I like Baby Animals...
( 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...
(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.
To The Farm...
( 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...
(Twinkle, Twinkle )
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 Ball Game)
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...
Oh, if I were a farmer, a farmer, a farmer
Oh, if I were a farmer, what would I do?
I would milk the cows each morning
Each morning, each morning
I would milk the cows each morning, that's what I'd do.
Continue using:
I would feed the baby chickens
I would gather eggs for breakfast
Over In The Barnyard...
(Down By The Station)
Over in the barnyard
Early in the morning,
See the yellow chickies
Standing in a row.
See the busy farmer
Giving them breakfast.
Cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep.
Off they go.
Substitute other barnyard animals.
Farm Chores...
Sing the following song while vigorously acting out jobs one might
need to do while working on a farm:
This is the way we ______
This is the way we ______
So early in the morning.
Some possible chores to perform might include mowing the hay, feeding
the chicks, sow the seeds, pull the weeds, hoe the field, etc.
Popcorn Sheep...
Draw a picture of a sheep. Pop popcorn in front of the children
and have them 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.
Corn Cob Painting...
Put paint on paper plates. The children dip corn cob in the paint
and paint designs on the manila paper. Encourage children to use the side
of the cob and roll designs. Let the children dip the top of the cob in
the paint and discover what designs they can make using only the top.
Thumpprint Animals...
Have children put pink thumbprints on a piece of construction
paper and make the prints into pigs. Use black paint for cows, red
for roosters etc.
Sponge Paint Farm Animals ...
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. Let each child trace an animal
with the stencil onto the tagboard and cut out animal shape. Then children
clip on clothespins on the shape to make four legs. The animals will
stand up.
Pop Up Corn...
Each child will need a craft stick, a 6-ounce or larger paper
cup, a Styrofoam meat tray with a textured surface, paint, glue, and green
construction paper.
Use construction paper and cut ears of corn out of the Styrofoam for
each child. Ask the children to paint their ears of corn yellow and
their craft stick green. Next, glue the ears of corn and leaves to the
craft stick as illustrated. When these have dried thoroughly, cut a small
slit in the bottom of the paper cup for the craft stick to fit into snugly.
The children may then surprise friends by having them look into the cups
only to see an ear of corn pop right up from it. Another option would be
to make flowers rather than ears of corn.
Seedy Collage...
Provide each child with one large piece of green construction
paper, glue, and several types of inexpensive dried seeds and beans, such
as popcorn, lima beans, pinto beans, and navy beans. Ask the children
to squeeze out a long stripe of glue along the length of their paper. Have
them spread the glue slightly, keeping the long thin shape, and sprinkle
one type of seed along the glue stripe. They should make two or three more
stripes of glue, adding different types of seeds to each. The finished
collage should remind one of the rows of seeds planted in a garden.
Milk Carton Barn...
Each child will need a ½- or I-pint cardboard milk carton, red
paint, a paintbrush, and black paint or marker. The teacher will need a
box cutter or craft knife. Have the child paint the entire milk carton
with red paint. After it has dried, use the box cutter to cut a door and
window in the carton. When the window and door are cut, the child may complete
the barn by painting the roof black and outlining the door and window in
black. When completely dry, the child may use the barn as a home for small
plastic farm animals.
Barnyard Mural...
A long sheet of butcher paper, paint, a paintbrush for each child,
markers or crayons, glue, and rice. Draw a barn and the surrounding
barnyard on the butcher paper. Paint the children's palms the color of
their choice, and ask them to press it onto the mural in the appropriate
area. Quickly wash the paint off the children's hands. When dry, ask the
children to draw a face and feet onto each handprint, transforming it into
a rooster or a turkey.
Blocks Penning The Pig...
Encourage the children to build pigpens for toy pigs and a farm
for other farm animals. 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 lincoln logs.
Dramatic Play On The Farm...
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 (milk) goes into the bucket.
Take one saw horse, wrap numerous layers of newspaper around
the middle and then a brown blanket. Add yarn tail, paint some spots
on saw horse legs, add cow face, made from a shoebox, rubber glove for
utters, the children milked it, rode it, combed its tail, one of
the best learning experiences.
Farm Animal Puzzles...
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
Leaf Puzzles...
Make easy puzzles by tracing leaf shapes onto a piece of construction
paper. Use preserved leaves from science activity 1 or leaves that you
have drawn on construction paper and then cut out. Have the children place
the leaf shape onto the appropriate leaf outline.
Large And Small...
Select leaves from nearby trees. Collect a large and small leaf
from
each tree. Press the leaves between two large books to flatten them.
Protect the leaves by preserving them in wax or by placing them between
two sheets of clear adhesive paper and trimming to within ¼-inch
of the leaf. Place the larger leaves on the table. Place the smaller leaves
in a box. Ask the child to select a leaf from the box and match it to its
partner on the table.
Track Matching...
Draw pictures of different animal tracks on index cards. Make two cards
with each type of track. Mix the cards up and ask the children to find
the pairs of matching tracks. The children can also play "Concentration"
with the cards.
Big Red Barn...
Cut a barn shape from a large sheet of red poster board. Cut five to
ten flaps or doors on the front of the barn, depending on how much room
you have. Glue the barn sheet to another sheet of poster board the same
size or larger. On the top of each flap, draw a set of chicks, hens, roosters,
cows, horses, or other animals. Farm animal stickers may also be used.
Under the flap, on the back sheet, write the numeral that corresponds to
the number of animals on the flap. Ask the children to count how many animals
are on each flap. They can check their answers by lifting the flap and
revealing the numeral underneath.
Egg Toss...
Number the sections of an egg carton with a marking pen. Choose
the numbers 1 through 12, or any other numbers you wish to teach. If teaching
very young children, use only a few numbers and repeat them two or three
times. Pretend a Ping Pong ball is an egg. Ask the child to toss the egg
into any section of the egg carton, and have the child call out the number
of the section in which the egg lands.
How Many?...
Give the child two to three sets of sniall plastic farm animals to
sort by species, putting each group into a corral or pen made from blocks.
Help the child count the number of animals in each pen and write the numeral
down on an index card.
A Dozen Eggs...
Number twelve eggs or Ping Pong balls 1 through 12 with paint or a
marking pen. Have the child place the eggs in numerical order in an egg
carton. To make the activity easier for younger children, write the appropriate
numeral in the bottom of each section of the egg carton. Talk about the
word "dozen." What other items are sold by the dozen?
Bag It...
Use brown paper bags and food items such as srnall pieces of
fruit (crab apples, tangerines, or plums), new potatoes, or carrots. Place
the fruit or vegetables in the bags, giving each a different amount, and
have the children identify which bags contain the most and the fewest items.
Ask them to count the items and then write the appropriate numeral on the
outside of the bag.
Henny Hen...
Make a nest by placing Easter grass in a basket or box. Place a number
of Ping Pong balls or plastic eggs in the nest, and top them with a toy
chicken. Ask the children to guess how many eggs Henny Hen has lald. Lift
her up and have the children count the eggs. How many are there? Was the
guess more or fewer than the actual number? Have the children close their
eyes while you change the number of eggs in the nest.
Feed The Animals...
Place a toy animal of your choice on the table. In front of the animal,
place a tin pie plate. Provide the child with a pan containing uncooked
oats or popcorn, and a scoop to feed the animal. Consult with the child
on how many scoops of food the animal should eat, then help the child place
that many scoops of food into the pan. Pretend the animal eats all of the
food. How many more scoops should the animal be fed?
Nutty Baskets...
Paint the numerals 0 through 10 on the front of 10 small baskets. Give
the child a large basket, filled with acorns or peanuts. The child must
place the appropriate number of nuts in each numbered basket.
Sorting Nuts...
Place several types of nuts (still in the shell) in a large bowl or
basket. There should be at least one of each type of nut, but not more
than 10. Peanuts, walnuts, filberts, Brazil nuts, almonds, or pecans are
good choices that can be eaten later during snack time. The child's job
is to sort the nuts into each catagory.
Animal Match...
Make animal cards by gluing or drawing pictures of adult farm animals,
their babies, and the products they provide on separate index cards. Examples:
adult cow, calf, dairy products; sheep, lamb, wool clothing; hen, chick,
eggs.
Mix up the cards and ask the children to match the adult animal to the baby animal, and to match the animal to the product it provides. Can the children say the name of the adult animal? The baby animal? Imitate the animal sound? Think of more animal products?
Sand Garden...
Place plastic garden tools in the sandbox or a pile of dirt
outside. Encourage the children to pretend to plant seeds.
Digging Up Worms...
Get some soil and water put in separate bins(optional).
Then you can use
real or fake worms from the fishing department and let the children
get down right dirty.
Horses Feed...
Flax seed is what they feed to horses. You can buy a big bag
for around $10.00 at a feed store. It's great for the sensory table!
Drive The Pig To Market...
Use a large ball for the pig, and a sturdy ruler or stick to push the
"pig" forward. Ask the children to take turns pushing the ball along with
the stick, driving the pig to market. Once they have mastered the basics,
see if the children can manage to maneuver the pig along a designated path
or through a simple obstacle course.
Farm Tag...
One child is "it." The other players line up along one side of
the play yard. The child who is it yells a command, such as "Strut like
a turkey," or "Skip like a lamb." The players must cross to the other side
of the yard in such a manner, trying not to be caught by the person who
is it. The first child to be caught becomes it.
Wheelbarrow...
Have the children each select a partner. One child will be the farmer,
the other will be the wheelbarrow. The child who decides to be the wheelbarrow
rests on the floor on hands and knees. The child's ankles become the handles
of the wheelbarrow as the farmer grasps them and stands up. The activity
is set in motion when the pair start walking forward, the wheelbarrow using
his or her hands while the farmer holds up the child's feet. When the wheelbarrow
tires out, have the children trade roles.
Relay Races...
Divide the children into teams of five or six children each.
Place a line on the floor with chalk or masking tape for the teams to stand
behind. Designate a spot several yards away for the children to race to
before returning to those next in line. Continue the race until each child
on the team has had a turn. Some common relays include the potato sack
race in which each child steps into a cloth bag and hops, the wheelbarrow
walk listed in the previous activity, and the potato relay. The potato
relay consists of each child using a spoon to carry a potato to the line
and back without dropping it.
Animal Tag...
Place a different farm animal sticker or cutout on the arm of
each child where it can be seen. Select one child to be "it." The remaining
children stand in a circle around the child who is it, who calls out the
names of two farm animals. The children with those animals on their sleeves
must quickly leave their homes in the circle and try to trade places with
each other. The child who is it tries to get to one of their homes first.
The child left without a home starts the next round as it.
Big Bad Wolf...
Choose one child to be the wolf. The wolf stands with its back to the
other children pretending to be asleep. The other children are the pigs.
They stand at a starting line about 12 feet from the wolf. When the teacher
says, "Go!" the pigs try to creep up to the wolf without waking it. The
wolf counts to 10, shouts, "Freeze!" and turns around. The pigs must stop
and be very still. Anyone the wolf sees moving must go back to the starting
line. Repeat the game until one of the pigs reaches the wolf. This child
may start a new round, becoming the next wolf.
Crossing The Stream...
Place two long pieces of string parallel to each other, about 12 inches
apart. The strings represent the banks of the stream. Between the two strings
lies the water. Have the children line up on one side of the stream. The
object of the game is for the children to take turns jumping over the stream
without touching the strings or the space in between them. Once every child
has had a turn, move the strings farther apart to make the next crossing
more difficult. Those children who "fall into the stream" may sit on the
sidelines, moving the strings.
Duck, Duck, Goose...
All of the children but one sit in a circle on the floor facing
the center. The one child left standing goes around the outside of the
circle, tapping each child on the head, each time saying "duck." After
several times, the child must say "goose!" as he or she taps one last child.
This child must jump up and chase "it" around the outside of the circle.
If it reaches the "goose's" spot first and sits down, he or she is safe
and the goose becomes it. If the goose reaches home first, it must start
over again.
Turkey Strut...
Use masking tape to make turkey footprints on the floor. Put the footprints
all over the room. Play a tape of the song "Turkey in the Straw" or some
other farm music. Invite the children to act like turkeys, strutting around
the room and gobbling as the music plays. When the music stops, the turkeys
must quickly find a pair of turkey prints on which to stand. When the music
resumes, the turkeys strut around the room again. If you wish, play this
game as you would musical chairs, removing a set of prints each time the
music stops.
Baby Animal Sounds...
Select one child to be the mother or father farm animal. The best animals
to choose would be sheep, chickens, or cows. Take the mother farm animal
to a remote corner of the room and have the animal hide its eyes. Choose
one or two of the remaining children to be the babies. All of the children
must cover their mouths, as the mother returns to find her babies. The
children chosen to be the babies make tiny baas or peeps or moos. The mother
or father must listen very carefully to find the babies.
Farmer's Truck...
Place several plastic fruits and vegetables on the table. Using
a toy phone, pretend to be the grocer and place a call to the child, who
pretends to be the farmer. Name two or three specific items for the farmer
to place in his or her toy truck for delivery. The better the child becomes
at the game, the more items the grocer can request for delivery.
Speak....
Select one child to be the farmer. The remaining children are
the animals. The farmer sits on a chair with his or her back to the other
children. Quietly choose one animal to tap the farmer on the shoulder.
The farmer says, "Speak, , speak," filling
in the blank with the name of an animal. The animal who tapped the farmer
on the shoulder makes the appropriate animal sound until the farmer guesses
the child's name. That child becomes the farmer for the next round.
How Now Brown Cow....
Make a different cow for each child and a duplicate set for yourself.
Give each child a cow. Pick one from your stack and pin it to the bulletin
board. Have the children look at their cows. If the children think that
they have a match to the one on the board, let them bring them up and pin
them next to your cow. Have the children examine the cows closely. If they
match, have the children say, "How now, brown cow!" If the cows do not
match, the children should take the cow back and continue to watch for
a match.
Inside a Barn in the Country
by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
Wake Up, Wake Up
by Brian and Rebecca Wildsmith
Big Red Barn
by Margaret Wise Brown
Read Rosie's Walk
by Pat Hutchins and The Little Red Hen
.
