Home Projects are designed with the goal of increasing family togetherness and increasing the fine motor skills and creativity in students. Directions and a seasonal shape are sent home with students at the beginning of each month. Below, you will find links to sample pictures of previous year's projects, links to print out the monthly shape, and directions that went home for that month.


August
September
October
November
December
January
February
March
April
May

August Home Project

All About Me!
Printable Child

Approximately once a month, I will be sending home a special project for you and your child to complete at home.  This month's project is called 'All About Me'.

I am sending home an outline of a child. Please help your child decorate this cutout to reflect him or her – their favorite things to do or eat, their favorite people, their favorite books or toys, etc. Have fun with your child and be creative!  You may want to help your child find magazine pictures, paint, draw, etc.

All 'All About Me' home projects should be turned in no later than ___ as this is the day that we will share our projects in class.  I can't wait to learn about the important things in your child's life!

September Home Project

I'm Learning at School!
Printable Schoolhouse

This month's project is called 'I'm Learning at School!'.  This project is also in preparation for our school's Open House.

For this project, I am sending home a schoolhouse. You may want to help your child cut open the doors and find or draw a photo of himself/herself or your family inside the open doors. Talk with your child about what types of things they are doing and learning in Kindergarten. (You may want to review our past weekly newsletters.) Then assist your child in decorating the outside of the school with what he/she likes best about Kindergarten so far – whether it is their new friends, the bus trip, new learnings, new songs, games, food, books,  workstation/center activities, etc.  

Again, have fun spending time with your child and be creative! You may want to help your child find magazine pictures to cut out and glue on, paint, draw, etc. Or you may want to cut windows , add our school name or room number, etc.

October Home Project

Fall Family Trees
Printable Tree

With the arrival of fall comes some magnificent colors in nature!

Part 1 of  this month's home project invites your family to decorate the bare tree with colorful fall leaves.  Children learned how to make tissue paper leaves and construction paper mosaic leaves on their 'Tree Through the Seasons' a few weeks ago. They may want to try this again or try a different technique for adding the leaves (painting using different strokes, stamping, printing, coloring, adding real leaves, etc.) Don't forget, some leaves are falling and are already on the ground in autumn!

Part 2 of our October Home Project asks you and your child to talk about and draw what they like to do as a family. Students can draw under the branches of the fall tree what your family likes to do.

Part 3 is connected to part 2 and asks your child to orally complete the following sentence.  Please write what your child says in the blank.

______________'s family likes to 
_____________________________.

Again, have fun with your child as you work together on 'Fall Family Trees!

November Home Project

I Am Thankful
Printable Cornucopia

 A cornucopia or 'horn of plenty' is usually seen with fruits, vegetables, and ears of grain overflowing. It is a symbol of abundance or having more than enough, as during the first Thanksgiving feast that the Pilgrims and Native Americans shared together. They had an overflow of crops and gave thanks for their great harvest and new found friends.

 In November, as it gets closer to Thanksgiving, we also stop and give thanks. Each of us may not have an abundance of possessions, but there are many things in our lives that we can be thankful for.  Share with your child what you are thankful for.  Then ask your child to tell you what they are thankful for.  Have your child color the mouse, cornucopia, etc. as best as they can and to write their name on the blank line so that it says "(your child's name) is thankful!" Help your child to think of at least one thing they are thankful for and to place it inside the cornucopia. (They may want to draw, cut out magazine pictures, find photos, etc.)

May you enjoy this time with your child
as you work together on 'I Am Thankful!'

December Home Project

Hidden Holiday Patterns
Printable Holiday Tree

Your child's home project for the month of December is to get a jump start on decorating for the holidays! 

During the holiday season, we see many brightly decorated trees. Some are trimmed with strands of garland, lights, popcorn and cranberries, and homemade chains. They may be dressed with ornaments of bells, angels, balls, stars, etc.

 This month's project asks students and their families to place decorations on the tree in a pattern of their choice. For example....

  • strand of lights with an AB pattern (red, yellow, red, yellow)
  • ornaments going across in an ABB pattern (star, bell, bell)

Please assist your child in decorating the attached tree using a pattern for each row across. Students may keep the same pattern throughout (easiest) or they may want to make a different pattern for each row. (more challenging). When completed, ask your child to describe the patterns.

 When students share their Home Projects with the class, they will each need to point out and orally tell us their patterns. We will then place all projects in the hall for other classes to search for our 'Hidden Holiday Patterns'!

Enjoy this time with your child!

January Home Project

Winter Snowman Collage
Printable Snowman - Part 1
Printable Snowman - Part 2

This week, we read the story Snowballs by Lois Ehlert. In the story, children wait for a 'perfect snowball day' to build a snowman using some things they had saved throughout the year. The illustrations are adorable and hopefully have sparked some ideas for your child's 'Winter Snowman Collage!'

For our January Home Project, we are asking that students work with their families to create a paper snowman using various objects. Students may want to make a snowdad, a snowmom, a baby snowman, a snowcat, etc. Will your snowman have a scarf, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hat, arms, etc.?  Your family gets to decide!

What types of objects could your family use? To get you started, here are some ideas for common objects that you might have lying around..  seeds, popcorn, raisins, peanuts, kernels of corn, ribbons, string, buttons, bottle caps, plastic forks, sticks, etc. Whatever you find!

For extra winter fun, why not build a real snowman outside!  Have your child draw a picture of it or take a photo if you would like. Students will share their 'Winter Snowman Collage' and the optional accompanying pictures with the class.

Have fun and stay warm!

February Home Project

Start With A Heart!
Printable Heart

 Our February Home Project is very open ended. Your family will 'Start With A Heart' -  the supplied paper heart.  We are asking that students work with their families to create anything they wish.

Your family might want to choose one of the following ideas or your child may think of something much more creative and meaningful to them!

Sample ideas:

  • a heart person with arms, legs, etc.
  • a decorated valentine
  • a heart filled with pictures of things/people they love
  • a tissue paper heart
  • a heart mobile
  • etc...

Please have your child cut out the heart shape and then your family may begin!

Again, enjoy this time with your child as you work together on 'Start With A Heart!'

March Home Project

The 'Tail' of the Kite
Printable Kite Pattern

Animals have tails. Shirts have tails, People can even wear ponytails. But, do kites have tails? Of course! Your child is bringing home a shape of a typical kite.  Please have him/her carefully cut out the kite.  Then, as a family, work to turn this dull white kite into....

a beautiful kite with a design of their choice and a long patterned tail.
(Sample ideas are listed, but you and your child may have better ones!)

  • paint it
  • fill it in with torn construction paper
  • make a design or picture with tissue paper
  • create a collage using just animal pictures, foods, or letters from magazines

or

an animal of your child's choice that has a tail. 
(maybe a monkey or a cat with a long tail, a bunny with a cotton tail, etc...)

Students will be sharing their projects with their classmates .  Then we will hang them in our classroom and let them 'fly.'

As always, I hope that you enjoy this time with your child! 

April Home Project

Spring Into a New Season
Printable Egg

What do you think of when you hear the word spring?  Maybe you think of green grass, buds on trees, blooms on flowers, growth of new plants, birth of new animals such as birds and bunnies, coloring eggs, warmer weather, etc.

For this month's project, students are bringing home an egg shape (a common symbol of spring) to decorate with their families as they wish. 

Sample Ideas
(that you may or may not choose to use!)

  • paint the egg with a spring scene
  • cut the egg in half and create a baby chick starting to hatch
  • make a pattern around the egg as if you really dyed it
  • use glitter, buttons, lace, etc.
  • attach tissue paper
  • attach 'eggs'tra special pictures
  • etc...

Please have your child cut out the egg shape and then your family may begin!

As always, enjoy this time with your child!

May Home Project

Save a Memory

As the end of the school year is quickly approaching, let's work together to give your child something that he/she can keep to remember their Kindergarten experience.  This month's home project is to start work on a time capsule that your child will not open until his/her senior year in high school!

I have a few things already that I would like to place into your child's time capsule- a photo, sample work, a penny with this year's date, and a letter.  I need your help in providing more special memories and in creating the capsule that will hold them. 

Here is your family's assignment...

  1.  Have your child bring a shoe box to school by ____.  A large one would be nice because it would hold more.  However, any shoe box will do.
  2. Assist your child in filling out the 'Kindergarten Time Capsule Survey' and return   it to school with your child's time capsule.
  3. Contribute items to place into your child's time capsule.  (Some ideas are listed below to help get you started.) Your contributions to this project will determine the quality of your child's gift. You have until ___ to send in your items before the time capsule is sealed.

     Sample Ideas...

    • Sealed letters to your child from you, grandparents, siblings, or significant others in your child's life.
    • A favorite project made during the Kindergarten school year.
    • A small toy that indicates what was popular during this school year.   Please do not go to any expense. Also, make sure your child understands that he/she will not be getting the toy back for 12 years-- We don't want any tears!
    • Anything else that serves as a reminder of your child's year as a kindergartner. Be creative!

    We will be decorating and sealing the time capsules at school. Then, during the last week of school, children will bring their capsules home. So, also be looking for a safe place to store it for quite a few years!

    Please join me in the celebration of your child's life as a kindergartner! I believe this project can be quite meaningful for your child and would appreciate your support and cooperation in making it successful. Please feel free to write or call me with any questions or concerns.