This Thursday 7th October is National Poetry Day in the UK. The theme is HOME – what does ‘home’ mean to you – is it the building you live in, the place you came from, or a taste of home cooking? Poetry can address these themes at all levels: from light verse and old favourites, to the best of contemporary work.

The National Poetry Day site has listings of events that you can take part in. There is also an education section with lesson plan ideas and a poetry competition that you can take part in. You can also follow the events and activities on Twitter. Will you be taking part?

Don’t forget to look at the poetry resources available on Teaching Ideas too!

The site ‘What a Hullabaloo‘ is running a poetry competition for children under 11. To enter, pupils should finish a poem that has been started by the author Phillip Whittington.

To find out more about the competition, which closes on 8th January 2010, visit the site at www.whatahullabaloo.com.

Phillip has also contributed a set of plans and poems to Teaching Ideas which you can download here.