The rooster crows and the day on a farm begins.  Each page introduces a farm animal.  See where all the animals spend their days on the farm.

Materials

• Farm animal pictures (horse, rooster, cow, dog, duck, pig, hen, chick, sheep, goat, farmer, helper son)
• Barn and rooster with dotted lines to follow
• Waxed paper
• Glue bottles with colored glue

Vocabulary

Before Reading the Story

            Ask the children to share with you any knowledge they might have about farms.  Write their responses onto a large piece of paper.  If they are unsure how to discuss, lead them by asking questions about what would you find on a farm.  Do all farms have animals?  Where do the animals sleep at night?  What do you think the animals eat? 

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes.

Reading the Story

            Take a moment on each page and let the children describe what is going on. 

Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; develops increasing abilities to understand and use language to communicate information, experiences, ideas, feelings, opinions, needs, questions, and for other varied purposes.

After reading the Story

Ask the children questions about the animals in the book. Turn to a page and ask the children to describe what is happening.

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; shows growing interest and involvement in listening to and discussing a variety of fiction and non-fiction books, and poetry.

Discovery

            Hang a variety of farm scenes up in the center for the children to look at and compare kinds of farms and the animals on the farm.

Science/Scientific Methods & Skills; begins increased ability to observe and discuss common properties, differences and comparisons among objects and materials.

Music and Movement

            Color the farm animal pictures so that they go along with the song.  Cover them with contact paper and put a small piece of Velcro on it if you would like to use it as a flannel.  Sing the Farm Animal song and have the children follow the directions. Sung to Do You Know The Muffin Manhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXFg5QsTcLQ

Do you have the big red rooster, the big red rooster, the big red rooster.

If you have the big red rooster put it on the board/please stand up.

Do you have the gray horse, the gray horse, the gray horse.

If you have the gray horse, put it on the board/please stand up

Do you have the spotted cow, big white duck, the pink pig, the white rooster, the yellow chick, the black sheep, the brown goat, blue farmer, red helper son

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following simple and multi-step directions.

Blocks;

            Put out your farm animals in the center. Encourage the children to build farm buildings and fences.

Approaches to Learning/Engagement & Persistence; grows in abilities to persist in and complete a variety of tasks, activities, projects, and experiences. AND Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; grows in hand-eye coordination in building with blocks, putting together puzzles, reproducing shapes and patterns, stringing beads, and using scissors.

Art

    Make colored glue by adding food coloring or paint to your glue bottles. Lay an animal shape on the table with a piece of waxed paper on top. The child then gently squeezes the glue so that it dribbles out following the lines of the animal shape. Lay flat till completely dry and then carefully peel off the waxed paper.

Creative Arts/Art; gains ability in using different art media and materials in a variety of ways for creative expression and representation.

Library and Writing

            Make a copy of the barn and the rooster.  Cover them with contact paper.  Let the children use washable markers to trace over the dot to dot lines.  They can then wash the lines with a damp towel for the next child to do. Or make individual copies for each child.

Literacy/Early Writing; experiments with a growing variety of writing tools and materials, such as pencils, crayons, and computer.

Sand and Water

            Put dirt in the water table and let the children slowly add water one measuring cup at a time to make piggy mud.

Science/Scientific Methods & Skills; begins to use senses and a variety of tools and simple measuring devices to gather information, investigate materials, and observe processes and relationships.

Dramatic Play

            Bring stuffed farm animals into the center and let the children pretend to feed the animals. 

Social & Emotional Development/Knowledge of Families & Communities; develops growing awareness of jobs and what is required to perform them.

Math and Manipulatives

Make 5 copies of the farm/animal pages and cut them out individually. Make simple patterns using the farm pictures for the children to copy (pig, pig, cow-tractor,fame, barn)

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; enhances abilities to recognize, duplicate, and extend simple patterns using a variety of materials.

Outdoor Play

            If you have large plastic farm animals, bring them outside for the children to use in the dirt or in the sand box.

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates progress in abilities to retell and dictate stories from books or experiences,; to act out stories in dramatic play; and to predict what will happen next in a story. AND Approaches to Learning/initiative & Curiosity; chooses to participate in an increasing variety of tasks and activities.

Transitions

            Go back through the animals and name the letter that they begin with.  Then have the children think of words that begin with the same letter sound (The cows are hungry.  Cows begin with the /c/ sound, what other words can you think of that begins with c?  Here are some chicks.  Chicks begins with the /ch/ sound.  What other words can you think of that begin with the ch sound?

Literacy/Phonological Awareness; shows growing awareness of beginning and ending sounds in words.

Resources