Workshop Idea + Poem - 'Edible Bedroom' (upper KS1/lower KS2)

Here is a fun lesson plan designed to stretch the imagination. I think it would work best with Years 2 and 3, but I see no reason why, with the right kind of attitude, it couldn't work with children of any age, right the way up into secondary school. With much younger children you might like to substitute the individual poem writing for group poems.

Warm Up

Each student writes two lists: (a) things you might find in a bedroom, and (b) items of food. Depending on age, this could be preceded by a brief class discussion regarding which items might go in the lists.

Listening Skills

Perform my poem 'Edible Bedroom' for the class. The poem is available on my website, and is also reproduced at the bottom of this blog post. Test the listening/memory skills of the class by asking what each of the items in my bedroom was made of. (e.g. "who remembers what the desk was made of?"). You might like to read the poem through more than once.

Modelling

Explain that the children will be writing poems about their own edible bedrooms. In order to ease them into this process, model a couple of sentences on the board, using some ideas from the class. For example, ask someone to name an item found in their bedroom, and ask someone else for an idea as to what this might be made of. Model interesting vocabulary (adjectives, alliteration, simile, etc) when writing up the sentences.

Poems

Using their lists, students each write poems about their own edible bedrooms. Weaker writers could simply match up the items on their lists; more confident writers could bring in other ideas. Depending on age/ability, worksheets could be provided, encouraging completion of the following sentence : 'My..... is made of.....'.

Edible Bedroom

My bed is made of apple pie

The finest known to man

My lights are made of blueberries

My books from marzipan.

My desk is made of marble cake

My sink is made of jelly

A great big blob of mayonnaise

Is smeared across my telly.

My carpet’s made of Skittles

And my pens from Peperami

My pillow’s stuffed with apricots

Enough to feed an army.

My mattress is a slab of cheese

My shelves are made of meat 

You may think with a room like this

My life is far from sweet.

With covers made of candyfloss

All piled in a heap

You may think I’d go bonkers

From a total lack of sleep.

It’s true my room is crazy 

It’s not easy to relax – 

But when I find it hard to snooze

I’ve lots of midnight snacks.