Q: My daughter's fourth-grade teacher asked the class to bring in favorite poems to share. At the end of the month, parents are invited to help publish a poetry anthology for each kid to take home. I was like, really? With the big push on STEM subjects and Common Core math and nonfiction reading, they're doing poetry?

A: Please tell your son's teacher I'm a fan. Really! Kids love reading, reciting and writing poetry. It's good to hear that with all the test-prep stress, some teachers still pause to celebrate National Poetry Month in April.

And why not? Poetry lends itself to several English/language arts literacy standards for close reading and narrative writing. Research shows that poetry helps students develop an ear for the sounds and rhythms of words.

Teachers have long held that being exposed to poetry in the early years can foster a lasting appreciation of language. Literacy expert Mem Fox thinks that if children know eight nursery rhymes by heart by the time they're 4 years old, they're usually among the best readers by the time they're 8.

Fox says, "Rhymers will be readers; it's that simple."

The study of poems has been an enduring staple in American textbooks, says New York-based education editor Nancy Hereford.

"The earliest McGuffey Readers contained poems, as well as essays and speeches," she says. "For decades, students were required to study and memorize certain poems chosen to enrich a sense of history, or to hone memory and oral language skills."

In addition, poetry is fun for kids. Pop culture is packed with poetry in song lyrics. Poems promote word play and painlessly introduce new vocabulary. They can inspire reluctant students to read and write. Poems can also illuminate great moments in history and help students think about topics in new ways.

Creative teachers are designing Common Core standards-aligned reading and writing lessons around poems from such a wide range of authors as Odgen Nash, Shel Silverstein, Walt Whitman and Maya Angelou. To find standards that invite the study of poetry, go to corestandards.org or achievethecore.org and search "poetry."

So find time for rhyme with your daughter. Libraries have great poetry collections for kids that are readily available this month. Two well-known authors of poetry for children, Lee Bennett Hopkins and Jack Prelutsky, have edited dozens of rich anthologies on a range of topics -- from pets and farm animals to American history, math, baseball, space travel, seasons and city streets. The series "Poetry for Young People" (Sterling Publishers) introduces kids to poets including Robert Frost, Langston Hughes and Emily Dickinson.

Want to polish your math and reading skills? "Edgar Allan Poe's Pie" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012), a collection of brainteaser poems by J. Patrick Lewis, reimagines classic poems with math puzzler twists.

Pore over these poetry collections with your daughter and you'll both be ready for "Poem in Your Pocket Day" on April 30. (For more information, go to poets.org/national-poetry-month.)

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: I'm a parent organizer of our elementary school's Earth Day celebration. This year the event falls during testing, so schoolwide activities are difficult to schedule. I want to send home activities, so parents can increase kids' awareness of their obligation to our planet. Any suggestions?

A: When the late Wisconsin Sen. Gaylord Nelson launched the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, it was called an "environmental teach-in" to raise awareness of the need for cleaner air and water. While the media focused on the day itself, he was more interested in a sustained effort. He wanted local leaders to schedule events that worked for their own schools and communities. That spirit still guides the celebration.

If testing falls on Earth Day (April 22), the folks at the Green Education Foundation have suggested celebrating National Green Week anytime from Feb. 2 through May 2. They provide free learning materials created by top educators and subject-area experts in fields such as green architecture and sustainable energy.

These lessons, projects and activities can be used for whole-school events, individual classrooms, families or youth groups, covering green themes such as Sustainable Transportation, Energy, Gardening, Waste Reduction, Sustainable Water and Green Building. Accompanying each theme you'll find recommended reading suggestions, sustainability tips and a challenge for young learners. Go to greeneducationfoundation.org.

You could combine your Earth Day and Arbor Day (April 24) celebrations. "It's important for kids to learn the important role of trees in our daily lives -- how they provide shade and wind breaks, cool our climate and clean our air -- and what care trees need to thrive," says Iowa garden writer and arborist Luke Miller. "Planting a tree that is suitable for your region offers enduring lessons. Choose a site easily accessible, so kids can water the tree and observe and measure its growth over time."

The Arbor Day Foundation offers a free downloadable Nature Explore Families' Club Kit with field-tested resources designed to help you organize a Families' Club at your school or in your neighborhood. The kit helps connect families with the outdoors and introduces them to a variety of natural spaces in the community. Go to natureexplore.org/families/FamiliesClub.cfm.

Award-winning children's nonfiction author Sandra Markle wants families to know that by participating in these activities, "they are really part of a powerful global movement."

She cites the work of SavingSpecies, which she calls "a great organization with worldwide efforts to save habitat and thus wildlife."

Markle mentions one activity the group is working on: "School groups in Brazil are involved in raising native trees from seeds to saplings and helping with a reforestation project that will help save golden lion tamarins, an endangered monkey." (Follow her research on this project at sandra-markle.blogspot.com.)

In addition, families can add high-quality books with environmental themes to bedtime reading. Ask your librarian for suggestions, or look for titles on these lists: the Green Earth Book Awards (Nature Generation); Growing Good Kids Book Awards (American Horticultural Society); Outstanding Science Trade Books (National Science Teachers Association); Excellence in Science Books (American Association for the Advancement of Science); Green Reads (PBS Parents); and the Riverby Award List of Nature Books for Young Readers (John Burroughs Association).

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: Our PTO needs more volunteers. You'd think that the chance to contribute to their kids' school would get people through the door, but turnout is stagnant. How do successful PTOs keep volunteers and continue to recruit new ones?

A: The folks at online resource PTO Today know why people raise their hands to give their time and talent -- and why they burn out.

"Studies show that people are motivated to volunteer for six reasons," says Tim Sullivan, president of PTO Today. "Sure, people want to make a difference in other people's lives and to support a particular organization. But personal motivations drive the decision, too. Folks volunteer to learn something new, grow professionally or personally, meet new people and feel better about themselves."

When PTO presidents hang out the "Volunteers Welcome" sign, Sullivan advises showing would-be recruits what's in it for them. Research by Claremont Graduate University psychology professor Allen Omoto finds that the more you align your activities with a volunteer's interests, the more people you'll get and the more productively they'll pitch in.

Sullivan says to keep these recruiting tips in mind:

-- Don't "guilt" people into signing up. Instead, promote how it benefits them. It's more effective to say, "You'll learn new skills, meet new people and get to know your child's teacher better," than, "We need all parents to show up!"

-- Enlist a volunteer coordinator. This person organizes volunteers' time, explains clearly what the task and time commitment is and why it matters.

"Choose a networker who connects experienced volunteers with new ones, makes newbies feel comfortable and lessens the 'social risk' some folks perceive when joining a new group," says Sullivan. "This person invites parents who need to get comfortable before they volunteer to school social events." (If you have non-English speaking parents, make sure to recruit a bilingual coordinator.)

-- Match volunteers' jobs with interests. Sullivan suggests using a Volunteer Interest Survey that allows potential volunteers to decide how they might use their talents and time in ways that will benefit the PTO. (Find a survey template to tailor to your group at PTOtoday.com/magazine.)

"If someone is interested in volunteering because it will help her meet people, assign her to the school's Welcome Committee to orient new families," suggests Sullivan. "If another can only work on your website at night, great!"

-- Have worthwhile work ready. "Nothing kills volunteer spirit like showing up and having nothing to do," warns Sullivan. "Make sure that from day one, your new recruits are engaged in purposeful activities."

-- Broaden your scope. "Sure, parents are your natural constituency, but reach out to seniors, youth groups and persons with disabilities," says Sullivan.

-- Make it easy to stay involved. This might mean providing childcare, offering meals and snacks or giving virtual work arrangements.

-- Remember to reach out. Don't rely on email blasts, fliers in backpacks or Facebook pleas. "Contact folks, one-on-one," says Sullivan. "A Gallup report shows that people are four times more likely to volunteer when someone from the organization personally asks them to come on board." (For more information, go to PTOToday.com.)

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)