The Annual Calendar serves as a visual representation of your entire year. It is divided into three sections: the main biomes of the Northern Hemisphere in different seasons on the top part, historical epochs at the bottom with historical figures for each day in the middle. Each day of the week is color-coded, just like the seasons.
The Annual Calendar thus has two goals: to help you visualize your year and stay organized while supporting your understanding of your natural, historical, and cultural context (see articles on the memory palace and self-directed learning - Home Instruction).
Selection and Placement of Cards
STEP 1: Start by placing the Sun card on today's date. It should be moved each day to follow time. By constantly moving the Sun card, engaging your children, you stay engaged with your planner, ensuring you remain aware of upcoming events and milestones.
STEP 2: Selecting holidays and celebrations to include in your Annual Calendar is an important and meaningful process, take time to discuss and decide which celebrations truly reflect your values and traditions. The Family Time set offers many holiday cards, including religious, traditional, and public holidays, and you can find more on the merlinstruction.com website.
STEP 3: Let's now integrate birthdays, wedding anniversaries, significant events, even of deceased family members into your planner. These milestones represent special moments in your life and your family's life, past and future, so it's essential to ensure they are well represented. Place the cards on their corresponding dates and make sure every family member has their special day celebrated...!
STEP 4: Proceed to integrate annual tasks and responsibilities. Start by adding annual tasks, such as tax payments, seasonal cleanings, or your car's yearly check-up. Then, integrate monthly tasks like bill payments and managing the budget for the upcoming month. You can also add reminders and important events such as special meetings and phone calls as needed.
STEP 5: Dedicate time to discussing and planning fun activities and outings that you or your family will cherish, like a weekend hike with friends, concerts, upcoming training, mushroom and berry picking, museum visits, or other hobbies.
Tips for Organizing and Personalizing the Annual Calendar
- Keep the cards organized by category in envelopes or small bags for easy reference and placement.
- Regularly update your Annual Calendar by adding or removing cards for events or milestones.
- Be careful not to overload the Annual Calendar.
- Feel free to add notes, photos, or drawings to personalize your planner. This creative touch not only makes your Calendar and wall unique for your family but also helps instill a sense of ownership and pride in the planning process.
In the succession of seasons, where each day is a golden thread woven into your family life, the Annual Calendar from the Family Time box is a poetic compass for families. The Annual Calendar anchors your golden memories and celebrates the uniqueness of each shared moment. More than just a time marker, it is a bridge between the hearth, the heart of your home, and the horizon, between roots and dreams. To each family, it offers an odyssey, a journey within which bonds are woven and every day becomes a star in the constellation of your shared story.
Embark on this marvelous adventure, where the Annual Calendar becomes the guardian of your memories and the gardener of the family spirit, cultivating curiosity and wonder within the sanctuary of your home. Above all, don't waste time, because at the end of the year peel off your Calendar and stick the corresponding photos to the month behind, then store them in your family album... Beautiful, isn't it?