Poppy Poem… Author Unknown

Poppy, Poppy, what do you say?
Wear me on Remembrance Day.
Poppy, Poppy, what do you tell?
That many soldiers in battle fell.
Poppy, Poppy, what do you know?
That peace on earth should grow and grow.

Poppy, we are but children small,
We are too little to do it all.

Children, you may do your part.
Love one another is how you start.
Play without fighting,
Share your games and toys.
Be kind and thoughtful to all girls and boys.

We ALL have a part in making the WORLD a Place of Peace.

Our school had a special Remembrance Day ceremony.  Each class created its own wreath. These wreaths were placed, one by one, on stands at the front of the Assembly.  We had presentations of songs and poetry by students and the choir, and we were fortunate to have a Pinetree Secondary student, Colin, play “Reverie” on the trumpet to begin our minute of silence.

In our class, we learned how the Poppy came to symbolize the great sacrifices made in war times.  We  read “In Flanders Fields” and were proud to learn that its author, Dr. John McCrae, was a Canadian soldier! 

The Veterans Affairs Canada sent us bookmarks and newspapers about Animals in War.  Animals can sometimes be heros too!  http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/youth/sub.cfm?source=activities/kidszone     

A very IMPORTANT part of Remembrance Day is thinking about how WE can make the world a better, kinder place.  “Make the World a Little Bit Better” is a song by Charlotte Diamond that gives us some good ideas like “if I listen to you, and you listen too, soon there’ll be others like me and you“.   We got together with our Gr. 5 Buddy Class to make a Postcard Display of ways we can appreciate our  Veterans or the Unknown Soldier. We read the poem “Poppy, Poppy” and wrote our favourite ways that “Children Can Help“. 

Here are our ideas  (with the most popular ones are at the top):

   Children can…
be thoughtful
share their toys
be kind to others
be nice instead of bullying
can help people when they need help
play together
listen when someone is talking
be helpful and friendly
love each other
be responsible
wear a poppy
help when someone is sick
encourage others
be happy
line up nicely

Remembrance Day
is only one day…
please keep the spirit alive all year!