Listening To Learn And Learning To Listen

Also see https://eileenmoynihan.wordpress.com/kids-and-teens-fan-club/

https://goodeyedeers.wordpress.com/2019/07/12/writing-poems-that-sound-amazing/

The Sound Collector 
by Roger McGough

A stranger called this morning
Dressed all in black and grey
Put every sound into a bag
And carried them away
The whistling of the kettle
The turning of the lock
The purring of the kitten
The ticking of the clock
The popping of the toaster
The crunching of the flakes
When you spread the marmalade
The scraping noise it makes
The hissing of the frying pan
The ticking of the grill
The bubbling of the bathtub
As it starts to fill
The drumming of the raindrops
On the windowpane
When you do the washing-up
The gurgle of the drain
The crying of the baby
The squeaking of the chair
The swishing of the curtain
The creaking of the stair
A stranger called this morning
He didn't leave his name
Left us only silence
Life will never be the same

The Blessing Of Hearing

For those of us blessed with hearing, it is often a gift that we take for granted. Sometimes we should take time to appreciate what we have. We need to be still and listen to the sounds around us. Can we name them? If we close our eyes can we see what’s making the sound, in our minds?

We May Hear But Are We Listening?

When you are in class are you hearing but not listening to what the words mean? When you are at home are you listening to your parents and do you understand why they want you to listen? When your friends are talking to you are you listening to see if they have worries or problems that you might help them with? True listening takes practice and concentration. You need to focus and not be distracted by other things.

Listening Can Also Be Relaxing And Open our Minds To New Things

Listening to music and audio stories is a great way to relax and think at the same time. It can help your imagination and help you learn new words and how they are pronounced.

I have started to turn my books into audiobooks.

You can buy the audiobook of, ‘The Reckolahesperus’ here https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Reckolahesperus-Audiobook/B0B52F3PT2 if you live in the UK or Ireland.

Or here https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Reckolahesperus-Audiobook/B0B52CY1N1 if you live in the U.S.A.

The next audiobook I am doing is, ‘The Dreamsmith’.