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An #MKTucsonFirsts Experience: UA Poetry Center Family Day

#MKTucsonFirsts

By Kindle Rising February 4, 2016

In January I shared my goal for my family and I to try one new thing in Tucson each month this year. One of the activities on my #MKTucsonFirsts bucket list was visiting UA Poetry Center's monthly Family Day event. On January 30th we did just that! Although it was our first time at this event, it will not be our last. My daughters (and I) had a great time sharing ideas, creating poetry, grooving to some kid-friendly tunes, and exploring the Poetry Center. 

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During the first hour of Family Days children (and accompanying parents) are divided into 
groups for stories, songs, poetry reading, and writing workshops. Babies through 12-years-olds are welcome, and age-appropriate activities are planned for each age group. My youngest daughter was in the 4- to 6-year-old group. Together the children created the poem below, as well as two other poems and an art project inspired by the sights and sounds of the big city. 


Sights and Sounds of Tucson
By the 4- to 6-year-olds at UA Poetry Family Day, Jan. 30, 2016

  If I were Tucson I would say cactus!
  And cactus says nothingprickle, prickle, prickle poke!
I see trees and birds, tweet tweet
  And snakessssssss and they rattle, hisssss.
I see books and they say flp flp flp.
I see a balloon and it says pop
  And the balloon is red and red says STOP!
I see Eegees and I say Mmmmmm. I hear Yikes!
I see the sun and it says hot. Sizzzzzzzzzzle. Shhh.
I see mountains and how about the coyotes? Awooooo!
The mountains wonder, hmmmmm.
Ca coo, ca coo,
I see quail
  And I see a roadrunner, meep meep!

My older daughter was in the ages 7-9 group. These children also wrote a group poem, after brainstorming lists of favorite spaces, things that are gross, and what makes them feel sad. Their ideas led them to create this rollicking, slightly gross, giggly poem:

In an Elephant’s Mouth by the 7- to 9-year-olds at UA Poetry Center Family Day, January 30, 2016

In an elephant's mouth:
     Dying flowers, pickles expired, Seaworld
Mr. Cat thing-a-ma-jiggy with bumpy cottage cheese.
     Expired broccoli, locked cages, missing keys
Menotaur-Library, Disneyland eating tattoos.
     Pets dying, Puke flavored jelly beans
Rotting grasshoppers when I fall down.
     Oracle and Orange Grove Cat Machines
Anti-water fish with tomato sauce.
     Earthy burnt dirt cat hearts
Lake Tahoe fluffernutter.
     Fluffernutter running away, dying
Sharp soap losing all your money.
     Soggy bread covered in mayonnaise
BOOM SHAKALAKA Shark blood.
     Flying pig minutes!

After the workshops, a breakfast of pastries, fruit (and yes, COFFEE for moms and dads) was served outside while a DJ spun kid-friendly tunes on vinyl in a small outdoor amphitheater. The younger children looked like they were having a blast dancing and playing with hula hoops, but my “big girls” asked to go back into the Poetry Center library to explore. We spent nearly an hour reading poetry books, playing with puppets, and taking #selfieswithpoe in the children's area. The biggest hit with my girls was typing silly stories on the old electric typewriter that was out for exploration. Their manuscript, "The Alphabet Unicorn Princess," continues to be a source of silliness and imagination as they've continued to add on to it since we left the Poetry Center that day!
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The sights and sounds of the UA Poetry Center on Family Day? Typewriters tapping, children giggling, toddlers dancing, l
ittle minds engaging and creative juices flowing! The children were inspired and I was, too! We will definitely visit again.

UA Poetry Center Family Days is a FREE event that usually happens on the last Saturday of each month. The spring 2016 schedule is a bit different, however. The next two scheduled Family Day events are Saturday, February 20th and Saturday, March 5 (with special guests Stories that Soar). For more information visit http://poetry.arizona.edu/family-days.

Are you planning to try something new in Tucson this February? Enter our February Instagram contest!
The winner of our January contest was Kelly P, who won 4 Golf N Stuff wristbands for posting a Tucson family fun picture to Instagram with the #MKTucsonFirsts hashtag. To enter our Februar contest simply use this tag when you post YOUR Tucson family adventures to Instagram! February prize TBA.

Need some ideas for a new adventure? Here was the original article with my Tucson Firsts bucket list HERE.