Home schooling calendar time~ seasons, months, days of the week?

[MamaFern]

I am looking for something to teach my LO's the seasons and days of the week and months of the year.. The only thing that I have found is in the Mercurious catalog, but its vague on if its only in German and what they consist of exactly other than pretty pictures... has anyone seen these? or have another recommendation?

here are the mercurious ones..
http://www.mercurius-international.c..._calendar.html

[LuxPerpetua]

As for months of the year, we have a month song that I've been singing since dd was little (I think I made it up around age 2). She knows her months so well she can say them backwards, too. Unfortunately, there's no way for me to "write" it on a message board. However, I highly, highly recommend coming up with your own song. I sing it to dd every night as part of her bedtime routine.

As for seasons, I've never "taught" them to her specifically, we just delved deep into each one with seasonal decorations, seasonal songs/fingerplays/poetry, seasonal crafts/baking, etc. To make it easy to remember we say each season has 3 months in it, and she knows which months belong to which seasons.

As for days of the week, the Elsa Beskow book, All Around the Year, has a great poem in it that helped. We also have a weekly rhythm that dd knows. She still has difficulty remembering which day of the week it is sometimes but she knows the order quite well.

I have a calendar wheel similar to what you posted that has a way to point clock hands at the months, the day of the week, and the date. I bought it through Three Sisters Toys a couple of years ago. I searched and couldn't find it, but it would be so easy to make. You could just get some card stock and make a large circle, and on the outer edge write the names of each month with a small picture for each (like acorns with September, lambs in March, etc.), and using a brad clip, make two "clock" style hands--one long and one short. Underneath the month names, write numbers 1-31 for the day numbers and then use the long hand to point to those. The short hand would point to the month. On top of the hands, place a 7-armed star with the names of the days of the week on it, and then place the brad clip holding all of those onto the larger wheel base. That's pretty much what this is.

[FillingMyQuiver]

I don't have a calendar, I was thinking of making a fabric pocket sort of calendar, like this, but much nicer, with more of a flow to it (and definitely not so busy. This is my inspiration).

For the months of the year, we sing a song that's to the tune of "10 Little Indians".

January, February, March, and April, May, June, July, August, and September, October, November, and December, these are the months of the year.

For the days of the week, we sing a song (and I swear I think I heard it on Barney years ago, but I don't know) to the tune of "Oh My Darling, Clementine"

There are 7 days, there are 7 days, there are 7 days in a week,
There are 7 days, there are 7 days, there are 7 days in a week,
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday,
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday

[tallulahma]

I think that is from Barney! I remember it!

We just drew our own wheel, like pp said.

I drew it in pencil and then we would color it in the first day of the month...

If you scroll down from in this post you can see it half colored...

http://http://raisinglovies.blogspot.com/2010/02/banners-more-dragons-random-scenes-and.html

[boatbaby]

We have this one (we got it at Tuesday Morning for like $5!) and DS really likes it. http://www.amazon.com/Almas-Designs-...5156302&sr=8-1

It's definitely helped him with months and days of the week and even years. He likes to play with it too and make it 2 years ago or two years from now and talk about what we were doing or will be doing.

Check etsy too...?

[annettemarie]

We had the one from Seven Sisters which was beautiful, but one of my kids peeled the paper/stickers off.

I have a pocket chart kind of like this one. When I am feeling better (um... like in about 9 months when the twins are 6 months old ) my plan is to use old watercolor paintings to make the date, days of the week, and month cards. I'd like to draw something iconic representing each month (like a pumpkin for October) as well of the days of the week (like a paintbrush for painting day) and maybe incorporate the colors of the day as well. Someday.

[whoami]

Originally Posted by LuxPerpetua

I have a calendar wheel similar to what you posted that has a way to point clock hands at the months, the day of the week, and the date. I bought it through Three Sisters Toys a couple of years ago. I searched and couldn't find it, but it would be so easy to make. You could just get some card stock and make a large circle, and on the outer edge write the names of each month with a small picture for each (like acorns with September, lambs in March, etc.), and using a brad clip, make two "clock" style hands--one long and one short. Underneath the month names, write numbers 1-31 for the day numbers and then use the long hand to point to those. The short hand would point to the month. On top of the hands, place a 7-armed star with the names of the days of the week on it, and then place the brad clip holding all of those onto the larger wheel base. That's pretty much what this is.

Could you post a picture of your calendar? I really want to make a spinning calendar and would love a visual for inspiration. I'm having a hard time visualizing the end result though so I'm browsing celtic calendars to get ideas but none are a spinning design.

How many numbers are under each month? And then does the star spin so that the week name matches the month number?

MamaFern - I found a neat earth cycle calendar that could be an option for you. However, I have a feeling you are wanting something a little more interactive. I know I am!

[tallulahma]

Whoami- I love that earth cycle wheel! Thanks for the link! I like keeping the "lesson" type stuff separate. I feel like having the wheel of the year, days of the week,etc all in one place feels less natural and a little too overstimulating?

But that's just my personal preference.

[MamaFern]

Originally Posted by whoami

Could you post a picture of your calendar? I really want to make a spinning calendar and would love a visual for inspiration. I'm having a hard time visualizing the end result though so I'm browsing celtic calendars to get ideas but none are a spinning design.

How many numbers are under each month? And then does the star spin so that the week name matches the month number?

MamaFern - I found a neat earth cycle calendar that could be an option for you. However, I have a feeling you are wanting something a little more interactive. I know I am!

i love that~ not exactly what im looking for but that could be part of it!
thank you!

[PGTlatte]

I bought posters from a teacher store and put them on the kitchen wall. I also have a song for the days and another for the months.

For the days I made clipart printouts of something that is a reminder for each day (sun, monkey, hand with two fingers up, cartoon "wind" cloud, glass with drink and straw (thirsty), box of french fries, and the planet Saturn) and put little clipart pictures by each weekday on the poster.

For the months, I printed out clipart pictures that go with the song and put them on the poster.

For seasons, the months song helps with those. I also say "winter, spring, summer, fall, which do you like best of all ?" We read books about the seasons and talk about them a lot.

[whoami]

Originally Posted by tallulahma

Whoami- I love that earth cycle wheel! Thanks for the link! I like keeping the "lesson" type stuff separate. I feel like having the wheel of the year, days of the week,etc all in one place feels less natural and a little too overstimulating?

But that's just my personal preference.

Yeah, I'm worried it will turn out too complicated or overstimulating if I make my own. LuxPerpetua's calendar sounds pretty tame though so I hope she posts a picture . Everyday my son asks what day it is so I posted the days of the week written on cardstock, shaded with the color of the day, and pinned it on a bulletin board for him. He gets that purple day is Monday, the day we paint, etc. I'd like to throw in another layer now though. I really like your wheel of the year and hope you don't mind if I take some inspiration from it.

MamaFern, As for seasons we just started reading books about the seasons and that seems to be helping him learn without having to really teach. I've been looking for something not so primary school oriented but haven't had any luck. I'm having a feeling the best way to teach might just be through the yearly rhythm and celebrating festivals/holidays.

[jbailey313]

Originally Posted by LuxPerpetua

As for months of the year, we have a month song that I've been singing since dd was little (I think I made it up around age 2). She knows her months so well she can say them backwards, too. Unfortunately, there's no way for me to "write" it on a message board. However, I highly, highly recommend coming up with your own song. I sing it to dd every night as part of her bedtime routine.

As for seasons, I've never "taught" them to her specifically, we just delved deep into each one with seasonal decorations, seasonal songs/fingerplays/poetry, seasonal crafts/baking, etc. To make it easy to remember we say each season has 3 months in it, and she knows which months belong to which seasons.

As for days of the week, the Elsa Beskow book, All Around the Year, has a great poem in it that helped. We also have a weekly rhythm that dd knows. She still has difficulty remembering which day of the week it is sometimes but she knows the order quite well.

I have a calendar wheel similar to what you posted that has a way to point clock hands at the months, the day of the week, and the date. I bought it through Three Sisters Toys a couple of years ago. I searched and couldn't find it, but it would be so easy to make. You could just get some card stock and make a large circle, and on the outer edge write the names of each month with a small picture for each (like acorns with September, lambs in March, etc.), and using a brad clip, make two "clock" style hands--one long and one short. Underneath the month names, write numbers 1-31 for the day numbers and then use the long hand to point to those. The short hand would point to the month. On top of the hands, place a 7-armed star with the names of the days of the week on it, and then place the brad clip holding all of those onto the larger wheel base. That's pretty much what this is.

These are some wonderful ideas!! I would love to see a picture of the calender wheel also!!! It sounds awesome and I know my children would really like that and enjoy making it (not to mention learn all the while doing it! )!

I have something similar to the craft/felt one and they do well with it, but making something would be great!!!

[Aubergine68]

Originally Posted by LuxPerpetua

You could just get some card stock and make a large circle, and on the outer edge write the names of each month with a small picture for each (like acorns with September, lambs in March, etc.), and using a brad clip, make two "clock" style hands--one long and one short. Underneath the month names, write numbers 1-31 for the day numbers and then use the long hand to point to those. The short hand would point to the month. On top of the hands, place a 7-armed star with the names of the days of the week on it, and then place the brad clip holding all of those onto the larger wheel base. That's pretty much what this is.

I made a Waldorf-inspired Wheel of the Year Calendar something like you describe and posted pictures and about how I use it in this
this thread, post 15

We are making another one just now for this coming seasonal cycle, in fact. I think someone else made one and posted about it later in that thread if you want to see a variation. ETA you can find a link to the circular calendar jrabbit made in post 43

ETA I am certainly not the most creative person, but I can imagine some beautiful possibilities for a handmade calendar like this. I do think that it will have more learning value to the children it is made for if they can help make it.