Timelines: Marking the Passing of Time at School

Halloween Costumes over Time 

TIMELINES: Helping young children understand the passage of time is important -- yet challenging. We all know that everything in the mind of a six year old happened this morning ~~ after breakfast. Grasping the concept of the passing of time is the needed foundation for the understanding of such higher level consideration as to how the seasons follow each other around the migration of the sun and ultimately the entire history of civilization. 

We start with 'yesterday/today/tomorrow.' {This brilliant yet super simple idea is from an earlier RoundUP here on all things 'visual cue/prompt.'} We can then move on and then upgrade to days of the week. Before you know it the months of the year are part of circle time. BIG TIME! 

This has got to be one of the most clever and meaningful assignments that I've seen in my Author/illustrator school visit travels. This Halloween bulletin board was on display last year in Colorado. I had borrowed my step-son's guitar and ventured over to the WesternWonderPeep's school to serenade and share my creative process. 

As is my delight, I document the excellence in education I observe during my adventures, to share with you here. I've been saving these pictures for-ever. I'm sharing now in the hopes of giving you sufficient time to replicate the concept in your setting. 

Students were given the homework assignment of gathering photos of themselves in their annual Halloween costume. Once gathered then the individual timelines were made using the pictures. If you look at the samples in the the various timeline collages in this article, you can see that the images were labeled in a manner of different ways. 

The school hallway bulletin board had student created jack-o-lanterns mixed in among the timelines -- making for an extra festive Halloween display. 

Truth-in-blogging-fine-print. This is one of those homework assignments that make parents absolutely shudder to their core. Locating (and then printing) the necessary photographs will no doubt make parents use words not intended for their child's ears. I know this project will be stressful from the parent perspective. No small task digging around through files and scrapbooks to find the needed ingredients. Give as much time as possible to for parents to get their homework together. This is likely to become an annual project..... so parents touring the building will have a year to plan ahead for when their kiddo gets into your room! 

But what could be 'more' meaningful from a young child's perspective than seeing themselves in costume through the years? Documenting the passage of time? Bazinga! PRICELESS!!!

***Of course if you 'find' this article well past Halloween, or if your school no longer acknowledges Halloween, or if you have a student whose family doesn't participate in costumes -- this idea of "timelines" could be adapted to be the moments celebrated at milestones such as a 'birthday celebration' timeline -- or though shorter, even a first day of school photos, or a choose the milestone of your own that is documented annually (Christmas, snowman building, Sukkot etc etc.) 

As with all things, we get the glimmer of a great idea and then we adapt it for appropriateness to the age and setting where we are located.

Yes! Pin, pin, pin, please! I'm so grateful for every pin. 

In real time. Today is moving day! We have crossed the country and are now in the process of MOVING in to our new little home in Vero Beach! We have had all the walls painted and the flooring replaced. Now all we need to do is gather our furniture that has been stored down here -- awaiting ouf arrival with a truck! 

{Sunday SALE!} Today I put my zipped file for "All Together Now" on sale for the coming couple of days. 

Think good thoughts over the next several days for our moving/settling in process. The last week has been pretty incredible and we're both fairly exhausted. Here's to palm trees and sunshine as a reward.