1) Some good books for the farm are WHO TOOK THE FARMERS HAT INSIDE A COUNTRY BARN MRS. WISHY WASHY ALSO, A GREAT IDEA IS TO FILL YOU SENSORY TABLE WITH HAY/STRAW AND ADD TRACTORS, ANIMALS AND APPLES, PUMPKINS,ETC. 2) Have the children draw a hen (or you can provide them one) and then glue real hay on the page for the hen to sit on.  Also found this idea: Write each child's name on paper.  Then give them puffed wheat and let them glue the wheat on their name. For Hallowwen: Glue a black button on paper and then draw the legs and whatever elese desired. 3) "The Animals on the Farm" (Sing to the tune of "The Wheels on the Bus") The cows on the farm go moo, moo, moo. Moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, moo, The cows on the farm go moo, moo, moo all day long. The horses on the farm go nay, nay, nay. Nay, nay, nay, nay, nay ,nay. The horses on the farms go nay, nay, nay all day long. (sheep-baa) (ducks-quack) (pigs-oink) (chickens-cluck) and other farm animals and their sounds Using the sense of touch to feel things from a farm: You can make a feely box with items from farms.  Things I often use are: ear of corn, hay, sheep wool, turkey/chicken feather, etc. Use corn, wheat, hay, ooats, barley, and other grains that farm animals eat to sort and/or make a collage. Buttermilk Chalk Picture: Brush a piece of cardboard with 2 to 3 tablespoons of buttermild or dip chalk in buttermild.  Create designs using colored chalk. Barn: Make a barn out of a large cardboard box.  Have the children help paint it. When dry, the children can play in it. Resources: Have a farmer come and talk with the children about his life on the farm. Perhaps he can bring a small farm animal with him.  We live in a city, but there is a small farm nearby that will loan out a small pig and chicken for the day so the children can observe/interact with them. Field trip to a farm. Literacy: I take a sentence strip and print the name of a farm animal and its picture. The children take magnetic letters and match the letters on a metal background (front of my desk). Books: Big Red Barn-Margaret Wise Brown The Big Book of Farm Animals-Jane Curruth The Milk Makers- Gail Gibbons Baby Animals on the Farm-Rebecca Heller 4) We sang the song BINGO Read many farm books I'll get back to you with a bib. sometime soon I have it at school. On a chart we brainstormed farm animals. Later in the week we added the sounds that each animal made and what the names of the moms, dads and babies were.... ie Pig - Sow Boar Pigglet and oink We then used this chart to make a class book of Old Mac Donald... Old MacDonald had a farm EIEIO and on his farm he had a _____ EIEIO. With a _____,____ here and a ____,____ there. The children filled in the blanks and illustrate their pages. We then bound it and it's now part of our class "traveling pack". We made many books they were... Who was in the barn resting on the hay. I knew it was a ____ when I heard it say______. We made red barn doors and they covered the picture of teh animal when you got to that page you read the first sentence then opened the barn doors and could read and see the children illustraion of the animal. If I couldn't Count Sheep, I would count _____ to help me fall asleep. Each child had to pick a different farm animal to count and draw it on the page. We did 5 Little ducks, but made it into 15 and counted backwards from there. We did a Mr. Rooster book.... this is really cute it is a song that is from ??? (I can't remember I'll send this info with the bib. List) It really helps reinforce time on the hour... my children REALLY REALLY liked this song!!!! We made a Hobby Horse we made the head from a pattern by Lasting Lessons and added a wraping paper roll as the stick... they were REALLY cute!! We cooked the Haystacks recipe that I sent and then this last week we made Pigs In A Blanket... Hot dogs wrapped with crescent rolls (EVERYONE like them... this is a first!!!!) I grew up on a VERY large hog farm so my mom brought in baby pigs and some junk from the Pork Producer Association.. (I am sure there is a Pork Producer Association in most states contact them they will get stuff for you at little or no cost... they have a REALLY neat coloring book.) I have the math program from MacMillan which has a Farm Animal set that we used to sort, pattern, add, subtract... count etc. 5) Some of my favorite farm books are.....Meanwhile back at the Ranch --- Trinka Noble The day Jimmy's boa ate the wash----Trinks Noble Inside a barn in the country------Alyssa Capucilli Wake up Sun----Davis Harrison Down on the funny farm-------------P.E. King The Pig who saw everything--------Dick Gackenbach Farmer Duck-------Martin Waddell 6) Objective:To become familiar with cattle as farm animals. To improve small motor skills. Group Activity: Share the following information about cows. •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. Transition: Have the kids moo like cows as they move to the next activity. Art: Ahead of time, cut sponges into chunks. Clip each chunk into a spring-type clothespin. Pour Black paint into shallow dishes. Paint cow spots on large sheets of paper. Dramatic play: Ahead of time, make a pinhole in each fingertip of a latex glove. Outside, hang a clothesline about three feet above the ground. Clip the prepared glove to the clothesline with a spring-type clothespin. Place a pail below the glove and a low stool or chair beside it. To help the kids understand more about cows, milk a glove! Fill the prepared glove with water. Let the kids take turns squeezing the fingertips of the glove as if milking, so that the water goes into the bucket. Science & Cooking: Make butter! Place some heavy cream in a baby food jar. Have the kids shake the jar. If desired, mix in a pinch of salt and a few drops of yellow food coloring. Spread the butter on crackers for kids to taste. If you insert a clean marble into the jar, it will not need to be shaken as long. ----------------- Song - "On a Farm" (Sung to "London Bridge is Falling Down") •Animals live on a farm, on a farm, on a farm.  Animals live on a farm, with the farmer. •Cows and pigs live on a farm, on a farm, on a farm.   Cows and pigs live on a farm, with the farmer. •Goats and sheep live on a farm, on a farm, on a farm.  Goats and sheep live on a farm, with the farmer. •Hens and chicks live on a farm, on a farm, on a farm.  Hens and chicks live on a farm, with the farmer. ----------------- Animal Minipoems You can use these poems as text for a big book entitled, "We're Big on Farm Animals". Have the children color pictures of each animal to add the text to create the book. A Horse                                         A horse can trot.  A horse can run. A horseback ride is lots of fun! Goats                                           Nanny goat, billy goat.  What do you say? "Maa, maa", Silly goats, Run away! The Cow                                   The cow is big.  The cow says "moo". The cow makes milk for me and you. Pigs                                                             Pigs can oink, pigs can snort. Pigs are fat and kind of short. Sheep                                           Sheep are quiet.  Sheep are cute. Sheep give wool to make a suit. Geese                                           Geese can honk. Geese can squawk. Geese can fly or take a walk! Old Rooster                                   Old Rooster woke up just so he could say, "How do you cock-a-doodle do today?" The Farm                                       The farm has a cow and a horse and a pig. And a sheep and a goat and a barn so big! ----------------- Here Is The Barn (fingerplay) Here is the barn (Form a roof shape with your hands) Where I like to go (Walk in place) It's as tall as a tree (Point up overhead) And cozy, you know (Hug body with arms) Here is the barn, (Make a roof shape with your hands) I'll go there with you (Walk in place) To pet a sweet lamb (Pretend to pet a lamb) And cuddle it, too! (Pretend to hug a lamb) 7) Song: Who are the animals that live on the farm? (Tune: Skip to My Lou) Sing the song and place the appropriate animal on the flannel board. Who are the animals that live on the farm? Who are the animals that live on the farm? Who are the animals that live on the farm? Let us learn their names. A goat is an animal that lives on the farm. A goat is an animal that lives on the farm. A goat is an animal that lives on the farm. Now we‘ve learned her name. Good book for toddlers: Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown Simple Flannel Board Story adapted from Are you My Mother by P.D. Eastman. ARE YOU MY MOMMY? One day, a little duck hatches from it’s egg. He looks around but cannot find his mother. "Where is my mommy?" said the baby duck. "I must go and find her." The baby duck sees a cow and says, "Are you my mommy?" "Why no, I am not your mommy. I am a cow." Then the baby duck sees a pig and says, "Are you my mommy?" "Why no, I am not your mommy. I am a pig." Then baby duck sees a horse and says, "Are you my mommy?" "Why no, I am not your mommy. I am a horse." Then the baby duck sees a big duck and says, "Are you my mother?" "Why yes, I am your mommy," she answers. "I am so glad you found me." And off they went together for a swim in the pond, and they were very, very happy. Activity: Animal Grab Bag In a paper bag, or a cloth bag with a loose elastic opening, the children reaches into the bag and takes out a vinyl farm animal. If possible, he names it and makes it’s sound. 8) I think the book is call Inside a barn in the country., It is about a mouse who wakes up all the aminals until they finally wake up the farmer who tells them all to go back to bed. It was my daughters favorite book, and this year she wrote her first childrens book call inside the gate to the zoo in the city. Not published yet but we are hoping.