Calendar Time Summer Linky!

Hello again!  This has been a long, long week in our house.  My little guy got his tonsils and adenoids removed last Tuesday, and I have pretty much been Nurse Mommy for the last seven days.  He is FINALLY starting to act like his normal self, PRAISE THE LORD!!!  I have heard that this surgery is 100 times worse for adults... I cannot imagine what that would be like.  I am excited to actually get out of the house tomorrow to drop my trunk full of school supplies at my school!

I'm linking up with Sharing Kindergarten to share my calendar time routine.  Calendar time is one of my favorite things about our day in kindergarten.  I do calendar time right after lunch recess with my math block.  I know some do calendar first thing in the morning, but it works for me to do it with math.

First of all, please don't mind my messy room.  I took this picture on the last teacher day, before everything was put away.  Don't judge... It looks a lot better now. :)

We start our calendar time to the far left.  We name the month, add the calendar date card (all of my cards have owls on them and coordinate with the monthly theme), and name the year.  Below that, you will see two smallish rectangles.  Those are the niftly little whiteboard strips from the Dollar Spot at Target.  We write the coded date on one and tally the date on the second.  Next, moving to the top right, we do the days in school.  We talk about place value and name the parts of the number as well as the whole number.  We then sing our months of the year and days of the week songs.  We name today, yesterday, and tomorrow (on velcro below the days in school).  Moving right, we then name our colors (each day for the first part of the year, then we begin to skip over that one as the year goes on) and shapes (3D shapes will be added to my wall soon).  To the right of those posters, you will see a number line.  I use this to show number formation.  Below that is a 100s chart.  We do a Mystery Number each day.  We make a picture on it each month.  I have a book that was given to me in student teaching that I use to get the pictures, but sometimes I make up my own clues based on the needs of my students.  Below that, we do today's weather and temperature.  Finally, you will see coins, a clock, and birthday and tooth graphs.  

Sheww... That's a lot!  Let me go into a little more detail now.  First of all, I always guide this instruction until at least October.  When the students are ready and trained in calendar time, I give the responsibility of leading calendar time to my students.  They serve in that job a week at a time, and they LOVE it.  On the board, you will see a pocket with pointers in it.  They get to pick a pointer to use to guide the group.  They LOVE that.  You may wonder why I don't use a Promethean board.  Well, I don't have a Promethean board.  I'm not complaining at all, because I would much rather have the technology I have in my classroom that a board, but when the humidity kicks in and I am reattaching things to my calendar wall, I dream of a classroom with one.  :)

I have struggled this year with how to show student accountability for calendar time.  Some teachers use folders with coordinating sheets.  I used to do that, but it sort of became a hassle.  Some teachers do one sheet that accompanies the daily calendar, but what about those first few months of school when they just can't do it?  Teacher friends, any input would be much appreciated!  

I hope to post again tomorrow with another linky...  But I will go ahead and share this sweet little freebie I posted this morning!  Chevron... Chalkboard... Bunting... Oh My!