I like having a tree in my classroom.  Not a real one (while that would be wonderful, we make do with potted plants) -- a two dimensional -on-the-wall one.

This year, it was time for the tree join the alphabet and the number line to have a make over.

Dale Chihuly is an American glass sculptor.  His work is awe and art inspiring.

Amazing glass sculptures that rise from the earth or water, or hang from ceilings - explosions of colour that celebrate life.

I knew that we had to make our own version in kindergarten.


Last year I took the plunge and changed the way that we "do" calendar. (Thanks to (Matt Gomez and Mardelle Sauerborn who posted about their calendar journey.)

Instead of the traditional turn-the-date-over monthly calendar, I  put up all 12 months,  to create a living document of our year.


It was a learning curve as the kids and I figured out together how we wanted it to work. 

First thing that went up was all the birthdays.  Pretty important.

my goals 
I wanted the kids to see the passage of time.  The whole school year - not just the current month.   
I wanted to the kids to refer to the class calendar the way that I use my calendar at home - to see when events were going to occur.
Elephants are such fascinating and amazing creatures that they cannot help but capture the imagination.

Add that to sensory play and the alphabet - and you’ve got a winning combination.




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