January 2020 | Calendars

Calling all Leaders of Littles,

Get it here!  Your completed edition of the January - An Idea for Every Day Calendar is now hot off the press and ready for printing, pinning, paper-clipping, or bookmarking for your planning needs. To view all January calendars, including more current ones, visit our JOY for Today page.

This is only a graphic.  For active links on calendar, click here.

Ideas for Use

New to the Idea for Every Day Calendar?  No problem.  The intention of this calendar is to supply you with a menu of activities to engage your learners this January.  We chose a National Day for every day in January and selected complementary link pairings for academic tie-ins so you can celebrate every day with your littles.  

That being said, please don't view this calendar as another item in a long line of to-do's, but more a gathering of ideas.  Browse the menu and choose activities that ignite your heart, fit with your curriculum, or excite your learners.  Or, make it accessible while planning.  Then, should a gap arise that needs filling, select an activity to fill it.  

Some activities do require advance planning, while others are print and play.  We preview all activities and carefully select ones we believe will engage, challenge, inspire and/or entice your learners. 

We are always open to suggestions.  Should you find any activity flopped with your learners or required adjustments, please let us know!  Perhaps you have another idea you love to use and it fits with one of the days - we'd love to hear about it and share it here!  Just shoot us an email (mr@wolfestew.com or mrs@wolfestew.com) or post a comment below.  Your flavor adds depth to the stew. 

January Highlights

This month, we chose a new way to feature select days.  As a sampling of what the calendar offers, we chose activities to highlight various curriculum areas.  Skim on to find a subject that intrigues you.  Just keep in mind, there are many more ideas on the calendar than those featured below.

Math

You know that question which invariably arises at some point during math instruction, "When are we ever going to need to know this?"  Well, this January, show your learners one applicable example by having them complete the math portion of a sample law enforcement officer test.  Math, while essential, does not always take shape in an obvious capacity.  Show learners how it applies to this career path while honoring our law enforcement officers.

Or, plan a vacation.  I know you're thinking about it, whether you want to admit it or not.  Having recently returned from winter break, spring break awaits in the back of our minds (and maybe at the top of our hearts).  I'd imagine some of your learners feel similarly.  Act on that excitement.  Invite learners to plan out a trip, then calculate the cost of that trip using www.travelmath.com.

Science

In celebration of National Cut Your Energy Costs Day, learners craft this lightbulb while learning about energy conservation.  Not studying physical science right now?  How about life science?  Then squirrels it is!  These cute creatures are sure to motivate your students.  Complete a fact file for squirrel appreciation day.  Then learners can brush up on their research skills of these bushy-tailed critters.

Organization

While the first week back from winter break invited opportunities to practice routines, we wonder if your room could use some sprucing up.  Confession time: ours always can.  Take these January invitations to do just that.  Continually Learning and Teacher Trap offer desk organization ideas, but we suggest a collaborative effort for Library Shelfie Day.  Group members create plans for organizing the class library.  The class chooses a favorite plan (possibly revising it to incorporate other great ideas) then, everyone follows the plan to organize the library.  You're not finished yet though - snap a photo of your efforts and share it with us.  We'd love to see it!  Also, consider posting the picture near the library as a reminder of how to maintain it.  

STEAM

We believe National Hat Day opens the door for STEAM learning.  Little Bins for Little Hands walks you through the "Stack the Cat's Hat" challenge, perfect for little learners.   Challenge older learners with a hat design task.   Consider letting learners choose their own problem that the hat will solve.  Show them the available supplies, then let your STEAM Teams Take Action as they work through the STEAM design process.  

Music

Celebrate culture, entertainment and science this January with music. Introduce your learners to music from a variety of religions (Christian, Islam, Hindu, Buddhist). Then, compare and contrast between religions and identify musical elements of each. For National Kazoo Day, entertain with musical games and science.  Play "Name that Tune," divide learners in two groups - one sings, one plays - or make kazoos and experiment with sound with Buggy and Buddy.  None of these options work for you?  Then kazoo your way through transitions.  

Literacy

Celebrate literacy throughout January by reading about world religions (PreK-3rd or 4th - 6th), refining penmanship, and practicing giving and receiving compliments.   There you have it, three subareas of literacy hit: reading, writing, and speaking.  You have this!

Colleagues

We all know colleagues are worth celebrating.  We witness their day-to-day struggles.  We know that, like us, they need pick-me-ups from time to time.  Check out these two days in January that lend perfectly to pick-me-ups.  The bubble wrap stress relief tag from, "Technology Rocks. Seriously," is sure to pop joy, while the croissants' flaky texture promises comfort.  Both are surefire ways to communicate care to colleagues.

Art

Let the comfort of croissants spill into learning.  Little learners complete dot-to-dots while older learners fold origami.  Nearing January's end, Valentine's Day thoughts begin.  Start now.  Introduce learners to Amberella's street art (preview first) and propose creation of inspired art to decorate the halls for Valentine's Day.  Browse the Reader's Digest list of conversation heart sayings, then instruct learners to create their own.  Ask learners to think with empathy: "What do other learners in this building need to hear?"  Learners clearly display their message on heart art and hang prominently in hallways around the school.  

Leaders, we hope you found a reason (or two) to celebrate this January.  Remember, more opportunities await you and your learners in our Idea for Every Day Calendar.  Here's to hoping you find a reason to celebrate every day this January!

At Your Service,

Sample these related posts:

To find JOY in New Year's Day.

To view New Year's Day celebration ideas. 

To honor Martin Luther King, Jr Day

To celebrate Library Shelfie Day

To inspire your heart with art.

Interested in even more educational resources?  Then stop by our Learning Lab.  It's here where we store all the educational resources we've cooked up to date.  

Picture credits:

• Pictures with CC BY-SA license include the snowy river title backgrounds and the brown hat clip art.
• The picture with a CC BY license is the musical staff.
• Pictures with CC BY-SA-NC licenses are the origami diagram and the girl playing a kazoo.
• The squirrel has a CC BY-NC license.
• The conversation heart picture is a CC BY-NC-ND.