MATERIALS
1. Gray board: 60 cm wide by 80 cm tall by 0.5 cm thick.
2. Letters: A to Z, Capital. Microsoft Word, Calibri font, Size 140, Outline style. Margins, all 2 cm. Print.
3. Pictures: One per letter, or whatever is available, suits you, and fills out the edge of the board. Margins, all 2 cm. Print.
Our example: apple, bear, car, dog, earth, frog, fish, grapes, kite, key, lamp, leaf, moose, nuts, owl, olives with the branch, pear, pie, quail, stamp, strawberry, starfish, tree, telephone, violin, zebra.
INSTRUCTIONS
Using scissors, cut out the pictures. Arrange around the board, the letter first, followed by the corresponding picture(s). Using glue sticks, glue onto the board. Let dry.
CONTENT
1. Months: September to August. Microsoft Word, Calibri font, Size 140, Outline style, landscape. Margins, 1.27 cm. Three months per page. Print. Cut out in long strips, leaving the white space around the word. Color.
Our example: September – golden yellow; October – orange; November – brown; December – dark blue; January – sky blue; February – aqua blue; March – yellow green; April – green; May – pink; June – magenta; July – red; August – violet.
2. Weather chart: Using Windows calendar, print out each month on its own page. Icons: One per weather type, sized to fit a calendar square. Copy and paste to make a full page, and print several pages.
Our example: Sunny, sunny & white clouds, sunny & dark clouds, rainy, snowy, cloudy, sunny and rainy, sunny and snowy, windy.
In the morning and/or afternoon, check the temperature on the outside thermometer, and choose a weather icon for the day. Write down the temperatures and glue or tape on the icons. Repeat each day.
3. Activity chart: Using Microsoft Excel, create a monthly activity chart. Preschool dates in the first column, and two activity columns. Extra rows for each day that has more activities planned for it.
Our example: Activity Chart
4. Daily Routine: Images representing daily tasks and basic schedule. Print and cut out.
Our example: Breakfast, check weather, get dressed, music, independent play (blocks, books, crayons, puzzles, toys), morning activities, lunch, quiet time in own room, clean up. Check weather, go outside. Preschool activities. Prepare supper, clean up, story time, bed time.
5. Theme Decorations: Several images, printed, colored, and cut out that correspond to the monthly themes.
Our example for September: Leaves in red, orange, yellow, brown, and green. Various farm animals.
6. Thought of the Week: Quote, idea, saying, proverb, Bible verse. Something positive and informative. Written on a 3×5 index card, with a pencil crayon colored border.
Our example, with a yellow border:
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the expanse of heaven shows the work of His hands.
2 Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
4 Their sound has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.
~~ Psalm 19:1-4a
.
7. Arrangement: Month name, top center. One theme picture on each side. Activity chart next, top left. Daily routine pictures top right, in order, in a crossword-type path. One theme picture on the left and one on the right; two at the bottom. Next on the left, two theme pictures, one larger, one smaller. Underneath is the index card. To the right is the monthly weather calendar.
Activity chart, weather calendar, and month name are held in place by yellow thumb tacks, the points covered at the back with tape. The smaller pictures and index card are held on with pieces of tape folded in a circle, so as to be sticky on both sides.
