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January 1st has the distinction of being first in line. It offers brand new possibilities. The day is also the beginning of a new calendar year. Crisp day planners or hanging calendars are all ready to be filled with upcoming activities. But the New Year not only brings with it the promise of new adventures, it also provides a reason to delve into the history and importance of the calendar. Calendars have a long history that is rich in its evolution and very valuable to study.
The Calendar Zone is a first stop in learning about our modern version. Links are divided into specific categories that touch on various aspects of the calendar system. Announcing the Sky lists past and current calendar systems. It is great to learn about other systems used around the world.
The purpose of the calendar was to organize time. Ancient cultures were preoccupied with the advancement of days and cataloging the meaning. Stonehenge is a series of monoliths in concentric circles. Many theories abound about the significance of such a large scale creation. Some scholars think it was a way to track the movement of the stars for important events. There are many other cultures which used some very advanced means to tell time throughout the year.
For younger children, the famous poem to memorize the number of days in a month is a fun kick off to any calendar lesson. Blank calendars are another great way to reinforce the information. You can use blank calendar pages and holiday decorations for days to be printed. This is a fun tool to occupy the elementary aged, while the older children are learning more historical significant facts about calendars.
You can also have students learn about solar and lunar calendars. The history and lore is studied. Astronomy could be incorporated into these lessons. You could study the phases of the moon and how the moon drives the tide waters. There are also many interesting stories concerning the hypnotic effects of the moon, which can be a fun literature component. There are so many different ways to learn about calendars. Use your time wisely with these calendar lessons.
Lesson Plans on Calendars:
Sun Calendar and Crop Planting has students make observations and track them in a journal. Children map the sun’s progression and record the data to make educated assumptions on the best time to plant.
Wait a What has children practice time management skills. They make a calendar to track when their activities occur. Minutes, hours and seconds are studied as a part of this lesson.
Calendar Computation lists questions which use the calendar as reference for answers. There are three worksheets, including one about leap year.
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