Calendar Book

I haven’t gotten a chance to take photos of our March Calendar book in action, but I think you’ll get the gist of it with photos from February!

My friends convinced me to start doing calendar book in September this year.  In the past, I have started at after our Christmas break.  I was a little hesitant at first, but like always, the kiddos blew me away!  I only started with a September calendar (with the numbers dotted), and the days in school number grid.  Each month I add more pages.

We do our calendar book using our ActivBoard, but it can just as easily be done the “old fashioned” way.  I copy the pages on construction paper each month so they hold up a little bit better.  They are in a small 1/2” three ring binder (Sam’s Club) and each has a pencil pouch that holds a crayon and a pencil.  (I figure the binders last about 2 years – after a while the rings start to open really easily – which equates to a mess of papers on the floor!)

So, this is what calendar book looks like for us:

The children gather on the floor in front of the white board with their calendar books.  We will often start with some sort of song or chant.  In the beginning of the year, it was a lot of alphabet songs that the children could follow along with.

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We try to write the numbers in some sort of pattern on the calendar page.  The children have their own calendar page – I generally find these at Jessica Meacham’s site.

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We write the day and sing the days of the week and the months of the year.

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We write the date in coins.

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Practice tally marks (one tally mark for each day).

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Check the temperature and track that.

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Graph the weather.

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Practice counting by 2s and odd/even numbers.

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Practice reading the clock and writing the time.

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Place value – this one also has a “straw” page that a friend made, I must have forgotten to take a picture!

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Days in school 100s grid (we continued onto another grid after the 100th day)

And lots and lots of songs….

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And of course the tooth tally and birthday chart (not pictured) as needed.

I like to start off calendar book using a video from Heidi Songs.  We only do about half of the video while we wait for everyone to get their morning work put away and come to the carpet. 

Keep in mind that we didn’t START with all of these pages in their calendar books!  I add a page or 2 every month based on what they need.  The kids get SOOO excited about a new page.  I try to do the page that I want to add for about a month on the ActivBoard before I give it to the kids.  That way they know exactly what to expect. 

Kim Adsit has an excellent resource available on her TpT store if you’re interested in starting calendar book.  She and Shari Sloane will walk you through all the steps you need to get started!  Once you start doing calendar book, you will never go back! The children are SO engaged in calendar every morning, and are practicing all of these skills EVERY day! 

If you have questions, please let me know!  This certainly isn’t my idea – with the help of my awesome friends and some great internet resources (Shari Sloane and Jessica Meacham) I was able to get started and continue to add things that my kiddos need.  Just take it slow in the beginning! You can do it!

43 comments:

  1. I love this! My classroom will be equipped with an Active Board in a few weeks and I love the idea of doing the calendar this way! My only question is...once you get it going how long does your calendar time last?
    Thanks
    Yolanda
    Oceans of First Grade Fun

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  2. Depending on the "mood" of the kiddos that day - I sometimes take a little longer or skip some pages! Usually about 15-20 minutes though.

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  3. I really like that you can save your wall space by having everything on the Active Board.

    Cheryl
    Primary Graffiti

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  4. Kathleen,
    I love your calendar book and it's so much more interesting then what I'm currently doing with the date and weather since the start of the year. I'd love to email with you off blogger to bounce some ideas.
    Lindsey
    http://www.whytewater.blogspot.com/

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  5. Lindsey -- send me an e-mail and we can chat!!

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  6. I use this calendar notebook idea every day.. I love the calendar being interactive and the kids tell me that they don't even need to do it anymore because they are so smart!! It has helped with number formation and so many math skills.. I have more pages than last year and every day we come up with something new..

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  7. Wow! What a GREAT idea! Do you have the digital calendar pages you use on your activeboard to share as well?

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  8. What type of program/board are you using for your calendar?

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  9. WOW! How inspiring is that to keep all the kiddos engaged!! How do you keep it all organized? Do the kids have the songs / chants in there books too? I LOVE this idea for the kiddos -- we started something MUCH smaller than this this year for one of my kiddos -- how awesome to blow it up for all the kids to write and be engaged in ALL parts!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE this! How big do the kids "notebooks" need to be? WOW! LOVE!

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  10. Nikki - I'm not sure how to share them on blogger; I think the files are too big. Plus, we run into the problem of unsecured clip art...if I find a way, I will definitely post them!

    Sarah - Yes, the kids have the songs and chants in their books as well. We work on tracking print, looking for sight words, and so on with them. I use 1/2" binders for them that I got at Sam's club. It's daunting to start, but once you get going, you and the kids will love it. Even when I'm gone and don't have my computer there, the kids manage to do calendar book!

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  11. I do calendar books as well, and I too will never go back! I always felt that I dropped the ball in teaching Math, and now with calendar books I feel that my students have a better understanding of Math concepts and this is all in a concentrated amount of time. I also added a page this year of the Secret Star Word, I numbered the alphabet in our room, ex: A=1, B=2, etc. and I write down the number code on the board and they race to figure out what the secret star word is. They Love it

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  12. Kathleen, this may be a stupid question but is everything set up on a power point. I don't have a smart board... I have Promethean. I think the smart boards are more user friendly. Love it!

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  13. Have I ever told you that I love everything you do!?!?!? I wanna be in your classroom!
    -Rachelle
    whattheteacherwants.blogspot.com

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  14. I'm with Rachelle - can you PLEEEEEEASE be my teacher! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this idea! My oh my if we could only teach in the same school....
    Suzan

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  15. Calendar book is certainly not my idea! I've addded things that work for my kiddos, but it's not mine! I'm sure Shari Sloane and Jessica Meacham should get a lot of the credit!

    Wouldn't it be fun if all of us could teach in one big Kindergarten center! Oh, the ideas that we could come up with!!

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  16. Julie Anna - I have a promethean board as well - the calendar pages are put together on a "flip chart" so it can be interactive!

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  17. This is one of my most favorite ideas I've seen. I currently use the calendar journal, but this just absolutely kicks it up a notch!
    Suzan
    www.krazyforkindergarten.blogspot.com

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  18. I love the calendar journals that you do with your kids. I would like to start this nest year with my class. The one that you have created has been my favorite. Would you email me your flip charts that you use for promethean board?
    Thanks,
    Jessica

    Faith24j@hotmail.com

    www.jbrzeinski@blogspot.com

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  19. I have a SMART board that I use for SOOO many things. I haven't put calendar on it yet. I really would like to do a combination of both a calendar board & SMART. I HAVE to start letting the kids use the journal. It will be a HUGE addition to calendar time!! You always share such marvelous things!! Thank you bunches!!

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  20. I did a calendar last year and it was an epic fail! seeing yours makes me want to try again. =) Thanks for sharing..now if I could just get a SMART Board in my classroom! =)

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  21. I have wanted to try something like this with my K babies for a while, and since it is summer vacation, I am feeling brave! Do you have a regular calendar wall somewhere in your room or just the smart board?

    Thanks!

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  22. Wow! I am just amazed at these ideas. I would love a copy of your sheets as well. Are the files on Promethean board or a smartboard. I have a smartboard & we use notebook files. This is yet another thing I want to change next year. If you can email me those...please please please..that would be WONDERFUL! My email is: melissaalonzo@sbcglobal.net

    Thanks! Mel D
    Oh the Places We’ll Go

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  23. I'm so impressed! Our Kindergarten team is getting white boards this year and we would LOOOOVE this! I'm just now catching onto this blogging craze! Such great ideas! Please, please, please e-mail me the sheets or let me know where I can purchase them! THANK YOU!
    Katie
    shiningerk@gmail.com

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  24. Kathleen,

    I have to start by saying I absolutely ADORE your blog. I have taught first grade the last 3 years and am moving to Kinder for the first time this fall. This summer I have been stalking your blog and reading all of your older posts. This one is SO inspiring! I really believe there is a huge value to Calendar but struggled to keep my kids engaged. This is the first year I will have a SMART Board and look forward to making Calendar time interactive. I love the accountability piece of the student notebooks. Thank you for sharing so much with us!

    -Lauren

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  25. Is this a smart board file?? It is amazing!! If so will you please share it with me at kristibrewer@yahoo.com

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  26. I LOVE THIS!!! I am getting a Promethean board this year and would love to have this flip-chart! If you can share please email it my way! Thank so much for the great ideas!

    heather.nicole@att.net

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  27. I just bought the calendar book and love it! I also have a smart board and would like to put the calendar book on my board. Does anyone know how to do this or have a file they would be willing to share? Thanks!

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  28. Kathleen,

    This is awesome! I have been singing the SEP TEM BER song with my students all month. Do you have songs for every month that you would be willing to share on your blog or with me via email? MissHendrickson@gmail.com. Thank you!

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  29. I am trying to find the answer to the question... do you have your calendar on a flipchart already that you are willing to share. I just found the blogging world and our KDG team does the calendar binder as well. Could you let me know if you have anything to share.

    Thank you,

    Vicki Sharkey
    vittoriasharkey@gmail.com

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  30. Hi Vicki - unfortunately I can't share my calendar flipchart since I use DJ Inkers clip art in it and sharing that clipart is a no-no! Sorry!

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  31. I love you calendar flip chart. I have been using a calendar journal in my K class for several years (love it now that I have a Promethean Board) I recognize several of the flip charts and but have a question about a couple. Is the temperature and learning teens available for download some where or are they something you created? If they are a download where can I find them. I like the temperature chart a lot more than what is use.
    Thanks
    Rose
    rlong56@hotmail.com

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    1. I made pretty much all of the flipchart pages with the exception of the ones that are pdf's that I imported. Some of those are mine, some are from Kim Adsit's calendar notebook pack. I made the thermometer one. It is just an image of a thermometer and I added the colored boxes. Hope that helps!

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  32. Great ideas! :) Is the clock page interactive, where the hands can be moved to show the time? I've been looking ALL over for one (or how to create one in Activinspire), but haven't had any luck!

    Jessica
    Mrs. Heeren's Happenings

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  33. Hi! Can you please send me the flip charts for your calendar notebook math?? I am teaching Kindergarten for the first time this year and I am SO EXCITED to use your math calendar notebooks but I would like to use the flip charts with them like you did!!!

    Thanks,
    Megan Cheramie
    mec2890@yahoo.com

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  34. I also have the Student calendar and a Smart board but dont know how to save the sheets to use them. Can someone please help? I am new to smartboards and dont know how to do a lot of the stuff. I know I dont want to use the calendar like I did last year (I had pieces of paper taped all over the place and the kids couldnt see it without getting up). Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks, Dee tammie_oliver@yahoo.com

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  35. Hi, I am so excited about this. I am a home school mom and last year for preschool we did a big calendar on our wall. I was looking for something like this so we could just do our calendar in a smaller scale and what you are doing is EXACTLY what I was looking for and more! Thank you so much for showing how you did it.

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  36. Hello! I founf you via pinterest and am loving the calendar book idea. However, I am unsure how to begin. I want to purchase your pack, but I am unsure how to implement it. What are your suggestions? I do not have a smart board so I would be doing this with my students. I am thinking about doing each step as a class, for example each student has their binder. We all flip to the month of September. We put up the number 1... as we do in front of the classroom on the main "calendar wall" the rest of the class fills it in their journals. Do you think something like that may work? I really would LOVE to implement this is my Kindergarten class starting in Septemeber. Can you please email me at Jen1204@aol.com with any suggestions? Thanks so much!!!!

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    1. That's EXACTLY how you do it :) I'll have a post soon when we start doing them! I won't start with the children until September - we only have 6 days of school in August ;)

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  37. Could you please send me your monthly songs? I would really like to incorporate them into my calendar notebook.

    Thanks,
    Marie
    ms.maryniak@yahoo.com

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  38. Hi! I was wonderung wha you are using a the botom of your smartboard as a stool. Where did you get it? I so need something like this.

    Ana
    acanto@aol.com

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  39. Could you please send me your monthly songs? I LOVE the September one!!!I would really like to incorporate them into my calendar time & notebook.

    - Wendy
    wendy_ziegler-clark@ccpsnet.net

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  40. Hello!! Is there anyway you could send me those calendar flipcharts?! My email is srdelgato@gmail.com, they look so wonderful, thank you!!!!
    -Shannon

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