Water cooler: When at home, write a poem

Did you know April is National Poetry Month? It was established in the U.S. in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets to celebrate and raise awareness about poetry and why it matters.

Poetry is a great way to express your feelings and thoughts. That comes in handy during challenging times like these when we might have a lot of feelings and thoughts, especially some that are not fun.

Robert Frost said, “Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.” So use poetry as a fun and creative way to get out the thoughts and feelings you have inside.

You can write a poem any way you like. It can rhyme or not rhyme. It can say something specific, or maybe not make much sense at all. That’s all part of the fun.

The Academy of American Poets has more about National Poetry Month at poets.org. There you can find a poem to read every day, browse the selection of poems for kids, check out resources for learning about poetry and more.

Here are some ideas and tips to get you started.

Use what is around you: If you need an idea, start with your five senses. What can you see, hear, touch, smell or taste? Or think about things in your life that you would like to write about. Do you have a favorite pet or toy? Is there a character from a story or imaginary friend that you like? Do you have a favorite place to go or play?

Go for a walk: Take note of the things you see and feel along the way and you might turn those into an idea.

Write a haiku: The simplicity of the haiku is a great way to get familiar with the idea of form. It has 17 syllables and three lines. Line one has five syllables, line two has seven, and line three has five. To figure out how many syllables are in a word, clap to the beat of the word. For example, “cat” has one syllable, “puppy” has two and “elephant” has three. See if you can find the beats in those words and clap along.

Set a timer: Sometimes thinking takes time. Try to start with something short, like 2 minutes. Try to focus on nothing but your ideas and if anything pops up, write it down.

Find words that rhyme: Poems don’t always have to rhyme, but sometimes thinking about rhymes will help you think of words and ideas.

Social circle

Brain train

Test your knowledge with today’s trivia question

How many Disney resorts are there around the world?

• Six
• Seven
• Four
• Nine

Tuesday’s answer: “White Christmas”

Our planet

Today is Earth Day, a day established in 1970 to celebrate Earth’s environment and all the incredible nature it provides as well as to raise awareness about ways humans can help protect it.

Sometimes people celebrate Earth Day by planting trees, picking up litter and other activities that benefit the planet. Since this year we are all stuck in our homes and we might not all have a backyard, here are some ways to celebrate the Earth from inside your house.

Recycle your own paper: Gather clean paper waste and scraps from around the house. Tear it up into tiny strips, about 2 inches wide. Blend the paper in a blender with water. Start on a low speed and increase the speed and water until it is blended into a pulp. Strain the pulp, form it into a thin piece of paper and set it out to dry.

Regrow vegetables from scraps: You can do this with green onions, celery, romaine lettuce and more. Save the bottom couple of inches of the vegetable (the part you normally throw away). Fill a small container with a half inch of water, put in your vegetable scraps (bottom down) and set in a sunny spot. Add water when needed and over the next few days you should be able to see new growth from the scraps.

Turn garbage into art by making a print from leftover cardboard or Styrofoam: Cut out a shape from your leftover materials to use as a stamp. Next use a ballpoint pen (or a sharper tool that an adult can help with) to carve out a design. Use the carved-out areas as a stencil, or apply paint to your stamp and press it firmly against a piece of paper to make a print.

Turn off and unplug electronics you’re not using: This includes turning off your computer at night. Since most people are spending more time at home than normal, take a few minutes to find some of the biggest power-sucking culprits and unplug them when not in use.

Goofy goodnight

Quarantine has disrupted a lot of people’s schedules, and that includes bedtime. If being home all day has made it harder to get ready for bed and fall asleep, Disney has brought back its Bedtime Hotline to help.

Parents can call 1-877-7-MICKEY and kids can choose to hear a bedtime message from favorite characters like Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck and Goofy.

The hotline is available for free in the U.S. until April 30.

The characters talk about their day, how ready for bed they are and will suggest that you get ready for some shut -eye, too.

Shopdisney.com even has downloadable sleep progress charts with bedtime activity cards as well, one version with Mickey and Donald and another with Minnie and Daisy.