March & April Mini Projects + Freebie!

Sunday, April 24

This blog post is about 2 monthly mini projects. The first project is March and the second project is April. If you want to read the April mini project, scroll halfway down otherwise you can continue here.

March’s mini project was an ELA Letter Sound Booklet. The purpose of this mini project was to have my students do something fun and interactive over their Spring Break instead of a boring packet. Wouldn’t you prefer something hands-on rather than pages of repeating work? I know I do which is why I could relate to my students because they are hands-on learners. Not only that, but I wanted my students to be able to associate letter sounds with things they will see and hear in real life. What better way to connect abstract topic than with a concrete hands-on project? The 7 letters I chose for this project were the ones majority of my class was struggling with either in letter sound, letter recognition or letter formation.  The letters were: Aa, Pp, Mm, Ll, Cc, Hh, and Bb.

My TK students completed this mini project over their Spring Break which was the last week of March. The students did a wonderful job searching through magazines and grocery ads for 3 or more pictures that started with each letter.
I was even surprised to see some projects with written words next to the pictures because their parents made them do it. The extra things my students and their families do! #proudteachermoment

Below are a few examples of the students’ work.









After they turned in the project they were given the opportunity to share their booklet with the class. Once I finished grading them, the students put their booklet inside their book bags so they could read it whenever they want too.

Grab yourself a copy of this Letter Sound Booklet by clicking HERE. Don't forget to attached a letter explaining your expectations, grading rubrics, and the directions to complete this project.

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April’s mini project was a Science project in celebration of Earth Day. This idea was given to me by my Kindergarten colleague so all credit goes to her! My students were required to build a robot out of household recycled items. It was a very simple and direct project for parents to understand. Along with my letter I attached a card stock to it, explaining that the robot could be 2D or 3D depending on the items they have laying around at home. Before Friday, April 22 (project due date) I was expecting 2D robots from my students and parents complaining that the project was too advanced for Transitional Kindergarten. However, when the day came I had more than 3/4 of the class turning in a 3D robot. The morning of Earth Day was a very overwhelming feeling for me in a sense of joy and happiness. I couldn’t believe my eyes when my students and parents came into the classroom to drop off the project one after another. I was literally smiling and screaming in joy at the great outcome because my 4-5 years old students did the project themselves and their parents assisted them in completing it. The best part about this project was giving my students the opportunity to show and tell their recycled robot to the class, explaining what their robot was made out of, and whether their robot could move or not.

This project was such a success I wanted to share some photos of the recycled robots from my TK students.


One of my students turned in 2 different robots. He did a 2d and a 3d robot.


I love the meaning behind this robot. Look carefully inside the body. 

I highly recommend this project for teachers! You will be amazed by the creativity of your students and the effort from them and their parents. Trust me, you will not be disappointed!!
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