Hi fellow teachers! Are you looking for a new bell ringer, time filler, or post-recess moment of calm and focus? Use the video below as a fun and engaging twist on a poem read aloud. You can let the video play while you tidy or prep!
“Beach Day” can also be used to complement your lesson goals and curriculum outcomes. See the teaching ideas below and grab the PPT version or print-ready PDF with some fun activity ideas for Grades 2, 3, or 4 as well as for ESL, ELL or homeschool students.
You have full permission to use the poem, written by me, Kim T. Harrison, for teaching purposes within any educational setting, including online learning and homeschool.
Let me know if you use “Beach Day” – I’d love to hear how it goes, Kim x
Watch a video of the “Beach Day” poem below. This “Poetry Pause with Dr. Kim” version includes a short interactive mindfulness introduction before the poem:
If you’d prefer to show the poem without the mindfulness introduction, use the “Poetry Time with Dr. Kim” version below:
Original poem by Kim T. Harrison. Video created in Canva.
Beach Day
By Kim T. Harrison
Feel the sand on your toes and the fresh salty air
Hear the skimming of stones and the breeze in your hair
Splash through the waves – you’re a dolphin, a whale
Steer left, then steer right, now slap down your tail
Run back to the beach, the breeze brushing your hair
Build a city of sand in the fresh salty air
Steer through the streets – you’re a ship with a sail
Flow left, then flow right, now follow that trail
Play catch with a friend in the fresh salty air
Throw the ball long, the breeze tickling your hair
Steer round the flags – you’re the star in this tale
Weave left, then weave right, like a storybook snail
Feel the warm summer sun and the breeze in your hair
Hear the giggles and laughs on the fresh salty air
Pick up your spade – you’re a sleuth with a pail
Scoop left, then scoop right, now study that shale
Shake out your towel and pack up your pail
Say goodbye to the dolphin, the beach, and the whale
Brush the sand from your toes and the salt from your hair
Sway left, then sway right, in the soft, salty air
Download a PDF, black & white, printable version of the poem with activity ideas:
Download a PPT slide version of the poem, with activity ideas (you have permission to modify the slides to suit your own teaching needs and grade levels):
Teaching Ideas
- As a bell ringer, time filler, or post-recess moment of focus
- As the introduction to a back-to-school activity – use the poem to inspire your students to write about what they did over the summer vacation
- Alternatively, you can ask students to draw a picture or make a collage about something they did over the summer
- To complement opinion paragraph writing assignments and activities (see PDF or PPT for more)
- To complement lessons on poetic devices, including repetition, rhyme, and metaphor (see PDF or PPT for more)
- To complement English language and grammar classes, including action and sensory verbs, and imperatives (see PDF or PPT for more)
Happy Teaching! Kim x
Kim T. Harrison 