds) in the multi-cultural City of Leicester, UK. He now leads a Substance Misuse Training Team and runs training courses and workshops on all aspects of 'Personal, Social and Health Education', Citizenship, Behaviour Management and, of course, haiku, collaborative poetry and art. The joining together of these aspects of his work and life has been and is a joyful experience. He was born in Sheffield UK but now lives with real happiness in Loughborough, Charnwood, UK with his wife and their two children. Paul is the Regional and Education Director of the World Haiku Club

 

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