Dial into the brand-new year with a personalized perpetual calendar. It's a great way to reinforce lessons about the months, the days of the week, and, with the weather dial, even changes in the seasons. Display the finished calendar in an accessible spot, so updating it can be a fun daily ritual as winter turns to spring.

Materials

• Cereal-box cardboard
• Craft knife
• Card stock
• CD
• 3½-inch jar lid

• Pinking shears
• Brads
• Pencil
• Marker
• Cardboard

Instructions

1. Download our perpetual calendar template from here. Have your child draw a picture directly on the template. Glue the artwork to a backing of cereal-box cardboard. With a craft knife, cut windows and slits where indicated (an adult's job).

2. On card stock, trace a CD twice and a 3½-inch jar lid three times. Cut out the circles (with pinking shears, if desired). With the craft knife, cut holes in the dials and base, then attach the dials with brads.

3. Write words on the word dials by slowly turning each dial to a new blank space in the window (use pencil first to fit the words, then go over them with marker).

4. For the stand, trace the jar lid onto cardboard, cut the circle out, then cut it in half and make slits in the rounded sides. Insert these in the slits at the calendar's bottom.

Tips:

To Make the Date Dial. Write the numbers 1 through 3 on the left side (larger dial), and 0 through 9 on the right side (smaller dial).

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