The Lost Words is one of the most wonderful books I have ever had the pleasure of owning and is a staple starter activity in my outdoor learning lessons.
The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris.
Written by wordsmith Robert Macfarlane and beautifully illustrated by artist Jackie Morris it is a collection of poems and paintings inspired by the sad fact that words from the natural world were being removed from the Oxford Children’s Dictionary. The poems are designed to conjure back these words into the language and stories of children.
“It is told in gold – the gold of the goldfinches that flit through its pages in charms – and holds not poems but spells of many kinds that might just, by the old strong magic of being spoken aloud, unfold dreams and songs, and summon lost words back into the mouth and the mind’s eye.”
My pupils always know how much I love the book, the words and the images.
A child reading The Lost Words outdoors.
My “teaching” of them is always very personal. I share with them why I love a particular image (word or paint), why I think a particular phrase is clever or how something makes me feel. Pupils then often share their responses with me and from it are born many creative activities in the form of art, poetry, drama, songs, stories or new discoveries in the natural world. The possibilities are endless and the purpose is always to get children using their new ‘found’ words, not necessarily to understand the depth of nuance in Robert’s clever writing. Though if they’re ready for that there’s plenty of scope for digging deep into the earth of his language.
Follow the links above to discover some of The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris and explore some possible follow on activities. Remember, most importantly to use your new word. Use it as often as you can, keep it alive, don’t let it get lost again. Remember, the old magic of speaking words aloud is the best way of keeping language alive.
Please share your creations, poems, names, drawings, songs or other activities with me on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I can’t wait to see them all.
Isle of Wild Kids 
Discover some of The Lost Words here:
Dandelion
Acorn
Written by wordsmith Robert Macfarlane and beautifully illustrated by artist Jackie Morris it is a collection of poems and paintings inspired by the sad fact that words from the natural world were being removed from the Oxford Children’s Dictionary. The poems are designed to conjure back these words into the language and stories of children.
“It is told in gold – the gold of the goldfinches that flit through its pages in charms – and holds not poems but spells of many kinds that might just, by the old strong magic of being spoken aloud, unfold dreams and songs, and summon lost words back into the mouth and the mind’s eye.”
My “teaching” of them is always very personal. I share with them why I love a particular image (word or paint), why I think a particular phrase is clever or how something makes me feel. Pupils then often share their responses with me and from it are born many creative activities in the form of art, poetry, drama, songs, stories or new discoveries in the natural world. The possibilities are endless and the purpose is always to get children using their new ‘found’ words, not necessarily to understand the depth of nuance in Robert’s clever writing. Though if they’re ready for that there’s plenty of scope for digging deep into the earth of his language.
Discover some of The Lost Words here:
Dandelion
Acorn
Follow the links above to discover some of The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris and explore some possible follow on activities. Remember, most importantly to use your new word. Use it as often as you can, keep it alive, don’t let it get lost again. Remember, the old magic of speaking words aloud is the best way of keeping language alive.
Please share your creations, poems, names, drawings, songs or other activities with me on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I can’t wait to see them all.
The Lost Words.
Further resources.
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