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Children don’t actually have to live or even visit a farm to get excited about learning about the farm. The farm is where some of their favorite animals live and where some of their favorite foods come from. Children love having farm stories read to them and delight in making the sounds of common farm animals.
SKILLS TAUGHT
Art Skills – a farm theme offers great opportunities for gluing, print making and general art skills.
Math Skills – counting farm animals through manipulative play or while reciting farm rhymes is great fun for preschoolers.
Science Skills – from learning how ducklings and chicks are hatched to what it takes to make seeds grow, children are learning beginning science skills.
Language Skills –listening to stories and rhymes about the farm can spur enthusiasm for beginning reading. As children learn to imitate animal sounds they are also learning about the sounds that words make.
Music Skills – Singing songs about the farm helps children develop musical as well as pre-reading skills.
Coordination Skills – Walking like farm animals and dramatizing the life of a flower or plant, all help children learn how to develop both large and small muscle control. |
FARM ART
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Pigs – use brown paint to make mud fingerprints on pink pig shapes. |
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Turkeys – paint hand brown and press it on a piece of paper (thumb out). Add legs with a black marking pen. |
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Glue feathers on a small chick shape. |
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Glue grass on a piece of green paper and add cow stickers. |
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VEGETABLE PRINTS
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Make red apple prints from apples cut crossways and dipped in red paint. |
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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 red, yellow and green paint. |
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Use cookie cutters of other vegetables (or farm animals). Dip them in paint and then press on paper. |
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COUNTING RHYME
One little horse went out to play, in a barnyard filled with hay.
He thought it was so much fun, he called two 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 three friends who came on the run.
Three little pigs went out to play, in the barnyard filled with hay.
They thought it was so much fun, they called four friends who came on the run.
Four little ducks went out to play, in the barnyard filled with hay.
They thought it was so much fun, they called five friends who came on the run.
Five little chicks went out to play, in the barnyard filled with hay.
They thought it was so much fun, they ran around in the morning sun.
Adapted Traditional by Jean Warren
This rhyme is fun to act out with toy farm animals or on a flannel board.
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ANIMALS SOUNDS
Teach your child the following rhyme. Have her act out the various animals as she makes the animal sounds.
WHAT DO THE ANIMALS 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 crow day? 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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COLOR BOOK
Make a farm book with your child.
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Label each page a different color, such as, red, green, yellow, blue, brown, white and pink. |
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Help your child draw pictures on each page of things found on a farm that are the color of the page. |
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Examples:
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Red – apples, tomatoes, barn |
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Blue – blueberries, truck |
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Green – beans, lettuce, peas |
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Yellow – chick, corn, sunflower |
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Brown – hen, horse, cat |
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White – egg, sheep, bunny |
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Pink – pig, flower |
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Encourage your child to read through their book many times. |
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When they are familiar with these items on the farm, play a guessing game with them. |
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Start with, “I’m thinking of something on the farm that is red”. |
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Have your child try to guess what it is. |
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Reverse the game if your child wants to think of an item and have you guess what it is.
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MATH RHYME
Recite the familiar math rhyme “One, Two, Buckle My Shoe” with your child.
One, two buckle my shoe.
Three, four shut the door.
Five, six pick up sticks.
Seven, eight lay them straight.
Nine, ten a big fat hen.
Have your child pretend to do the actions in the rhyme and then cluck like a hen at the end.
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CHILDREN’S STORIES
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Go to the library with your child and look for picture books that take place on a farm. |
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You might also look for farm fairy tails; such as; “The Little Red Hen” or look for alphabet books about the farm. |
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When looking for picture books for your child, look for simple stories with no more characters in them than the age of your child. |
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Also, look for stories that contain objects or animals with which your child is familiar.
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STORY STATION
You will find many animal stories at the Story Station. Two good farm stories are:
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The Very Important Rooster |
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The Baby Ducklings |
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COOKING FUN
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Make applesauce, let your child help you wash, peel, dice, cook and blend the apples |
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Make cornbread |
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Make apple tarts or small berry pies |
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Make bread or biscuits
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MAKING BUTTER
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Have your child pour ½ cup cold whipping cream into a glass jar. |
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Next, have him shake the jar (with some help from you) until the cream turns into butter. |
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Pour off the whey and add salt to taste. |
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Let your child spread his butter on some crackers or hot biscuits. |
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PLANTING SEEDS
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Plant some seeds with you children. |
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Let them help you water the plants every other day or when soil is dry. |
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Encourage children to observe the plant sprouting. |
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Perhaps have them guess what the plant will be or look like when it is grown.
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FAMILY HISTORY
While studying about a farm, is a great time to discuss family history with your child. Children need to feel a sense of the past and how it relates to them.
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Talk about anyone in your family who ever lived on a farm. |
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Did they have animals? Did they grow vegetables? Did they make their own bread? |
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I’M A LITTLE CHICK
Tune: “I’m a Little Teapot”
I’m a little chick.
I’m yellow and soft.
I was born
In a hay loft.
I play all day
And cheep, cheep, cheep.
Then back to the barn
I go to sleep!
Jean Warren
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VEGETABLE PATCH
Tune: “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
At the vegetable patch!
Jean Warren
Continue singing about picking other vegetables. |
Animal Sounds
Tune: “The Farmer In The Dell”
The ducks say “quack”.
The ducks say “quack”.
Heigh-ho, the Derry-oh.
The ducks say “quack”.
The cows say “moo”.
The cows say “moo”.
Heigh-ho, the Derry-oh.
The cows say “moo”.
Jean Warren
Continue with other farm animals and the sounds they make.
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TRADITIONAL FARM SONGS
The Farmer In the Dell
Bingo
Mary Had A Little Lamb
Mary Mary Quite Contray
Little Miss Muffit
Little Boy Blue
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ADDITIONAL FARM SONGS
Look for additional farm songs at the Music Station
Under Fall songs you will find Apple and Barnyard Songs
Under Spring songs you will find Garden Songs
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