Rainy Day Poetry

Poetry memorization is an excellent activity for linguistic development, increased vocabulary, memory skills and the habit of attention. When my children were younger, this was a regular part of our homeschool curriculum, but like so many valuable endeavors, it's been forgotten with the fast-paced, technological world in which we are living. It's my hope to begin this again because I believe it is a powerful skill for any age. I know the children, ages 11, 12 and 17 may balk at my attempt to revive this activity, but I'll just start with babysteps, reciting a poem at dinner or breakfast or in the car when they are strapped in and MUST listen to me. Unsure what poems to choose? Here are a two that reminded me of the weather we've been having here in "sunny" Florida.  

The Rainy Day

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The day is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the mouldering Past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,
And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

Rain

Robert Louis Stevenson

The rain is raining all around,

It falls on field and tree,

It rains on the umbrellas here,

And on the ships at sea.

- Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1895). 

Scottish essayist, novelist and poet.

If you are looking for more, a simple web search is a great way to start but the Institute of Excellence in Writing(IEW) also carries a resource called Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization.