Like most everything in life, changes sometimes have to be made to ensure the timelessness of the invention. Such was the case with our calendar cork board built last year. I knew this day would come and was not afraid to change things a bit. I kept most of the board intact actually since my oldest is reluctant to change but wanted to adapt it a bit to add some elements; namely a section called "In the News" and another one called "This Day in History".
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| A Newer Version of our Calendar Board! |
I had those ideas back when I first put the board together so I knew I'd have room when the time would come for these additions but I still had to shift other pockets slightly. Both pockets were well received by the kids. Now, there isn't always "fresh news" or a post about "this day in history" but when the sections are filled, the kids are always excited. I try to have at least one pocket filled each day.
In the News section, I simply print off...fresh news! Nothing that would not be age appropriate of course and nothing long but always something with a picture. I also try to pick news that I know will appeal my son and daughter. For example, last week, my son was excited to read about the big asteroid that passed close to Earth. He was also jumping with joy when he saw that yet another volcano erupted (sorry Papua-New Guinea!).
This Day in History is also something fun to have. Every month, I pull up what happened years ago on that day and choose one for each day; one that once again, will be relevant to my youngsters and geared towards preschool/primary kids. Sometimes, I actually don't find anything they could relate to and don't put anything down for that day. So far, Adrian was most excited about the day in history when a race was conducted in between a horse and a steam locomotive! He could not believe the horse actually won! :)
Above our board, I've also added, using tack, reward charts, a behavioral chart, the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem of the United States. I find it important that as citizens, my children know the words to both (besides, if they were in a public American school, chances are, they'd recite at least the pledge daily). Each morning, we recite and sing. Sometimes, we watch a video of other kids/performers singing the anthem too. The behavioral chart idea actually came from another blog I'm now following : Fun in First. Although Jodi uses the chart for an entire first grade classroom, I thought I could use it for Adrian and Zahavah. To read more about how it works, head here. I started using these after Adrian showed resistance to his "extended" school days. It curbs most complains now and gets him to do his work neatly and at a regular pace. At the end of the month, I have a prize each child gets for having at least 15 stars on their chart. Of course, the charts do not include week-ends! ;)
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