MeCards4Kids® are pure magic. The heights of imagination and depth of feeling my children have tapped into in creating their cards are gifts they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.~Iona Brindle, Parent
MeCards4Kids® is an innovative collage and poetry process for children that I developed with a master kindergarten teacher, Jane Raphael. MeCards4Kids® encourages the child to develop and articulate self-awareness and creative expression through an integrated and experiential process that increases visual, oral and written skills. After children create a collage, they write an ‘I Am’ poem inspired by the collage. The ‘I Am’ poem consists of sentence starters to stimulate their imagination and appreciation for their many self-aspects and affective states, including the ability to name and contain them. In Stella’s words, My MeCards are the many sides and pieces of me!
When you make MeCards, you can be whatever you want and just say what you want and you can feel what you want.–Nicholas
MeCards4Kids® addresses the whole child in a fun and engaging manner, with its focus on social, emotional and intellectual development, and its capacity to draw children into their internal selves. Because collage-making does not require “artistic” skill and young children can dictate their poems to an adult, the MeCard process is accessible even to pre-school children. In this light, Langdon tells us, You don’t have to be a good artist to make an awesome MeCard. You just have to have feelings and imagination!
Bruno, a first grade boy, combined feelings and imagination to create this awesome MeCard:
I am the star named Centipede, and I see a lot of stuff.
I wonder if I might escape, since the bird might hit me.
I hear a plane engine.
I see the plane flying to the Statue of Liberty. The Statue of Liberty is waving to the plane. And I see a chicken to my left pecking the earth. And I see a dog putting his paws on the earth to rule it. And I see the earth spinning around to try and shoot the dog off. And I see the mountain. And I see the star light shining bright.
I want to see the plane clearly, but the bird is blocking the way.
I am a star.
I pretend to be a bird.
I feel nice. I like being nice.
I touch the Statue of Liberty every morning.
I worry about nothing.
I cry for joy.
I am a star.
I understand love.
I say, “Hello,” to the chicken. I ask the airplane, “How’s the flying coming along?”
I dream about the mountain floating away from the chicken, so the mountain won’t hurt it, because chickens are sensitive.
I try to push the mountain away from the chicken. I try to help the chicken.
I hope the chicken gets to the earth.
I am a loving star.
The best MeCards always come from your heart! –Charlie
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