Invite your child to share what she loves most about Spring - whether it's watching a robin at the bird feeder or splashing through muddy puddles - by trying her hand at writing haiku. Then she can turn her favourite one into a gift for a grandparent or teacher by printing and illustrating it on a home-made scroll.

WHAT'S A HAIKU? First, explain to your child that the challenge of this Japanese form of poetry is to use three short lines of unrhymed verse (and no more than 17 syllables) to describe something in nature so clearly and simply that the reader will feel like he sees it, too.

PICKING AND CHOOSING WORDS: Once she's decided on a Spring event to highlight in her haiku, your child should try to describe it in the first two lines. In a third line, she can add a personal comment or a surprising twist. When the first draft is done, help her total the number of syllables in each line - the aim is to end up with five each in the first and third lines, and seven in the second line. She may have to cut out words like "the" and "it," or rewrite a phrase, but assure her that this will make the haiku stronger and more interesting.

WINDING IT UP: To craft a scroll for the finished haiku, just use clear tape to attach plastic drinking straws to the top and bottom of a sheet of stationery. Next, thread a button onto a piece of string, and guide the string ends between the straw and the paper in the scroll's upper left corner. Make another tie for the upper right corner. Then, reprint your haiku. Finally, roll up the scroll from bottom to top and wrap the string ends around the buttons to hold it closed.

Originally published in Family.com & FamilyFun Magazine.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ED JUDICE

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