Provide stamps of farm animals or farm animal stickers and blank books. Encourage children to dictate their own stories using farm animals. Tiana A verbal guessing game: Using small plastic farm animals, one child holds an animal under the table and gives descriptive clues about that animal while other children try to guess which animal he is holding. Manipulatives Make farm animal puzzles for the kids to put together by mounting and laminating pictures of farm animals and letting kids put them back together. Tiana Using cut-up drawings or photos, you could make a game of creating funny farm animals by combining different parts of different animals like a horses head with duck feet, etc. Tiana Math Horses are measured with hands. I have a set of laminated kids hands that kids can use to measure each other and the things in the room. Tiana Poems/Fingerplays Eight Baby Pigs Two mother pigs lived in a pen. (Thumbs) Each had four babies and that made ten. (fingers of both hands) These four babies were black and white. (fingers of one hand) These four babies were black as night. (fingers on other hand) All eight babies loved to play (wiggle fingers) And they rolled in the mud all day! (Roll hands) Another Version Two mother pigs lived in a pen (Hold up thumbs.) With eight baby pigs. Altoghether there were ten. (Hold up all ten fingers.) All eight babies loved to play, (Hold thumbs in. Bend and straighten fingers.) And they rolled and they rolled in the mud each day. (Circle hands around each other quickly.) At night with their mothers they curled in a heap, (Make hands into fists.) And squealed and squealed till they went to sleep.(Wiggle eight fingers and squeal, then make fists again and be quiet.) Cow Poem Cow loves to moo and chew it's true! Moo--moo--moo! Cow flaps her tail and fills a pail Of her fresh milk for you. Cow wears a bell so you can tell When she's on the roam And at day's end she joins her friends And cow comes strolling home! This Little Cow This little cow eats grass. (hold up one hand, fingers erect, bend down one finger) This little cow eats hay. (bend down another finger) This little cow drinks water. (bend down another finger) And this little cow does nothing. (Bend down another finger) But lie and sleep all day. Sensory Get some soil and water put in separate bins(optional). Then you can use real or fake worms from the fishing department and get the children to have fun. Flax seed is what they feed to horses. You can buy a big bag for around $10 at a feed store. It's great for the sensory table! Very sensual and has a great smell. Tiana Music/Songs note from Marla-get Tiana's tape if you don't already have it-barnyard song is great! Make rhythm patterns with felt farm animal shapes and play them with sticks or clap them or use different instruments for different animals: ex: chicken, chicken, duck, duck, cow. Tiana Tractors, Tractors (tune: "Daisy, Daisy") Tractors, tractors, tractors help farmers work. They pull plows that break up the clumps of dirt. W farmer can work much faster Because he has a tractor. There's lots to do the whole year through. Tractors help farmers do the work. To The Farm (sung to the tune of Twinkle, twinkle) Chicken, kittens, piglets too, Donkeys, horses, cows that moo. Fish that swim down in the pond, Ducklings quacking all day long. All these things you can see If you go to the farm with me! Shovels, Rakes & Even Hoes (tune: "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star") Shovels, rakes, and even hoes Help the farmer as he sows. First, he digs into the ground; Then he plants some seeds around. Shovels, rakes, and even hoes Help the farmer as he sows. Take Me Out to the Barnyard Take me out to the barnyard Take me out there right now Show me the cows,pigs and horses too. I hear an oink and a neigh and a moo There are chickens laying their eggs If they don't lay , it's a shame Oh, it's one, two, three eggs today, And I'm glad I came. If I were a farmer 1. Oh, if I were a farmer, a farmer, a farmer 2. Oh, if I were a farmer, what would I do? 3. I would milk the cows each morning 4. Each morning, each morning I would milk the cows each morning, that's what I'd do. * Repeat 1 and 2 I would feed the baby chickens * Repeat 1 and 2 I would gather eggs for breakfast ... * Repeat lines 1 and 2 Actions 1. sway to lines 1 and 2 2. Then pretend to milk and collect eggs I like Baby Animals (sung to tune of London Bridge) I like baby animals, animals, animals. I like baby animals, I'll name some for you. Kittens, puppies, chicks and foals, Chicks and foals, chicks and foals. Kittens, puppies, chicks and foals, I can name some more. Goslings, ducklings, lambs and calves, Lambs and calves, lambs and calves. Goslings, ducklings, lambs and calves, I like baby animals. Ten Little Pigs (Tune- "five little Ducks went out to play") Ten little pigs rolled in the mud - Squishy, squashy, felt so good. The farmer took one piggy out. "Oink, Oink, oink," the pig did shout! Continue with nine, eight, seven so forth, then... No little pigs rolled in the mud. They all looked so clean and good. The farmer turned his back and then, Those pigs rolled in the mud again. The Wheels on the Tractor (Wheels on the Bus) Sing Farmer in the Dell... Transitions During transition time encourage the children to imitate different farm animals. They may gallop like a horse, hop like a bunny, waddle like a duck, move like a snake, etc. Have the kids moo like cows as they move to the next activity. Encourage the children to crow like roosters as they move to the next activity. More Ahead of time, mix water and dirt to form some thick mud. Divide the mud among several zipper-top freezer bags and close the top of each bag. Have the children practice printing numbers in the mud. Show them how to smooth the mud out so they can make a new number. How about if they pretended to be an animal, like a duck, and made up a story about their day on the farm? What would they do, what would the eat, where would they sleep, etc. Play a pantomime game. Using small plastic farm animals or small pictures as cues, one child looks at the picture or animal secretly and then pantomimes the actions of that animal - kids guess which animal he/she is. Move like the animals: Gallop like a horse, chew cud and move slowly like a cow, waddle and flap wings like a duck, stalk and arch and hiss like a cat,etc. Compare and contrast the bodies of different farm animals. How many legs do they have? What kind of covering? Do they know what jobs the animals do on the farm? Sharing Loop-Farm Facts Good milk cows give about 10 to 11 gallons of milk each day.Cows at our farm are milked twice daily. Some of the cows have a favorite place to stand in line while they are waiting their turn. Some like to go first, and some last. During the summer months a dairy cow might drink up to 40 gallons of water each day. Cows at our farm eat: hay, corn, corn silage, cotton seed and wet brewer's grain, mixed together like a salad. Cows are female cattle. Males are called bulls and babies are called calves. Cows provide milk, which is the source of daily products, including cheese, butter, and yogurt. The organ on a cow that holds her milk is called an udder or a bag. There are many varieties of cattle. Pigs are very smart Pigs roll in the mud to protect themselves from the sun and insects. Pigs use their snouts to root for food in the ground. There are several different kinds of pigs. Male pigs are called boars, females are called sows, and babies are called shoats or piglets When a pig weighs more than 120 pounds, it is called a hog. Chickens are birds, but they cannot fly very far. Hens lay eggs. Some eggs are used for cooking and eating. Roosters are the only birds with a comb on their head. Art/Crafts Animal Tracks-Get some animals and dip their feet into paint then place them onto colored paper or wax paper. Popcorn Sheep-Draw a picture of a sheep. Pop popcorn in front of the children and then they can glue it onto the sheep. Bird Seed Collage-Get the children to put glue on the outside of paper towel roll all the way around and then they can roll it, into bird seed. The teacher then can punch holes on both sides then use string or yarn to make a hanger. Add corn, wheat, hay, flax seed, oats, barley, grains that farm animals eat to the art center. The children can make collages with them. C I'm just curious, did you choose this theme or was it assigned to you? Anyway, I have not explored this topic as a theme but I though of a few ideas to pass on. I tried to keep the seven intelligences in mind while coming up with these: You would definitely want to visit a farm or petting zoo. I have a tape called, "Little Skeetle Beetle." There is a farm animal song on it (and a lot of other cool stuff). Here are the words to the farm song: Way over in the barn, near the crows and the corn A wee little chick to a hen was born Can you guess what he said, when he raised his head? Said, peep, peep, peep, peep, peep. Chorus: And the rooster crowed back, Cock-a-doodle-doo Happy, happy birthday - to you! The verses and chorus repeat connecting these babies to mamas and their sounds: calf to a cow, piglet to a sow, duckling to a duck, foal to a mare, lamb to an ewe. (You can order the tape from me if you're interested) Here are some other musical activities you could do: Old MacDonald Had a Farm - of course! Make rhythm patterns with felt farm animal shapes and play them with sticks or clap them or use different instruments for different animals: ex: chicken, chicken, duck, duck, cow. There's a great story called, "Too Much Noise" that I like to tell. You could find the book at the library I'm sure. It's about a man named Peter who has thinks he has too much noise in his house so the wise man systematically tells him to get farm animals (one at a time). In the end, he tells him to let them go and then Peter appreciates how quiet his house really is. Anyway, the story has lots of repetition of farm animal sounds and I like to let the children first help with the telling by becomming the animals and then help with the telling by using instruments as the animal sounds. Provide stamps of farm animals or farm animal stickers and blank books. Encourage children to dictate their own stories using farm animals. How about if they pretended to be an animal, like a duck, and made up a story about their day on the farm? What would they do, what would the eat, where would they sleep, etc. (Do you need a list of books about the farm for children?) Play a pantomime game. Using small plastic farm animals or small pictures as cues, one child looks at the picture or animal secretly and then pantomimes the actions of that animal - kids guess which animal he/she is. A verbal guessing game: Using small plastic farm animals, one child holds an animal under the table and gives descriptive clues about that animal while other children try to guess which animal he is holding. Move like the animals: Gallop like a horse, chew cud and move slowly like a cow, waddle and flap wings like a duck, stalk and arch and hiss like a cat, etc. Using rubber farm animals, children can build homes the correct size for each animal using different kinds of blocks ie: unit blocks, color inch cubes and cuisenaire rods, etc. Discuss and taste different foods that come from the farm. Shake cream into butter (1 T. whipping cream in a baby food jar for each child) Music really helps to keep the shaking going long enough. Pour the buttermilk off after the butter forms a ball in the jar. Kids can taste the buttermilk that you pour off. Make farm animal puzzles for the kids to put together by mounting and laminating pictures of farm animals and letting kids put them back together. Kids can pretend to milk a cow using a latex rubber glove with holes poked in the fingertips. Ask kids if they can: Compare and contrast the bodies of different farm animals. How many legs do they have? What kind of covering? Using cut-up drawings or photos, you could make a game of creating funny farm animals by combining different parts of different animals like a horses head with duck feet, etc. Do they know what jobs the animals do on the farm? Do a collage with different animal foods - hay, flax seed, oats, corn, etc. Flax seed is what they feed to horses. You can buy a big bag for around $10. at a feed store. It's great for the sensory table! Very sensual and has a great smell. Horses are measured with hands. I have a set of laminated kids hands that kids can use to measure each other and the things in the room.