Transcript

MUSIC

Let's have some fun 

with things that rhyme

welcome Kids 

it's poetry time!

Hip Hip Hurray!

Welcome everyone to Kids’ Poetry Club with me, Little Dazzy Donuts. I’m on my way to the beach today. Queenie and Chicken are already there, and I said that I’d join them for some fun and also bring along some poems to read to them at the beach. It has been ages since Queenie and I were last at the seaside, and this will be Chicken’s first time.

Seeing as I’m almost there, why don’t we take advantage of this time to do our Club registration? This is where you get to shout out your name and get a Club point for being here. So, on the count of three, shout out your name so that I can hear you through your phone, computer, or radio.

Let the drum roll begin. Here goes …. One. Two. Three! ….. Excellent!

Well, I’ve arrived at the beach. Let’s see if I can spot Queenie and Chicken.

Queenie: Hi, Little Dazzy Donuts. We’re over here!

Oh, hi Queenie … hi Chicken. Let me climb down on to the sand to join you. I’ll take off my shoes and socks too … oh, it’s so nice to feel the sand between my toes.

Queenie: It is! I’ve missed the beach. How exciting that we get a day out together! And this is Chicken’s first time at the beach, isn’t it Chicken?

SOUND (Chicken)

Queenie: Yes – don’t worry … I haven’t forgotten about getting ice creams later. We’ll get to those. I think we’re both just so excited to be here.

Well, Queenie, I like the spot you’ve picked, and I see that you’re starting on sand castles.

Queenie: We are! Although this isn’t our first spot to make them. When we got here, we were down by the water’s edge, and started on our sand castles. But I didn’t realize that the tide was coming in. So, as soon as I got my first sand castle out of the bucket, a wave came and created a mote around it. That actually looked quite authentic … but then the next wave submerged my sand castle completely. It initially looked a little like the lost city of Atlantis, having a sand castle under the water. But, then my poor castle disappeared. So, we came up here – further up the beach.

So, what sort of sand castle are you going to make?

Queenie: I’m not sure … but, once we’ve built them, perhaps you can be the judge and decide who has the best sand castle? It doesn’t really bother me who makes the best one – but it adds a little to the fun, don’t you think Chicken?

SOUND (Chicken)

Okay then. I tell you what … why don’t I read you one of my beach poems while you make your sand castles?

Queenie: Oh, I like that idea. Do you have one about sand?

I do – here it is … it’s called “Sand in my Sandals”. While you fill your bucket with sand and start creating your sand castles, I’ll read it to you. Here goes ….

I've got sand in my sandals,

sand between toes,

sand in my hair,

and sand up my nose.

There's sand between pages

of the book I was reading,

and sand at the bottom

of the drink I was drinking.

I've got sand in my pockets,

and sand in my eyes.

If you add it all up,

it should be no surprise

that enough of this beach

will head home with me.

When I pour it all out,

it will be easy to see

the whole situation

just get out of hand,

and I'll just have to bury

my head in the sand.

Queenie: Oh, I like that poem, Little Dazzy Donuts. It matches what’s happening to me here at the beach. The more I make sand castles, the more sand appears to be on me and in me too. It’s definitely between my toes … and somehow, I already have sand in my hair. I guess that it’s an occupational hazard for a sand castle builder.

So, Queenie, how’s it going building sand castles?

Queenie: Well, I feel like Chicken and I have taken slightly different approaches. I think I’m more of a traditionalist. Here, check out my sand castle.

Oh yes, I like that it’s a neat castle, with some turrets … and you’ve dug a moat around it, and poured in some sea water … and you have a stick coming out of the top of the castle for a flagpole … and a large rock across the moat as a bridge. It looks great, Queenie.

Queenie: Why, thank you! Now, in contrast, I think that Chicken has gone with something more … more … what’s the word … sculptural. That’s the word – her castle is more sculptural.

My, it is … if I’m interpreting it correctly, it looks like a large rooster perched on top of a tower … oh, and it’s holding a flagpole in its beak.

SOUND (Chicken)

Queenie: Chicken says that you have a good eye for fine art, Little Dazzy Donuts!

Well, I’m really impressed by what both of you have created … so I think that we have two winners. One for the best sand castle, and one for the best sand rooster!

Queenie: That seems very fair. I like that idea. Okay, so what shall we do next?

How about we go and check out the rock pools? There’s often something interesting in there to find and watch.

Queenie: Oh, I like that idea. Come on, Chicken, let’s all walk to those pools over there. Now, are they called rock pools or tide pools, Little Dazzy Donuts?

Well, Queenie, I’ve heard them call both names. I think they’re more likely to be called rock pools in some countries, and tide pools in others – but they’re the same thing.

Queenie: Before I forget … I brought along this little guide to rockpooling. I thought it might help us to learn more about what we find in the pools.

Oh, I like this Queenie. Let’s see what it tells us …. Step 1, respect the beach. It says, “Take nothing but pictures. Leave nothing but footprints. Kill nothing but time.”

Queenie: That sounds such great advice! Okay … so we’ll take nothing but pictures – that means that we leave everything we find here on the beach and don’t take anything home, including rocks and shells … except perhaps for the sand in my hair. I think I’m going to be taking a fair amount of that home with me. Then, leave nothing but footprints, and so we’ll take back with us everything that we’vse brought here to the beach. And then kill nothing but time – well, I think that should be a motto for us wherever we are, but especially here at the beach. Okay, I like how this guide has started. What else does it say?

Well, Step 2 is … go at low tide.

Queenie: Well, the tide is starting to come in, but it has a long way to go before it gets anywhere near us. So I feel safe being over here by the pools.

Then, Step 3 is … be careful where you step. Don’t step on anything living, or on anything that could hurt you.

Queenie: My gosh, I’m glad I brought this guide along. Okay, what’s next …

Step 4 is … think of a rock as someone’s house … so if you pick up a rock to explore what’s living underneath, make sure that you put the rock back down so the house is exactly how it was when you first saw it. You wouldn’t want your home turned upside down would you? Well, neither do the sea creatures. If you don’t do that, then anything clinging to the rock could die. The same goes for any creatures that you pick up, like crabs … be careful to put them back exactly where you found them else they could die. And that was the last step in the guide. The next page shows pictures of all of the living things we might find in the rock pools.

Queenie: YIPPEE!!!!! Okay, let’s start taking a look in the pools. I’d love to find some crabs, and little fishes too. Little Dazzy Donuts, while we look in these rock pools, do you have a poem that you could read to us?

I do, Queenie. In fact, I have one here about a crab – which feels perfect given that you’re looking out for crabs in the pools. While you start your search, I’ll read you this poem – it’s called “Crabby the Crab”.

Crabby the Crab was only crabby by name,

despite all of her joy, it seemed such a shame

that she’d be playful and happy and joking all day,

still those on the beach would pointedly say,

“Don’t be so crabby, you crabby little crab.”

Now, that could have made a normal crab mad,

but Crabby kept smiling simply because,

she liked being happy and loved who she was,

and she always planned on staying the same:

she wasn’t crabby by nature, only by name.

So, Queenie, how are you getting on with the rock pools?

Queenie: Well, I’m keeping a record of all of the things that we’ve found. Let’s see … well, that pool over there has a prawn in it! The guide says that it’s a common prawn, but it didn’t look that common to us. In fact, we’re never seen a prawn in the wild before, and so I wrote down on the list that we’d seen a not-so-common prawn.

Oh yes …I can see it now. It’s almost see-through.

Queenie: It is. It moves really quickly too. It pops out from under that rock when it feels safe … and then, when it sees or hears us, it darts right back under it again. Then, in this pool here, there are a couple of green crabs … but they’re tough to spot now as, as soon as we came to look in the pool, they dug themselves down into the sand at the bottom, so we left them there. Oh, and this pool, there’s a hermit crab. Look, it’s living in the shell of another animal … see … it’s wandering around with a shell on its back – like a snail. Oh, and we found a whole bunch of water plants, and seaweed.  There’s just so much to be found in these rock pools!

SOUND (Chicken)

Queenie: Ah yes …. You’re right, Chicken. It does feel like icecream time.

Let’s see. Oh, I can see an icecream van parked up there on the promenade. How about we walk up there and get ourselves some icecream, and then sit down on a bench to watch the sea and eat our treats?

Queenie: Oh, that sounds wonderful. Then, afterwards, perhaps we can go wading in the sea. I want to see if I can get the water up to my knees. Although, if the water is up to my knees, it will be over Chicken’s head. Little Dazzy Donuts, would you be willing to have Chicken on your shoulders when we go wading.

Of course, I will! It sounds the safest thing for Chicken. Okay then, why don’t I read us a poem while we walk over to the icecream van. I have one here all about a trip to the beach. Although it’s not about a beach trip for the three of us – it’s actually about a beach trip taken by a family of mice. Grab your buckets and spades, and let’s walk over there … and I’ll read the poem as we go …. It’s called “Day Trip”

When a family of mice takes a day trip

they’re going to need a big bus,

because there are so many mice in a family,

there are far more of them than of us.

Off they all went for a day at the beach,

the bus all packed full of mice,

with Gran at the back, the kids at the front.

The weather was set to be nice.

When they arrived, they played in the sand

and some dipped there paws in the sea,

before they went off to the fairground,

except Granny who sat down for tea.

They did every ride, the big and the small,

and before they stopped for a meal,

they all had the fun of running really fast

inside of the big Ferris wheel.

When they got home, the kid mice were asleep,

when the bus pulled up at their house,

which is why we all say, at the end of the day,

please be as quiet as a mouse.

Queenie: Oh, I liked that poem, Little Dazzy Donuts. It sounds like they had so much fun at the beach, just like us. Okay, here’s your vanilla cone. I asked for a chocolate flake in it, just how you like it. Chicken already has her ice cream … and mine’s just coming. Oh, look at this one …

Wow, Queenie …. I had no idea that someone could make an icecream cone that tall. How many scoops of icecream is that?

Queenie: I’m not sure – it’s called the leaning tower of icecream …. I just hope I can get it over to the bench without dropping it all!

Well, Queenie … while you walk gingerly over to the bench, I think it’s time to share the news that the Day Trip was our last poem for the episode.

SOUND.

Before we all eat our icecream and watch the sea coming in, let me remind everyone that there are lots of ways to join in with the club. If you go to kidspoetryclub.com, you’ll see a wonderful drawing by our Club illustrator, Dot Cherch. You can also see the PodSnack video for the episode and download the episode’s PodPack of activities. They’re all free. Plus there’s information on how to send your poems and drawings into the club, including how to enter your poetry and art into the Summer competition on the topic of Home. You’ll find everything you need at kidspoetryclub.com.

It has been so lovely to spend time with you! Thank you for joining me, Queenie, and Chicken. I hope you enjoyed yourself, and hope you’ll be back for more next time the Club meets. Join us again next week when we’ll have a new topic and more fun.

As always, let's finish with our short goodbye poem:

We've had some fun 

with things that rhymed

goodbye Kids 

until next time!

This is Little Dazzy Donuts saying .... keep rhyming!!!

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