A circular calendar makes more visual sense than a square chart.
Familiarity with the biblical calendar and its seasons is essential to understanding scripture. Use the following activities and resources to help kids learn how the lunar calendar works. See the photo slide show at the bottom for pictures of how to make the circular calendar craft project pictured on the right.
- First, understand the basics. Our society generally operates on the Gregorian calendar, which is a solar calendar based on the earth's revolution around the sun. The biblical or Jewish calendar is lunar, meaning that it is based on the cycle of the moon. Visit Torah Tots to read about the lunar calendar in simplified language.
- Learn about the phases of the moon. Try the preschool moon lesson over at DLTK, which is complete with free printables. Also take a look at Moon Phases, which is an informative site that contains images and facts about the moon.
- Visit Jewfaq for a list of the months of the biblical year.
- Find out what your birthday is on the biblical calendar. Use the easy Hebrew birthday calculator at Akhlah.
- To create the circular calendar craft pictured in the photo album, follow these instructions:
1. Decide which month of the biblical year you will focus on. The pictured calendar features the month of Tishrei, which begins this year at sundown on September 18, 2009.
2. Visit Hebcal to generate a reference calendar. Count the number of days in your biblical month and make note of the Gregorian date on which the lunar month begins. For instance, the first of Tishrei falls on September 18th at sundown.
3. Go to Stardate and print out the moon phase calendars that correspond to your month. For instance, the days of Tishrei fall in the months of September and October on the Gregorian calendar, so you would print off those two months for a Tishrei calendar.
4. Find and print a picture of the earth from space. You can also use clip art or draw the earth.
5. Cut a circle from a piece of poster board or heavy paper and divide it into as many sections as there are days in your month. Tishrei has 30. This is an excellent opportunity to practice those geometry skills! If you are a perfectionist, you can do the math. Otherwise, just estimate.
6. Number the sections of your circle. Remember, if you have 30 days in your month, then you need 30 sections.
7. Find the first day of the biblical month on your Stardate calendar. For instance, for Tishrei 1, you would find September 18. Cut out the moon from your Stardate calendar and paste it on section 1 of your circle. Now cut out the moon from the next day of your Stardate calendar and paste it to section 2. Repeat until the entire circle is filled.
8. Now that you have filled your circular calendar with the moon phases and dates, paste the picture of the earth in the center.
9. For each holiday that takes place in your month, cut out or draw pictures to put on the appropriate date. For instance, Rosh Hashanah begins on Tishrei 1, so the featured calendar has a picture of a shofar and apple.
10. Follow your calendar each day. Go outside and look at the moon each night and compare it to what you see on your calendar. Consider making a new circular lunar calendar for each month.
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