Back to School Calendar Book

Update:  See this post for how my calendar book looks now! It evolved throughout the years to be more of a daily journal page in which we fill in information each day (on one page) instead of over a series of pages.  It became more meaningful to the children having the skills all on one page*

I get tons of e-mails asking me about calendar book.  First, I want to clarify that this was NOT my original idea!  My kindergarten friends introduced me to it a few years ago, and they learned about it from a Shari Sloane conference.  I just adapt and tweak to meet my kiddos needs.
The first year I did calendar book, I was SCARED.  I didn’t start until January.  I thought the kiddos needed some time to mature and be able to sit longer be better listeners and so on.  Don’t get me wrong, I still did calendar, but I wasn’t ready to put the books in the hands of my little babies!
My second year of calendar book, my friend convinced me to start right away at the beginning of the school year.  I didn’t start at the very beginning….I gave it a week or 2 and started in September.  VERY S….L…O…W…L…Y.
These are the binders that I use:

I get them at Sam’s club.  I TRY to make them last 2 years, but some kids are harder on them than others.  We always talk in the beginning about how important they are, and how they need to treat them nicely……you know the gig.

I also put in a pencil pouch.

They are kinda spendy – so I really watch for deals.  Sometimes you can get them at the dollar store, but make sure they fit a three ring binder! I bought a bunch of them once, and they didn’t fit!  My friends put these on their supply lists, but I can’t do that because not all the K teachers in my building do calendar books.
In the pencil pouch are 2 crayons and a pencil.  Keepin’ it simple!
This is what the kiddos have in their calendar notebooks:
1. September songs
2. Alphabet Chart
3.The September calendar page with dotted numbers to trace.
4. Number writing page (we wait a while to start this).
5. Patterning page
6. How many days in school page (with the first few numbers dotted)
7. Tooth tally chart
8. Birthday Chart
9. Zero the Hero Chart
*The last 4 stay in the calendar book year round.
As the children are able to, I add more pages that match the pages in my flipchart.  (Here the bummer news: I can’t send you my calendar flipcharts because I use DJ Inkers clip art, and the images can’t be secured.  We all know that is a big no-no with DJ Inkers!)
Phew – got all that?  Really, it’s not that difficult to do – just takes a bit of courage!  Kim Adsit and Shari Sloane have put together a really nice calendar packet that explains everything in detail…there are lots more activities for names, weather, songs, etc.  It’s a gigantic pack and well worth the price!  You can find at at Kim’s store on Teachers Pay Teachers.
So, here’s the good news! I’m sharing my calendar goodies with you to get you started!  I promise you you’ll really enjoy it! The kids are so engaged and are practicing skills everyday.  When you notice they need practice with a certain skill, just add it to their book…they get so excited about new pages! 
So…here goes! 

 

This is why you need 2 crayons in your pencil pocket I always keep an “extra”  basket nearby for pencils that break or if someone loses a crayon.

This one we do with a number writing song – right now I can’t tell you if it is a Jack or Dr. Jean song.  Sorry!

(I get the Zero the Hero page from Kim’s pack)
 Just leave a note to tell me that you snagged ‘em