Windspark poems are short with an emotional, dreamlike quality. They are easy for students to write because most of the poem is the format. For this activity, children will write three or more windspark poems onto squares of paper. When the squares are folded and glued together the correct way, the piece will twirl in a slight breeze.
How to Write a Windspark Poem
A windspark poem consists of five lines that follow a very structured pattern.
- Line 1: I dreamed (that’s the entire line, nothing need be added)
- Line 2: I was (a noun – something or someone)
- Line 3: (Describe where you were in the dream)
- Line 4: (Describe an action that took place)
- Line 5: (Describe how the action was done, an adverb)
For example –
I dreamed
I was an oak tree
In a forest
Reaching for the sun
Joyfully
Create an Origami Star Fold Journal
This “journal” can consist of as few as three sections, folded from three squares of paper or cardstock. Held flat, with a string or elastic wrapped around the folded pages, it becomes a journal. Release the binding and hang one end from a piece of string and the book becomes a wind twirler mobile.
Use any piece of paper that will produce a minimum size square of four inches. Photocopy paper or cardstock in different colors looks nice. Alternate between two or three colors, or use a different color piece of paper for each windspark poem.
- If the starting piece of paper is a rectangle, fold the paper on a diagonal and cut off the rectangle that hangs off the end. If the piece of paper is a square, fold the paper on a diagonal. Make the crease sharp. Students can either write the poems on the squares now (which is easier to do), or wait until they’ve assembled the entire piece.
- Flip the paper over.
- Fold the paper from side to side. Unfold. Fold the paper from top to bottom. Unfold
- Pinch the two points connected by the diagonal fold. Bring the paper up along the fold so the points touch.
- With the other hand, squash the piece flat so it looks like a diamond.
- Repeat the previous steps, making one of these shapes for each poem.
- Glue the shapes together. Set one piece on the table so the opening points to the left. Drizzle glue on the diamond shape facing upward. Take a second shape and hold it so the opening points to the right. Line up the diamond-shape side of the second piece on top of the diamond-shape side of the first piece. The openings should face in opposite directions.
- Continue gluing on the folded shapes, alternating the direction the opening is facing – left, right, left, etc.
- Open the piece a bit so it is standing on the points and set aside for the glue to dry.
- Write a poem on each square.
- Push each square back into the star point shape.
- With a needle and thread, embroidery floss, or string, poke a hole through the top piece of paper and tie on a loop. Hang the wind twirler.
Students can write a series of short poems, placing each on a square of paper, and then folding the squares into “star points.” Glue the folded shapes so they face in opposite directions. Keep the poems in these journals or add string to hang as a wind twirler.
 |
 |
 |
