DLTK's Crafts for Kids
Edward Lear's Birthday - May 12th, 1812
Check out the References Page for the resources we use to research the holidays and special days.
Edward Lear was born in 1812 on May 12th in London, England. His father was a stockbroker but ended up going to debtors jail after significant financial struggles, so Lear ended up being raised mainly by his aunt. He started his journey as an artist when he was 15 years old, selling sketches to help support his aunt. When he was twenty, the London Zoological Society hired him to draw birds because he was very talented at drawing detailed illustrations of animals. Shortly afterwards, he began a relatively long tenure as an artist for the Earl of Derby. Lear lived at the Earl's estate and ended up writing his first collection of poetry (A Book of Nonsense) for the Derby family's grandchildren.
Edward Lear was quite the traveller, so after his stay at the Derby estate, Lear spent a decade estensively travelling throughout Europe and Asia. He kept detailed travel journals that heavily featured his landscape paintings and these journals were eventually published. Edward Lear was clearly a very talented and well-appreciated artist in his time, but it was his eccentric and humorou poetry that really stood the test of time. He typically wrote in the form of limerick and is actually known as the creator of the modern limerick. His poetry was incredibly imaginative and they often featured non-human characters, sometimes creatures that he fully invented like the octopod Discobboloses!
After his first book of poems for the Derby household, Lear did not publish any poems for several years. However, later in his life he published three more volumes of nonsense poems—Nonsense Songs, More Nonsense, and Laughable Lyrics. The poetry in his later volumes became longer but often maintained the same limerick and humorous structure. Despite the humorous tones of his poems, Edward Lear's messages often dealt with very emotional topics such as loneliness and wandering.
Below are several of Lear's poems along with crafts to suit those poems. These poems are really fun to craft alongside because so many of the poems feature animals. Since the poems are so imaginative, it is a great opportunity for children to get as imaginative as they want when they create crafts or color alongside reading the poems! Which poem is your favourite? Which one do you think is the funniest?
 |
|
The Daddy Long-Legs and the Fly Poem: |
|
 |
Printable Poem: The Daddy Long-Legs and the Fly |
 |
|
 |
|
The Duck and the Kangaroo Poem: |
|
 |
Printable Poem: The Duck and the Kangaroo |
 |
|
 |
|
The Old Man with a Beard Limerick: |
|
 |
Printable Poem: There was an Old Man with a Beard |
 |
|
 |
|
The Old Man in a Boat Limerick: |
|
 |
Printable Poem: There was an Old Man in a Boat |
 |
|
The Old Man in the Tree Limerick: |
|
 |
Printable Poem: There was an Old Man in a Tree |
 |
|
 |
|
Other Holidays You May Be Interested In:
- World Poetry Day – March 21st
- Poetry Reading Day – April 28th