Project Ideas

Here are simple ways to re-use a calendar. You can even purchase cheap calendars at dollar stores or other clearance racks throughout the year. I tend to look for those with interesting photos and colorful photos. Also, watch for different sizes of the same calendar. You can easily find a way to make some games. Magazines are another cheap source to find interesting pictures.

Dogs and Cats Peek-a-boo Book

These pictures came from a calendar. I used photos from a smaller version of the same the calendar for the cover. I taped (or you can glue) each picture to a manilla folder. Then over each picture I cut out a shape on another manilla folder for the picture to peek through. For this particular book, I wrote "I see something hiding, what can it be?" on each page. I focused either it was a cat or dog and added the number of dogs or cats as part of the answer. Even though I was told by my supervisor not to add numbers to the text (they thought toddlers shouldn't be exposed to numbers, colors, letters, etc.), I still did.

Animal Matching Game

The board for this matching game is the back of a calendar. I copied it, cut it apart into game pieces. Then I laminated the board and the pieces. And there you have it-- instant matching game. I love matching games because the concept becomes familiar to young kids, yet new items to match is a lot of fun.