 Calendar time has always been a part of the preschool classroom. But we have been hearing a lot of debate on it lately if it is really a developmentally appropriate activity for preschool. As I began to dig a little deeper into my own calendar time, I discovered that I need to make some changes so that it was more meaningful to the children, but there were a few things that I wanted to keep too. See what I did in the video below. I liked how calendar time provide a way for children to count and recognize numbers. I also like how it gives us an opportunity to have meaningful conversations about what might happened at home or what we might be doing at school in the future. Children always enjoy talking about things that have happened or will happen.  The event and holiday cards give us the opportunity to talk about things that will happen and also give us the opportunity to discuss what we did at a special event.  With the birthday cards we can find out who is having a birthday and how many of our friends will be celebrating their birthday in the same month.  Days at Home or No School cards give children the opportunity to count how many days they will be at home each month. They will also discover the pattern of having two days off each week.  Children always like talking about the weather and how it makes them feel. The weather cards are a great way for children to document the weekly or monthly weather patterns.  Children will be able to graph out the monthly weather to see which type of weather happened the most.  This calendar packet will help make calendar time meaningful for preschool children. It has been designed to help you have meaningful conversations around the calendar. You will be able to ask children questions based on events that will occur or that have occurred. Giving children, the tools needed to help them understand past, present and future events. Also with this calendar, you will also be able to collect data about the weather and document the findings. Meaningful Calendar Time for Preschool 
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 Spruce up your classroom this year with the Target Dollar Spot. I don't know one educator that can walk past that corner without putting something in their cart. Here are my top 5 Target Dollar Spot Classroom Hacks. Tip #1  I am short on space in my group meeting area. I needed to find a way to hang my ABC picture cards so that we could have them up as we sing and move to our new ABC Song and then move it so that we could use the smart board too.  We used the clothes pin line and strung it across the smart board. We used hooks at the side of the board so that we could unhook the line out of the way when we need to use the smart board. Tip #2  I'm not a big fan of putting tape on my carpets to make roads for the block center. The race track tape is perfect for the children to make their own roads with the block. I placed the tape on blocks and modge podged it on so that the children couldn't pull it off. Tip #3  No special reason, just thought it would brighten up the book nook. Tip #4  When I saw these I knew that they would work perfectly for my See-Find and Write cards that are located in my writing center.   Tip #5   Looking for more way to use the Target Dollar Spot in your classroom? Head on over to Prek Partner and see what Janice has done with all of her finds. Share with us how you are using the Target Dollar Spot in your classroom. 
 We all know that parent involvement is the key to student success. That is why I use communication folders to keep my families informed and involved in the day to day happenings of the classroom. See how I set up my communication folders so that they will last all year long.  Hit the back to school sales and find high quality pocket folders, you will be glad that you did because they will last the whole year without falling apart. I like to tape the top cover onto the folder using book binding tape.  I also like to use the book binding tape to label the inside pocket with.  Add a ABC sheet to help the parents sing and point to the ABC song. I like to laminate the sheet so that it can stay in the folder all year long.  You can also include I can write sheets for ABC's and Numbers. I laminate mine so that they can be used as a write and wipe activity at home.   Include learning tools in the folders that will help your families with the learning process at home.  Include materials that will help families engage in conversation or activities that can be done together. My families love the Connect Four sheets because they can do all of the activities on the sheet without braking the bank.  Monthly or Weekly newsletter are a great way to let parents know what is happening in the classroom. They also provide parents with information that can spark a conversation with their child.  Include any type of community events that can benefit your families and any other information that you feel is beneficial to your families.  Grab the base folder packet and start making your communication folders for the new school year. Oh did I say if you grab it here it is FREE! 
Need help this school year with keep those communication folders full and ready to go?  You can grab my monthly communication folder packets that include connect four activities for the whole school year. or You can SAVE 20% by buying the bundle.  
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Welcome!I'm Tami Sanders creator of Learning and Teaching with Preschoolers, a blog to help teachers create magical moments for the young. Follow Me
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