Get the Sprite & TwitterMoms Back to School Tips & Sweeps widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Last spring my daughter’s soon-to-be elementary school hosted a Kindergarten Orientation that mostly amounted to a time to collect health forms and check to see if kids could cut out a teddy bear without help. One great take-away, however, was the First Day of School Countdown Calendar. Much like an Advent calendar, the Countdown Calendar is comprised of 14 flaps counting down the last two weeks before the first day of kindergarten. While each opening of a flap chips away at my breaking heart, Emma has been loving each day, running to the kitchen each morning to peek under a new flap.
All of this excitement has been a little confusing for my three year old, Noah. Not only is he upset by the fact that his big sister is being taken away to kindergarten….without him…but he also does not fully understand that his pre-school will not begin until exactly two weeks after public school is back in session. To alleviate some of his confusion and bring him into the excitement of back to school in a more active way, we created his very own Countdown Calendar using materials we found in our home.
Materials: Markers, scissors, stickers, poster board or construction paper
Step 1: Either fold your poster board in half or layer two pieces of construction paper, one on top of the other. (grab a kid helper)
Step 2: Draw three sided shapes and label each with a number depending on how many weeks or days you will count down to school. (grab a kid helper)
Step 3: Using either a scissors or a crafting knife, cut along the three sides of the shapes you have drawn. This will make the windows for your child to open. If you use a knife, be sure to place a cutting board or thick cardboard underneath your top paper before you begin.
Step 4: Gently life each flap and place a marker dot on the bottom layer of paper, through the flap. This will guide sticker placement.
Step 5: Place a fun sticker on each marker dot. These are the images that will appear when your child opens each window. (grab a kid helper)
Step 6: Close your calendar using staples, tape or glue. Your project is complete!
Next Monday when Noah and I are walking sadly back to our quiet cul-de-sac, having just watched Emma get on the bus for the first time, I will be thrilled for the fun distraction of watching him open his first flap with the big number fourteen. I have a feeling he will be happy for the distraction as well…
About This Post
It’s back-to-school time, and this year Sprite and TwitterMoms have partnered with bloggers like me to share back-to-school tips and tricks, advice, stories and more! Visit Sprite’s back-to-school channel on TwitterMoms to get helpful ideas, learn how to survive the back to school rush, seek out advice from other TwitterMoms and join the conversation. You can . Here’s to a successful and stress-free back to school season from Sprite and TwitterMoms!
