Calendar Time (with olders?)/Calendar Notebooks

[Targhee]

So, in the past our calendar time has been kind of, well, meh. And we started strong at the beginning of the year and in the last three months haven't even done it. Part of the reason is oldest (almost 10) eye rolls and looks so annoyed that I would have her do something so easy/boring. How do I bring her in?

 

I want the calendar time to be a morning routine together where we also do memorization, preview the day, work on a monthly value, and do a read aloud. I was very intrigued by the idea of a Calendar Notebook (posted on Mama Jen's and 1+1+1=1 blogs). Anyone use these? Ideas for adapting to a 5th grader's interest and skill level? How do you keep you older kids involved in calendar time?

[MomatHWTK]

I would have her either research an important event for that date to share with the "class" or find something yourself and have her read the event of the day aloud. Perhaps she could be in charge of a daily devotional from one of the daily (dated) devotional books or calendars?

[PeterPan]

I wouldn't do calendar time past age 6, sorry. By then they know the calendar and don't need it. If you want a recitation/memory work time, that's cool. Just leave the calendar out.

[Forgiven]

I think my 7yo still needs calendar time and my 5yo definitely needs it. My 9yo doesn't need it, but what we're going to do this year, I think she'll have fun. I haven't figured it all out, but I was a Lakeshore today and found empty caldendars (no year -- the kids put in the dates on the squares) and no pictures -- the kids draw the picture for each month.

 

We don't have a lot of space to hang a huge calendar up. I had considered it and looked for one I liked, but it just wouldn't work for us, so when I saw these empty calendars, I envisioned the kids coloring the picture for each month. Maybe it will take more than one day, maybe just one, not sure, but then we'd do the days together for the month and talk about special days and let them draw pictures in those days to represent the holiday/special occasion.

 

Then I was thinking instead that I could use the days as a weather chart and let them color in each day with what the weather was.

 

I'm not exactly sure how I'll use the days, but it's what I'm working on right now. I think my 9yo would like this because it involves drawing and coloring. She likes to do that sort of thing still.

[Juliegmom]

My daughter doesn't need calendar time but enjoys it and wanted to continue with it. Thanks to Our Aussie Homeschool and Mama Jenn's blogs I was able to create a calendar notebook that she will work on independently.

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

Someone here recommended this

http://www.clp.org/search/results?query=calendar&x=0&y=0

Love it. It teaches weather as well as calendar skills. The side benefit is the collection of data and analyzing it. This will be our second year doing this book.

It can be used with older children also.

[Chelli]

My daughter doesn't need calendar time but enjoys it and wanted to continue with it. Thanks to Our Aussie Homeschool and Mama Jenn's blogs I was able to create a calendar notebook that she will work on independently.

 

Do you have the links to either of these blogs? I am interested in the calendar notebook idea but I'm not sure what it is.

 

Thanks. :001_smile:

[fourcatmom]

1+1+1=1 also offers Calendar Connections. I have never done a calendar time with my kids but they are older and started HSing at an older age. I put a new date on the calendar and that's about it. We do a Morning Breakfast and Bible time when we will look at Memory cards and have time to talk. This year, I will be adding the calendar Connections. If you look at the list, there are many that are have great information on them and that will apply to older kids. We are going to start with the Astronomy one for September since that will be our Unit Study for the month.

 

Even if you just had these cards for your older daughter she would get more out of calendar time and it could be fun! :001_smile:

 

Here is the info on a Calendar Notebook

Edited July 26, 2012 by fourcatmom

[Targhee]

1+1+1=1 also offers Calendar Connections. I have never done a calendar time with my kids but they are older and started HSing at an older age. I put a new date on the calendar and that's about it. We do a Morning Breakfast and Bible time when we will look at Memory cards and have time to talk. This year, I will be adding the calendar Connections. If you look at the list, there are many that are have great information on them and that will apply to older kids. We are going to start with the Astronomy one for September since that will be our Unit Study for the month.

 

Even if you just had these cards for your older daughter she would get more out of calendar time and it could be fun! :001_smile:

 

Here is the info on a Calendar Notebook

 

I would have her either research an important event for that date to share with the "class" or find something yourself and have her read the event of the day aloud. Perhaps she could be in charge of a daily devotional from one of the daily (dated) devotional books or calendars?

 

Thanks! This s the kind of thing I am looking for. I guess for me Calendar Time is part of our morning 15 minutes (that has all those other things like memorization, devotional, etc) and leads into family read aloud. I need something that draws her in so she isn't so turned off by the calendar that she doesn't want to participate in the rest of what we do as a family.

[fourcatmom]

Thanks! This s the kind of thing I am looking for. I guess for me Calendar Time is part of our morning 15 minutes (that has all those other things like memorization, devotional, etc) and leads into family read aloud. I need something that draws her in so she isn't so turned off by the calendar that she doesn't want to participate in the rest of what we do as a family.

 

 

Actually I think if you printed out the calendar connection cards - she could choose which theme each month or you could correlate to what she's learning and then just print out cards for her. That would make her feel special to have her own set. Each card is numbered, so you could give her a new card with each new day and talk about the info on the card or she could share it with her siblings. That way you are leaning new info in a new and different format, including her in calendar and still talking about the date, etc.

:001_smile:

[cam112198]

:bigear:

[mjtsmami]

I asked my 9yo if he wanted to do it. He did, so we tweaked the calendar board together...I'm actually working on it now. We are going to be using the date flip chart from Mama Jenn's. Then we have the yesterday, today, tomorrow (more for my Kinder who will more than likely be home in the mornings) and weather chart from Confessions of a homeschooler (same as Mama Jenn's) Then we have the days in school and skip counting charts from Homeschool Creations. I'm working on a daily journal prompt flip chart to pick the topic for his journal writing that day.

 

In his calendar notebook I have the script worksheets from 1+1+1=1 and the weather graph from Confessions of a Homeschooler.

 

 

 

We have a classroom calendar on a cork board, but we are going to be using calendar connections from 1+1+1=1 sometimes too.

 

I included him a lot into it. He's been putting the sheets in sheet protectors, gluing pieces to the board etc. And he helped me pick what he wanted on it.

 

I'm not sure if DS3 will be in the full day program at the school, but if he's not we're in the afternoon K part of town, so we'll include him in calendar time and I'll make a similar notebook for him using the print worksheets from 1+1+1=1

[raceNzanesmom]

My 8 y/o writes the date on the whiteboard each morning. He has a calendar within view and he keeps events marked on it. That's it.

 

I think if you want the 10 y/o to participate, I agree, put her in charge of something.

[Targhee]

I asked my 9yo if he wanted to do it. He did, so we tweaked the calendar board together...I'm actually working on it now. We are going to be using the date flip chart from Mama Jenn's. Then we have the yesterday, today, tomorrow (more for my Kinder who will more than likely be home in the mornings) and weather chart from Confessions of a homeschooler (same as Mama Jenn's) Then we have the days in school and skip counting charts from Homeschool Creations. I'm working on a daily journal prompt flip chart to pick the topic for his journal writing that day.

 

In his calendar notebook I have the script worksheets from 1+1+1=1 and the weather graph from Confessions of a Homeschooler.

 

 

 

We have a classroom calendar on a cork board, but we are going to be using calendar connections from 1+1+1=1 sometimes too.

 

I included him a lot into it. He's been putting the sheets in sheet protectors, gluing pieces to the board etc. And he helped me pick what he wanted on it.

 

I'm not sure if DS3 will be in the full day program at the school, but if he's not we're in the afternoon K part of town, so we'll include him in calendar time and I'll make a similar notebook for him using the print worksheets from 1+1+1=1

 

That is an excellent idea!

[mjtsmami]

It changed his whole perspective on it because when we first did it last year, my older 2 we in PS, so it was very geared to DS3, and he didn't like it. Even though I'm keeping some of the same, he's been involved from planning to creation and I find it makes all the difference with him.

 

I use the same trick to get them to eat things they "don't like". If they cook it themselves, they usually end up loving it.

 

Oh and I forget in my earlier post we also have the thermometer printable from Homeschool creations for recording the indoor/outdoor temps. He is just learning now how to read a thermometer, so the repetition of doing that each day should help.

[skeeterbug]

Here's the calendar notebook I made for my 7yo. At this age it's not so much about the calendar practice as the daily math practice page. I will probably change it up each year going forward so that it remains challenging. He works on his notebook while I work with my 4yo on other (younger) calendar activities.

[besroma]

:lurk5: