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FEATHERED FRIENDS
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Let your children add feathers to paper farm animals, such as chicks, ducks, and turkeys. |
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You would need glue and glue brushes, plus, yellow or brown feathers. |
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ANIMAL & VEGETABLE PRINTS
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Make red apple prints from apples cut crossways. |
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Press dried left over corncobs in paint and then roll them on paper. |
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Make pepper prints by cutting them crossways and dipping them in bright colors of paint. |
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Use cookie cutters of farm animals and make barnyard scenes on paper.
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WOOLY SHEEP
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Trace around your child’s hand onto white paper. |
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Cut out the hand print. |
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Set out the print, some glue, a glue brush and some white cotton balls. |
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Have your child cover the palm part of the cutout with glue. |
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Then, cover the glue with cotton balls. |
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Turn the print, so that the four fingers are pointing down for the sheep's legs. |
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Draw facial features on the thumb (face and neck) with a thin black marking pen. |
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SIMPLE WEAVING
You will need light cardboard and yarn for this activity.
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Make a cardboard loom for your child by cutting the cardboard into an 8” x 6” section. |
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Cut slits across the top and bottom of the cardboard loom, one inch apart. |
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Now take yarn and thread the loom by starting at the top. |
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Bring the yarn through the back of the cardboard, down the front of the loom and then through the slit at the bottom and out the next slit. |
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Then bring the yarn back up and loop around the next two slits and so on until the yarn goes through the last slit. |
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Tape the beginning and the end of the yarn onto the back of the cardboard. |
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Give your child a safe piece of yarn to weave in and out of the yarn on the loom. |
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Let children continue weaving as long as interest lasts. |
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FARM COLOR GAMES
Make a color card game for your children to play with.
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Using 16 cards, draw a simple object on each card. You will need:
2 red objects – such as an apple and a hen.
2 green objects – such as a bean and lettuce.
2 yellow objects – such as corn and a baby chick.
2 blue objects – such as blue berries and a truck.
2 brown objects – such as a horse and a duck.
2 white objects – such as an egg and a goose.
2 orange objects – such as a pumpkin and a flower.
2 purple objects – such as grapes and an eggplant. |
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Color the objects, then give the cards to your children to play games such as, Go Fish or Concentration or a simple sorting game. |
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EGGS IN A BASKET
Here is a simple counting game you can play with your children.
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Take a plain basket and add some plastic eggs to it. |
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Have your child count the number of eggs in the basket.
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SOUND DISCRIMINATION GAME
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Take eight plastic eggs that separate and fill them with four different sounding food products.
Fill two ¼ full with sugar.
Fill two ¼ full with flour.
Fill two ¼ full with rice.
Fill two ¼ full with kidney beans |
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Secure the eggs together and place them in a basket. |
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Have your children take turns picking an egg, shaking the egg, then searching through the rest of the eggs to find its “sound” mate. |
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MOMS AND BABIES FARM ANIMALS
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Make or buy a card set of mother and baby farm animals. |
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Let your children take turns finding mother and baby sets. |
Variation: You could also use these cards to play a game of concentration.
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ANIMAL SOUNDS LISTENING GAME
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Sit with your child or children and make different farm animal sounds. |
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Have your children tell you which animal makes the sound. |
| Variation: Take turns with your children making animal sounds and guessing the correct animal. |
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FARM NURSERY RHYMES
Here are some nursery rhymes you could teach your children that involve farm things.
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Jack & Jill |
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Little Boy Blue |
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Mary Had A Little Lamb |
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Little Miss Muffet |
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Baa, Baa, Black Sheep |
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Little Red Hen
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FARM CHILDREN’S STORIES
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To Market, To Market – by Anne Miranda |
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Big Red Barn – by Margaret Wise Brown |
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Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You – by Dr. Seuse |
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Chicken Little – by Laura Rader |
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Color Farm – by Lois Ehlert |
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Farm Alphabet Book – by Jan Miller |
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Farm Morning – by David Mc Phail |
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Old MacDonald Had a Farm – by Nancy Hellen |
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WHAT DOES THE CAT SAY?
What does the cat say? Meow, meow, meow.
What does the dog say? Bow-wow, bow-wow.
What does the donkey say? Hee-haw, hee-haw.
What does the black bird say? Caw-caw-caw.
What does the cow say? Moo-moo-moo.
What does the rooster say? Cock-a-doodle-do!
Adapted Traditional
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COUNTING RHYME GAME
ONE LITTLE HORSE
One little horse went out to play, in the barnyard filled with hay.
He thought it was so much fun, he called to his friends, who came on the run.
Two little cows went out to play, in the barnyard filled with hay.
They thought it was so much fun, they called more friends, who came on the run.
Continue with this counting rhyme, adding more and more animals, such as 3 pigs, 4 ducks and five chicks. You can have your children act this out in person, or with toy animals or flannelboard cutouts.
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PRESCHOOL EXPRESS FARM STORIES
These stories can be found at the Story Station.
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A Very Important Rooster |
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The Coloring Kids at the Farm
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WAGON WORDS
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Hang a picture of a farm wagon on the wall. |
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Have your children bring in pictures cut from magazines of items that start with the letter “W”. |
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Fill your wagon with “W” pictures. |
| Variation: Bring in a real child’s wagon. Be sure your room has many “W” items in it. Then have your children hunt for items that start with the letter “W” and put them in the wagon. |
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COUNTRY ALPHABET LIST
A list of country alphabet words can be found at the Alphabet Station. |
FARM SCIENCE
Here are some science ideas you could explore while studying about farms.
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Where we get milk. The process from cow to bottle. |
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Animals that lay eggs. In particular – the chicken. |
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Growing and tending plants. Let your child plant his own seeds. |
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How wool is made. The process of weaving. |
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GRINDING WHEAT
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First you will need to purchase some whole wheat berries (available at natural food stores.) |
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Then set out a variety of tools that could be used to grind the wheat, such as a mortar and pestle, a grinding mill, or two flat stones. |
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Show your children the whole wheat berries and some whole-wheat flour. |
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Have children compare the two. |
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Explain that the berries are gound into very tiny pieces to become flour. |
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Then let the children experiment with ways to grind the wheat berries into flour. |
| Extension: Use the children’s flour to make whole-wheat bread or muffins. |
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COOKING ACTIVITIES
A farm unit is a great time to add some real cooking projects to your curriculum.
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Make applesauce, let your child help you, wash, peel, dice, cook and blend the soft apples. |
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Make cornbread. |
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Make apple tarts or small berry pies. |
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Biscuits and jam are a great favorite of most preschoolers. Use ready made biscuit mix or be adventurous and start from scratch. Your child will love it and they are easy to make.
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FARM SNACKS
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Apple wedges |
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Milkshakes |
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Egg salad sandwiches |
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Veggie and dip |
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Corn on the cob |
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FARM SNACKS
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Mini carrots |
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Cherry tomatoes |
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Fresh peas |
Visit a farm if possible and discuss fruits and vegetables. Help your children discover that they all grow on a tree, a bush, a plant, a vine or underground. |
VEGETABLE PATCH
Tune: “The Paw, Paw Patch”
Pick some corn and put it in the wagon.
Pick some corn and put it in the wagon.
Pick some corn and put it in the wagon.
Way down yonder in the vegetable patch.
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THE TRACTOR ON THE FARM
Tune: “The Wheels On The Bus”
Oh, the tractor on the farm goes ‘round and ‘round,
‘Round and ‘round, ‘round and ‘round.
Oh, the tractor on the farm goes ‘round and ‘round,
All around the farm.
Oh, the cow on the farm goes, moo, moo, moo,
Moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo.
Oh, the cow on the farm goes, moo, moo, moo,
All around the farm.
Continue with other farm animals and farm objects.
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TAKE ME OUT TO THE FARM
Tune: “Take Me Out To The Ball Game”
Take me out to the farm.
Take me out to the cows,
Show me some pigs and bunnies,too.
Give me a ride on a pony or two.
Oh, it’s so much fun at the farm.
There are so many things I can do.
And I love to listen and hear
All the neighs, quacks and moos!
Jean Warren
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WHAT DOES THE CAT DAY?
What does the cat say? Meow, meow, meow.
What does the dog say? Bow-wow, bow-wow.
What does the donkey say? Hee-haw, hee-haw.
What does the black bird say? Caw-caw-caw.
What does the cow say? Moo-moo-moo.
What does the rooster say? Cock-a-doodle-do!
Adapted Traditional
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ADDITIONAL FARM SONGS & RHYMES
Can be found at the Music Station.
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