diff --git a/notebooks/utils.py b/notebooks/utils.py
index 2d9e491..0c78f5e 100644
--- a/notebooks/utils.py
+++ b/notebooks/utils.py
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 import pandas as pd
 import rasterio
 from catboost import CatBoostClassifier, Pool
+from IPython.core.display import HTML as core_HTML
 from IPython.display import display
 from loguru import logger
 from matplotlib.patches import Rectangle
@@ -30,6 +31,7 @@
 logging.getLogger("rasterio").setLevel(logging.ERROR)
 
 
+############# DEFINING TEMPORAL EXTENT #############
 class date_slider:
     """Class that provides a slider for selecting a processing period.
     The processing period is fixed in length, amounting to one year.
@@ -38,40 +40,121 @@ class date_slider:
 
     def __init__(self, start_date=datetime(2018, 1, 1), end_date=datetime(2023, 12, 1)):
 
-        self.start_date = start_date
-        self.end_date = end_date
-
+        # Define the slider
         dates = pd.date_range(start_date, end_date, freq="MS")
         options = [(date.strftime("%b %Y"), date) for date in dates]
         self.interval_slider = widgets.SelectionRangeSlider(
             options=options,
             index=(0, 11),  # Default to a 11-month interval
             orientation="horizontal",
+            description="",
             continuous_update=False,
-            readout=True,
             behaviour="drag",
-            layout={"width": "90%", "height": "100px", "margin": "0 auto 0 auto"},
             style={
                 "handle_color": "dodgerblue",
             },
+            layout=widgets.Layout(
+                width="600px",
+                margin="0 0 0 10px",
+            ),
+            readout=False,
         )
-        self.selected_range = [
-            pd.to_datetime(start_date),
-            pd.to_datetime(start_date) + pd.DateOffset(months=12) - timedelta(days=1),
-        ]
 
-    def on_slider_change(self, change):
-        start, end = change["new"]
-        # keep the interval fixed
-        expected_end = start + pd.DateOffset(months=11)
-        if end != expected_end:
-            end = start + pd.DateOffset(months=11)
-            self.interval_slider.value = (start, end)
-        self.selected_range = (start, end + pd.DateOffset(months=1) - timedelta(days=1))
+        # Define the HTML text widget for the selected range and focus time
+        initial_range = [
+            (pd.to_datetime(start_date)).strftime("%d %b %Y"),
+            (
+                pd.to_datetime(start_date)
+                + pd.DateOffset(months=12)
+                - timedelta(days=1)
+            ).strftime("%d %b %Y"),
+        ]
+        initial_focus_time = (
+            pd.to_datetime(start_date) + pd.DateOffset(months=6)
+        ).strftime("%b %Y")
+        self.html_text = widgets.HTML(
+            value=f"<b>Selected range:</b> {initial_range[0]} - {initial_range[1]}<br><b>Focus time:</b> {initial_focus_time}",
+            placeholder="HTML placeholder",
+            description="",
+            layout=widgets.Layout(justify_content="center", display="flex"),
+        )
 
-    def show_slider(self):
+        # Attach slider observer
         self.interval_slider.observe(self.on_slider_change, names="value")
 
+        # Add custom CSS for the ticks
+        custom_css = """
+        <style>
+        .widget-container {
+            padding-left: 10px; /* Add 20px margin on left and right */
+            box-sizing: border-box; /* Include padding in width */
+            width: 600px; /* Fixed width for consistent alignment */
+            margin: 0 auto; /* Center align the container */
+            position: relative;
+        }
+        .slider-container {
+            position: relative;
+            width: 100%;
+            margin: 0 auto; /* Center align */
+        }
+        .slider-container .tick-wrapper {
+            position: relative;
+            width: 100%; /* Match slider width */
+            height: 40px; /* Reserve space for ticks and labels */
+        }
+        .slider-container .tick-mark {
+            position: absolute;
+            bottom: 25px; /* Adjust to position tick marks relative to labels */
+            transform: translateX(-50%);
+            font-size: 14px;
+            font-weight: bold;
+        }
+        .slider-container .tick-label {
+            position: absolute;
+            bottom: 0; /* Place directly under tick marks */
+            transform: translateX(-50%);
+            font-size: 10px;
+            text-align: center;
+            line-height: 1.2em; /* For two-line labels */
+        }
+        </style>
+        """
+
+        # # Generate ticks
+        tick_dates = pd.date_range(
+            start_date, pd.to_datetime(end_date) + pd.DateOffset(months=1), freq="4MS"
+        )
+        tick_labels = [date.strftime("%b %Y") for date in tick_dates]
+        n_labels = len(tick_labels)
+        ticks_html = ""
+        for i, label in enumerate(tick_labels):
+            position = (i / (n_labels - 1)) * 100  # Position as a percentage
+            ticks_html += f"""
+            <div class="tick-mark" style="left: {position}%; ">|</div>
+            <div class="tick-label" style="left: {position}%; ">{label.split()[0]}<br>{label.split()[1]}</div>
+            """
+
+        # HTML container for tick marks and labels
+        tick_marks_and_labels = widgets.HTML(
+            value=f"""
+        <div class="widget-container">
+            <div class="slider-container">
+                <div class="tick-wrapper">
+                    {ticks_html}
+                </div>
+            </div>
+        </div>
+        """
+        )
+
+        # Combine slider and ticks using VBox
+        slider_with_ticks = widgets.VBox(
+            [self.interval_slider, tick_marks_and_labels],
+            layout=widgets.Layout(
+                width="640px", align_items="center", justify_content="center"
+            ),
+        )
+
         # Add description widget
         descr_widget = widgets.HTML(
             value="""
@@ -83,26 +166,54 @@ def show_slider(self):
             """
         )
 
-        # Arrange the text widget, interval slider, and tick widget using VBox
-        vbox_with_ticks = widgets.VBox(
+        # Arrange the description widget, interval slider, ticks and text widget in a VBox
+        vbox = widgets.VBox(
             [
                 descr_widget,
-                self.interval_slider,
+                slider_with_ticks,
+                self.html_text,
             ],
-            layout={"height": "150px"},
+            layout=widgets.Layout(
+                align_items="center", justify_content="center", width="650px"
+            ),
         )
 
-        display(vbox_with_ticks)
+        display(core_HTML(custom_css))
+        display(vbox)
+
+    def on_slider_change(self, change):
+
+        start, end = change["new"]
+
+        # keep the interval fixed
+        expected_end = start + pd.DateOffset(months=11)
+        if end != expected_end:
+            end = start + pd.DateOffset(months=11)
+            self.interval_slider.value = (start, end)
+
+        # update the HTML text underneath the slider
+        range = [
+            (pd.to_datetime(start)).strftime("%d %b %Y"),
+            (
+                pd.to_datetime(start) + pd.DateOffset(months=12) - timedelta(days=1)
+            ).strftime("%d %b %Y"),
+        ]
+        focus_time = (start + pd.DateOffset(months=6)).strftime("%b %Y")
+        self.html_text.value = f"<b>Selected range:</b> {range[0]} - {range[1]}<br><b>Focus time:</b> {focus_time}"
 
     def get_processing_period(self):
 
-        start = self.selected_range[0].strftime("%Y-%m-%d")
-        end = self.selected_range[1].strftime("%Y-%m-%d")
+        start = pd.to_datetime(self.interval_slider.value[0])
+        end = start + pd.DateOffset(months=12) - timedelta(days=1)
+
+        start = start.strftime("%Y-%m-%d")
+        end = end.strftime("%Y-%m-%d")
         logger.info(f"Selected processing period: {start} to {end}")
 
         return TemporalContext(start, end)
 
 
+##########################
 def get_input(label):
     while True:
         modelname = input(f"Enter a short name for your {label} (don't use spaces): ")
diff --git a/notebooks/worldcereal_v1_demo_custom_cropland.ipynb b/notebooks/worldcereal_v1_demo_custom_cropland.ipynb
index a658109..58dc88b 100644
--- a/notebooks/worldcereal_v1_demo_custom_cropland.ipynb
+++ b/notebooks/worldcereal_v1_demo_custom_cropland.ipynb
@@ -284,8 +284,7 @@
    "source": [
     "from utils import date_slider\n",
     "\n",
-    "slider = date_slider()\n",
-    "slider.show_slider()"
+    "slider = date_slider()"
    ]
   },
   {
diff --git a/notebooks/worldcereal_v1_demo_custom_croptype.ipynb b/notebooks/worldcereal_v1_demo_custom_croptype.ipynb
index 25c8eb4..85ecc7f 100644
--- a/notebooks/worldcereal_v1_demo_custom_croptype.ipynb
+++ b/notebooks/worldcereal_v1_demo_custom_croptype.ipynb
@@ -115,8 +115,7 @@
    "source": [
     "from utils import date_slider\n",
     "\n",
-    "slider = date_slider()\n",
-    "slider.show_slider()"
+    "slider = date_slider()"
    ]
   },
   {
diff --git a/notebooks/worldcereal_v1_demo_custom_croptype_extended.ipynb b/notebooks/worldcereal_v1_demo_custom_croptype_extended.ipynb
index 9b88256..89ac9d2 100644
--- a/notebooks/worldcereal_v1_demo_custom_croptype_extended.ipynb
+++ b/notebooks/worldcereal_v1_demo_custom_croptype_extended.ipynb
@@ -115,8 +115,7 @@
    "source": [
     "from utils import date_slider\n",
     "\n",
-    "slider = date_slider()\n",
-    "slider.show_slider()"
+    "slider = date_slider()"
    ]
   },
   {
diff --git a/notebooks/worldcereal_v1_demo_default_cropland.ipynb b/notebooks/worldcereal_v1_demo_default_cropland.ipynb
index 801c2e1..174bb14 100644
--- a/notebooks/worldcereal_v1_demo_default_cropland.ipynb
+++ b/notebooks/worldcereal_v1_demo_default_cropland.ipynb
@@ -135,8 +135,7 @@
    "source": [
     "from utils import date_slider\n",
     "\n",
-    "slider = date_slider()\n",
-    "slider.show_slider()"
+    "slider = date_slider()"
    ]
   },
   {
diff --git a/notebooks/worldcereal_v1_demo_default_cropland_extended.ipynb b/notebooks/worldcereal_v1_demo_default_cropland_extended.ipynb
index 37f0d25..859eb89 100644
--- a/notebooks/worldcereal_v1_demo_default_cropland_extended.ipynb
+++ b/notebooks/worldcereal_v1_demo_default_cropland_extended.ipynb
@@ -135,8 +135,7 @@
    "source": [
     "from utils import date_slider\n",
     "\n",
-    "slider = date_slider()\n",
-    "slider.show_slider()"
+    "slider = date_slider()"
    ]
   },
   {