Limerick Day with kids!

Limerick Day celebrates the birthday of Writer Edward Lear (1812-1888).  It also, of course, celebrates Limerick poems. Limericks were popularized by Lear in 1846 in his Book of Nonsense".

One famous limerick:

There once was a man from Nantucket

Who kept all his gold in a bucket.

    But his daughter, named Nan,

    Ran away with a man

And as for the bucket, Nantucket.

A Limerick is a humorous verse or poem. It is five lines longs. It's name come from the city of Limerick, Ireland. The first two lines rhyme with the fifth line rhyme.  The third and fourth lines rhyme.

Where does the term 'Limerick' come from?
The word derives from the Irish town of Limerick. Apparently a pub song or tavern chorus based on the refrain "Will you come up to Limerick?" where, of course, such bawdy songs or 'Limericks' were sung.

Limericks - The form
Limericks consist of five anapestic lines.
Lines 1, 2, and 5 of Limericks have seven to ten syllables and rhyme with one another.
Lines 3 and 4 of Limericks have five to seven syllables and also rhyme with each other.

 

How to write a limerick:

The first, second and fifth lines rhyme with each other and have the same number of syllables (typically 8 or 9).  The third and fourth lines rhyme with each other and have the same number of syllables (typically 5 or 6).  
Limericks often start with the line "There once was a..." or "There was a..."
Example of an 8,8,5,5,8 syllable limerick:

There once was a clover named Kate,
Who sat on the edge of a plate,
The fancy folk dined,
On foods of all kind,
Then tossed her at quarter past eight.

Click HERE or http://ettcweb.lr.k12.nj.us/forms/limerick.htm to go to a simple page that has a computer based tool that will help the kids write their very own Limerick.

So have fun creating your very own Limerick today!