Ready-to-Launch Projects
Bring ECPBL to Life in Your Classroom
Dive into two inspiring early childhood projects that honor children’s identities and spark deep, meaningful learning. Each PBL unit includes detailed lesson plans, real classroom examples, authentic student work samples, videos, photographs, coaching clips, and additional resources to support your journey.
These projects are meant to inspire—not prescribe. You can follow them closely or adapt them to fit your classroom, community, and age group. Whether you’re just beginning with project work or looking to deepen your practice, you’ll find flexible tools and powerful insights to support joyful, purposeful learning.
Each of these projects was originally designed to span approximately six weeks, but they can be adapted to fit your classroom’s schedule and context. When you enroll in a project, you’ll receive full access to the plans and materials for seven months, giving you time to explore, prepare, and implement at your own pace.
All About Our Names
How can we make a book that’s all about our names?
In this project, children create a book that honors the stories and meanings behind their names.
Children begin by exploring their names through playful and meaningful activities—counting and writing the letters, recognizing sounds, and creating name art. They interview family members to learn about the origins, cultural significance, or special stories connected to their names. As they build their understanding, they reflect on what their names mean to them and how they are connected to identity and belonging.
Each child contributes a personal name story to the class book, along with a self-portrait and artifacts from their name study. The project culminates in a special sharing event where children present their book to families and donate a copy to the school library, leaving a lasting legacy in the community.
The Poetry of Us
How can we make a book of poetry that celebrates who we are?
In this project, children publish a book of poetry that celebrates the many dimensions of who they are.
Children begin by reading identity-themed poetry and discussing what makes poetry powerful. Together, they explore the key “ingredients” of poetry—such as rhythm, repetition, and sensory language—and use these tools to create their own original poems. Each child contributes both individual and collaborative poems, along with hand-shaped self-portraits that symbolize aspects of their identity.
The project culminates in a shared celebration—a Book Party or Poetry Slam—where children present their poetry and illustrations to families and friends, honoring their voices and stories through artful expression.
“I'm very excited to start using this in my classroom, and hopefully spreading it to other TK teachers I know, as well as the other teachers at my school.”