Winter Counting | Take 5: Poetry Brain Breaks

Healthier Generation, Kohl’s Healthy at Home, and Pomelo Books have teamed up to bring students and families a special series of Poetry Brain Breaks. 

What has been a meaningful experience for you in the past year?

Reading and writing poetry is a great way to observe and describe nature with words and images. As a proud Nulhegan Abenaki Native American and author of 100+ books for young people, Joseph Bruchac shares an Abenaki custom in “Winter Counting.” Read his observations of the seasons changing and reflect on your experiences in the past year.

“Winter Counting” is included in English and Spanish in The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong.

“Winter Counting” by Joseph Bruchac

Watch the read-aloud!

Join in with students and the young people in your life to listen and learn about Abenaki customs and connect with nature with our bundle of “Winter Counting” resources and activities. Love music? Joseph Bruchac plays a traditional Abenaki song, "Tutuwas," on the flute in this Behind-the-Scenes video! 

View "Winter Counting" Bundle

Want to read more? Check out “Who Am I?” a poem in English and Spanish by Margarita Engle, and “I Can Ask and I Can Learn,” a poem in English and Spanish, by Janet Wong.

Special thanks to our friends at Pomelo Books, publishers of The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations and more!