January brings the snow,
Makes our feet and fingers glow.
February brings the rain,
Thaws the frozen pond again.
March brings breezes loud and shrill,
Stirs the dancing daffodil.
April brings the primrose sweet,
Scatters daisies at our feet.
May brings flocks of pretty lambs,
Skipping by their fleecy dams.
June brings tulips, lilies, roses,
Fills the children’s hands with posies.
Hot July brings cooling showers,
Apricots and gillyflowers.
August brings the sheaves of corn,
Then the harvest home is borne.
Warm September brings the fruit,
Sportsmen then begin to shoot.
Fresh October brings the pheasant,
Then to gather nuts is pleasant.
Dull November brings the blast,
Then the leaves are whirling fast.
Chill December brings the sleet,
Blazing fire and Christmas treat.
Cambridge Book of Children’s Poetry (1916) | Sara Coleridge (1802–1852)
Suggestions
Have your children do one or more of the following:
- Read the poem aloud (or read it aloud for younger children).
- Identify the lines that rhyme.
- What is the rhyme scheme? (AABB)
- What is a gillyflower?
- Which month is your favorite based on the description? Copy the line for that month on Drawing & Writing paper and add an appropriate illustration.
- Make a list of words reflecting the weather that changes during each month (snow, rain, breezes, etc.).
- See if you can change a few words in the line for the month you copied above to reflect a different month. For example using July:
- Cool November brings chilly showers,
Icy winds, and chrysanthemum flowers.
- Cool November brings chilly showers,
Further Information
Activity: Using a Calendar
You can use this poem to teach the months of the year.
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Beautifully illustrated living book helping even the youngest children maintain their garden month by month.
