Author: Teacher

  TEACHER'S NOTE: I've got one great calendar idea I use with my
  first grade students throughout the year which ties into the
  units we are studying.

  Procedure: 

  1) Do the normal day, date, year, season, sing the days of week,
  months of the year (etc.)songs and count up the days you've been
  in school by adding a bead to your ones, tens and hundreds board.

  TEACHER'S NOTE: I use picture cards (teacher made or collected) to
  ask the children 1 question or for as many facts as they can give me
  about this item. The calendar person gets to pick this picture out
  of my month bag (I only put in pictures of items we've studied and
  replenish the supply as we learn new "stuff").

  2) He, she or you may read the item's name and then the children
  raise their hands to respond with a fact they learned about this
  particular person or item.

  TEACHER'S NOTE: I've used it successfully first with a study of
  famous Americans-the people came alive for the children!  Last year
  I used it throughout the year.  I gave the children treats at the
  beginning but later they asked to do it as a treat in itself.  I can
  say it was one of the best, quick activities I did and I had lots
  of input from parents about how much their children were learning.