DIY: Make Your Own Ever-changing Book

Are you a classroom teacher or play & learn at home parent looking for a fresh new way to approach the classical approach to "circle time?" Do you have children ranging in ages under your care? Do you work or live with children who are very active or are you looking for ways to bring more structured activities with you on the go? Meet the Ever-changing Book--the perfect DIY for you and your little ones! 

Now, before I begin, let me give credit where credit is due! This is not entirely my own idea, but rather was adapted from a tool used by a local librarian we met at a toddler story time yesterday. Some friends will recommend a story time they think your children will enjoy, but true friends know to recommend a story time they think you will enjoy. A friend of mine steered us toward this particular librarian who used to teach in a Montessori school as she felt I would appreciate her approach and style. I was so impressed with her demeanor, pace and style that I worked up the courage to chat with her afterward (yes, I get starstruck when I meet a cool teacher, librarian or author). One of the most unique materials she introduced to the children was her own Ever-changing Book, a 12 x 12 photo/scrapbook album with letter sound songs and pictures in each page. She adapts her book to introduce a set of letters and letter sounds to her audience. Well, the gears were already turning in my head and truthfully, even if S hadn't asked to make our own Ever-changing Book and have "story time at home," I would already have driven five miles above the speed limit, 55% off coupon in hand to the craft supply store that evening to start our own version!

Our Ever-changing Book reflects our current play theme of butterflies, bugs and insects. Letters are something we are always exploring and learning about, and this can be theme related, too, even if it is an activity you do year round. I have also included a fun fact sheet about butterflies...

When S and I did home preschool, we often did some version of a circle time or rug time activity. I was less likely to really work on being seated and stationary in these times and many times, our morning songs and routines were done in transition or on the go. I knew as a teacher and as a parent that S and all young children have a life ahead of them in which they will need to "sit still" and "pay attention." I also knew as a teacher and as a parent that just like we focus in these early years on emergent literacy by exposing children to a larger skill set that leads to reading, so, too, do we expose children to a larger skill set that leads to sitting still. And these skills are developed through moving!

Songs, poems and action rhymes encourage rhythm and movement whether you are indoors or outside! Some songs are seasonal and others theme related. There are many songs we sing daily, year-round, particularly ones related to daily prayers. Visual aids (like pictures) and small, flat props can be included with those as well.

Lastly, I also knew that both in my smaller classroom settings and in our own home setting, having all of our "circle time" activities and props available in one convenient location is not always possible or convenient. This meant either moving about the room (not such a bad thing) or schlepping materials in baskets and bins as we needed them. Often this would interrupt the routine and flow of our time together. And when I looked at some of the components of the traditional circle time and the setting in which we were doing it, it simply didn't make a lot of sense. Talking about the weather indoors and no where near a window, made no sense! We should be observing that outside. And trying to incorporate music and movement in a smaller seated space didn't work as well as it did in a larger, more open space. More and more I also observed the need for children to have things they could touch and manipulate during seated group times, but there was still a separation between their materials and mine.

Both boys love this action rhyme that incorporates counting and early math skills. The laminated butterfly stick puppets are a wonderful prop to include--I just google searched some images and clip art I liked of butterflies to cut out and include.

The Ever-changing Book seemed to address all of these concerns and more! It is kind of a "busy-binder" meets circle time, crossbred with a classroom bulletin board! I had to resist the urge to go completely overboard and pull an all-nighter as ideas on what to include swarmed my brain. I decided that for all involved, a well rested Mommy and an introduction of just a few pages at first were best for everyone. Here's a look at what we used, what we've included so far, and what we may add in as time goes on...this is, after all, an Ever-changing Book!

You Will Need:

• a photo album, scrapbook or binder with sheet protectors--you'll want something you can alter (so no sticky pages--though you could even create a book of felt and use velcro)
• paper, cardstock--I found a great discount on clearance scrapbook sets and had a coupon for the album itself and walked out with two $20 paper packs and a scrapbook all for under $25!
• laminating machine (optional)--I prefer to laminate my materials for durability 

What You Might Want to Include:

• printed/handwritten songs, fingerplays and action rhymes including ones you sing daily or ones that are specific to your theme or the season
• themed or seasonal artwork
• current/theme-related artwork done by the children
• current photos of your children or family doing theme or season related activities--these can be used to tell a social story or simply to start conversations about what you're up to at home or in the classroom
• small, flat props like laminated shapes, letters, numbers, sand letters and numbers, stick puppets/pointers etc. that can be used in songs and rhymes or otherwise manipulated by the children in simple puzzles or matching games 
• printed stories and poems to incorporate in story telling
• visual aids and charts that can accompany daily songs, prayers or poems
• a countdown page or photo/picture page related to an upcoming holiday, event or family trip
• insert pages and a dry erase marker that older children can use to practice writing letters, numbers, their names, words, shapes, line-tracing, etc.
• gross motor games/action cards

I've really shied away from the traditional "calendar time" approach used so often in early childhood classrooms. While learning about time, the date, month and season are all important, learning about them repeatedly out of context does not necessarily prove to be helpful in the long term. Many students even by the age of five still struggle with the concept of days of the week, yesterday and today in context but can recite them by rote in a song. Heck, even as an adult I often don't know what day it is! But I do love including relevant seasonal photos, art, and a season related song or poem. We talk about other aspects of the calendar and weather in context as we are going about our daily routines and activities.

It can be really tempting to go overboard and include EVERYTHING right away, especially if you are me! It is OK and even good to have some blank pages here and to go with the mantra that less is more. The greatest benefits of this model are that it is transportable and that it is ever-changing! You want to be able to grab it and go without breaking your back. And just like a traditional book that is too long won't maintain a child's attention, neither will an ever-changing book that is too long. 

And how often should you change your ever-changing book? I like the idea of certain things remaining the same as others change so that there is always an aspect of familiarity. You might pull things out and swap others in as your theme changes. We're exploring butterflies, bugs and insects here this week, so our letter page and fingerplay are butterfly related. We'll change those out when our theme changes. Some of our other songs are related to the season we are in--those we would swap out as Fall arrives. 

Our aleph-beis chart and pointer are something I'd include year round, though we may change out our chart or prop at some point should the inspiration strike. We are also working on creating our own sand letters to include a few at a time in a page. These are great for tactile recognition and pre-writing.

Repetition is the essence of learning and while novelty has its place and appeal, repeating familiar songs and routines helps children to feel secure in their environment and to process new material. And particularly when working with mixed age groups, repeating familiar activities has developmental appeal to everyone! S can take on the role of "leader" in activities he is proficient in at his age and build confidence along with competence. Y is gaining a great deal of verbal language right now, so repeating songs and rhymes is essential. If you are working with mixed ages, you can also include age/developmentally specific pages for each of your little ones.

So, now that you've got your Ever-changing Book, how should you use it? Well, that's up to you! But here are a few ideas:

• Create a Familiar Routine Around It: I like to use a wood chime to call children to quiet attention in my classrooms and sometimes even at home. This can signify the beginning of a "circle time" or "group time" or "cozy time" (whatever you choose to call it) whether you are at home/in the classroom or out and about. The familiarity of chime and of the book will let the children know that this is the activity whether or not the time and location of the activity are the same. 
• Use it in a Familiar Space: Perhaps you sit at the table together or maybe you have a special rug or room, chair or couch. You can make a habit and routine of using your Ever-changing Book in a particular location or even at a particular time of day. You can also break it up into multiple time slots, especially if you're short on time or your little ones seem disinterested at a particular point.
• Take It Along With You: This is one of the great bonuses of this model. You can take it to the yard, to the park, on your family vacation or field trip. One of the greatest challenges teachers and beginning homeschool parents have when getting started is getting everyone together in one place at one time. This is why I love the Ever-changing Book. It can go where the action is, it can be opened when children are engaged and closed when they are not.
• Troubleshooting: Don't be discouraged if this new material is met with less enthusiasm than you'd expected. New things can be disconcerting for little ones. If your little one(s) wanders off after a minute or two, consider trying again later or tomorrow. If over the course of a few tries, their attention is not engaged, you might want to include less or change up what's inside. Does your little one respond to music? Include more songs? Does she like to hold something? Include more props? Is he very mobile and active? Take it with you to a space that is big enough for movement and focus on movement games and songs interspersed with more stationary ones.
• Older children: Older children may benefit from their own Ever-changing Book that is used more independently (think more busy-binder style). These are great for quiet times, waiting times and (for non-motion sick children) travel times.

Check back in for more ideas to include in your Ever-changing Book as we will be making updates as we go along. Until then...

Happy Playing!