Magnetic poetry

This activity is all about taking our memories and using these magnets to write a few words about them!

It is a fun way to have a go at creative writing.

You don’t need to be able to spell or hold a pen.

You simply pick out words which stand out to you and form little poems or sentences.

Materials Required:

• A magnetic poetry set
• A big table to set the words out on
• A biscuit tin lid, or something similar which is flat and will hold magnets

Step by Step Guide:

1. Have a look at the magnetic words set.
2. Spread them out on the table so they are all facing up, towards you.
3. Spend a few moments casually looking over the words and pick out any which stand out. Perhaps they relate to the memories or experiences, but they don’t have to.
4. Once you have around 8 to 10 words, try to string them together using words like “we”, “and”, “it” . place them on the biscuit tin lid so you can slide them around without them falling off.
5. Remember it doesn’t have to include rhyme. It can be as detailed or as basic as you like. It’s all about exploring the big selection of words and seeking out ones which appeal to you. Some useful themes are: holidays, childhood, love, or dreams.
6. Once you have around 8 to 10 words, try to string them together using words like “we”, “and”, “it” . place them on the biscuit tin lid so you can slide them around without them falling off.

Ideas for Further Activities With This Idea:

Completed pieces can be photographed. If the photograph is in good focus the image can be enlarged a little and then displayed.

The memories or experiences shared could lead to further activity.

Adaptability

Ways to adapt for less able residents:

Use good lighting and a magnifier or read out the words one at a time until the participant has collected a good amount of words. Next help them to connect the words by searching for words like “then” or “and”, so that random words begin to make sense and be in order.

Ways to adapt from group to individual and vice versa: 

This is more suited to one on one work but by taking photographs the residents could later all be provided with a copy of their words and share this with the group, going into detail about what inspired it. Hopefully this will evoke memories and allow the residents and staff to find out new things about each other.