words have power
We’re building on that.

Meet poemRENOVATION, an award-winning word challenge that sparks creativity, connection and self-expression for people of all ages and abilities. Here’s how it works.

TRY poemRENOVATION

Now Available:
poemRENOVATION Word Blocks!

Transform literary passages into hands-on, creative fun! Rearrange the word blocks to create something new: Craft a poem. Tell a story. Stir memories. Spark joy! Then flip the card to see how the original author used those same words.

Whether you’re…

  • An activities provider looking for meaningful new programming
  • An educator eager to ignite screen-free engagement
  • A caregiver seeking connection through creativity
  • A wellness professional in search of new tools to encourage self-expression
  • Someone hunting for the perfect gift for a word-lover
  • Or a creative soul craving something new…these word blocks are for you.

No screens. No rules. Just create!

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3sabout

how
poemRENOVATION
works

poemRENOVATION invites participants to rearrange scrambled snippets of literature into something entirely their own. No rules, no wrong answers. Just the freedom to create.

features
  • Free & premium digital versions 
  • Themed 3D-printed word block sets
  • Opportunities to connect virtually and in person
  • Great for individual and group use

 

benefits
  • Sparks creativity
  • Quick & easy to use
  • Customizable
  • Fosters community
  • Boosts confidence
  • Aids social-emotional health
  • Bolsters mental acuity
research

We’ve done our homework

poemRENOVATION has been beta tested in academic and continuing care settings with great success.

We’re a two-time Yale Innovation Summit winner. Let us show you why.

Piloted In United Church Homes Communities across Ohio

Student beta-testers

testimonials

What users are saying

“We have discovered that residents at every level of care can find joy with poemRENOVATION. Even residents living with memory impairment have engaged successfully and creatively with the program, stimulating new pathways and reopening memory connections once thought lost. We love poemRENOVATION and so do our residents.”

Rev. Dr. Kenneth Daniel

Rev. Dr. Kenneth Daniel

Former CEO, United Church Homes

I have used poemRENOVATION’s digital version with adolescent patients and have had a really fantastic experience! A couple times now, we have taken the poems they created with the application and have then incorporated them into a physical art piece. What a great tool it is.

– Danii Mann, MPS, ATR-BC, Advanced Creative Arts Therapist, Board-Certified Art Therapist, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
I had to share with you that I've been using poemRENOVATION with clients during sessions and it has been FABULOUS. Thank you so much! 

– Brittany Quinn, Perinatal Mental Health specialist, art therapist and owner of Green Lotus Creative Healing Center, Berlin, CT
We tried it out and it was wonderful. It was such a joy to hear the various conversations going on, and to see the end results was beyond what I expected. We will certainly do this activity often.

– Laurie Van Beek, director, Friends at the Lake Respite for All program, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
What I like most about poemRENOVATION is that it helps me get out any stress or feelings that I can't really say or show to anyone, not even my parents.

– middle school student
No rules. I like that. This is fun!

– Jennifer Washington, United Church Homes community member
I am totally in love with poemRENOVATION. It is becoming a habit that makes my days more centered, more thoughtful, more fun and more connected!

– Anna Hall, founder, The Purpose Equation
They talk about this afterwards. It goes farther than that moment. It’s not just something that passes the time.

– Rev. Patricia Vargas
It empowered my students and it brought them to a place where they wanted to share what they made.

– Dena Marie de la Rocha, middle school teacher
I like it. It’s different than anything I’ve ever done before.

– Betty McLain community member, United Church Homes’ Harmar Place Community, Marietta, Ohio
I like how you can turn ordinary words into sentences that paint a picture in your brain.

– middle school student
The level of confidence that I saw grow in my students was amazing.

– Valerie Wadsworth, middle school teacher
poemRENOVATION blog

News & Events

Did they really call our name?

Did they really call our name?

By Kelly de la Rocha, founder of poem RENOVATION Late afternoon on the final day of the Yale Innovation Summit, John Melillo and I were sipping drinks in the...

Celebrate Creativity

Celebrate Creativity

"She’d seem strong- willed somehow. Woman like her imagined the forest paths." Betty, a member of United Church Homes' Harmar Place Community in Marietta, Ohio, wrote those...

Sounds like home

Sounds like home

My friend, Alison, suggested the tagline “Sounds like home” for poem RENOVATION. It didn’t resonate, until I saw poem RENOVATION in action at United Church Homes’ continuing care communities.

workshops

Speaking
Engagements

Spark creativity and connection with an interactive online or in-person workshop facilitated by poemRENOVATION’s founder, Kelly de la Rocha.

 

Workshops can be customized for:
  • Wellness professionals
  • Memory Cafes
  • Students, grades 5 and up
  • Continuing care communities
  • Educators
  • Activities Directors
  • Community Groups
  • Corporate Team-Building
  • Creative wellness events
  • And more!
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norulesjustcreate