Harry Kindergarten + Kinder-Craze Calendar Giveaway!

As a kindergarten teacher, I find that I am constantly looking for ways to improve instruction. Whether that means using finding great new videos to teach kindergarten concepts or hanging visual resources that are cleaner and easier children to read; my job is to keep finding what works EVEN better than how I did things before.

This fall, I was determined to overhaul my calendar/circle time space. It looks better than ever, is more interactive for my students, AND can easily include some extra interest (thanks to the musical innovation of Harry Kindergarten!) I'll get back to my space with LOTS of photos in a minute, but first let me tell you more about Harry Kindergarten!

All About Harry Kindergarten

If you don't know about Harry Kindergarten, YOU ARE MISSING OUT! For starters, his name is Pete Harry and he is a real-life kindergarten teacher who spends his days in the trenches just like you and I. Pete knows the importance of keeping students engaged in learning and he has a natural talent for creating music. A few years ago, Pete put his skills as a teacher and music-maker to work for his own kindergarten classroom - and just like that Harry Kindergarten was born!

Harry Kindergarten Music keeps students rocking while they learn

Pete originally created a set of videos for his own classroom, but was sweet and generous enough to list the videos on the Harry Kindergarten YouTube channel. Since then, Harry Kindergarten Music has become a YouTube sensation with over 65,000 subscribers! He has videos to cover virtually every element of kindergarten classroom management and curriculum. From sitting how to sit Criss-Cross Applesauce, to sight words and the Needs of a Plant, to Numbers in the Teens and everything in between; Harry Kindergarten videos are guaranteed to get your students rocking and learning at the same time!

Rockin' Calendar Concepts with Harry Kindergarten

Since I had plans to freshen up my own classroom calendar time this year, I was immediately intrigued to discover that there several Harry Kindergarten videos that teach calendar concepts. Here are a few of them along with the Kinder-Craze calendar resources that go-hand-in hand with each video.

MONTHS OF THE YEAR

Through the Year monthly label cards from Kinder-Craze

Days of the Week

Through the Week Daily Label Cards from Kinder-Craze

Seasons of the Year

Weather and Temperature

More About My Classroom Calendar

Kinder-Craze fans love seeing photos of my kindergarten classroom. In the past, I haven't shared many photos of my calendar area because it wasn't a particularly attractive area in my classroom - until now! I spent several weeks this summer creating sweet, child-friendly calendar resources that teachers and students will LOVE. I use many of the sets in my own calendar area and I ADORE the fresh, cohesive look of my updated calendar area. Most of the items in the space are attached to the my whiteboard using dot magnets.

Printable resources to create a beautiful classroom calendar

The grid for the actual "calendar" in my calendar area is from Creative Teaching Press's dots on black collection. Each month, I use a different set of numbers from my Through the Year Calendar Numbers pack. Every number collection in the set features seasonal images arranged in a different pattern. My kindergarten students LOVE figuring out which number will be the next picture in the pattern.

I display upcoming special days with my Through the Year Calendar Holiday Cards. My September calendar depicts the school's annual fall book fair, Constitution Day, the first day of fall, and the first day of October. When my kiddos know that a special day is coming up, they are ALWAYS asking how many days it will be until the event. Thank to my Calendar Holiday Cards, my students can find the answers to all of those "how long until…" questions without any help from me!

Although it may not be a teaching topic for our calendar time, I also display my classroom daily schedule beside the calendar. My Schedule Cards are available in the {Black Series} or {White Series}. One of my teaching standards is for students to name objects that measure time. Clocks are always the obvious answer, but the calendar and schedule cards also help my students keep track of passing time.

We take a few minutes each day to discuss the weather, temperature, and seasons. The class loves moving the magnetic pieces onto each sign to complete the sentences.