Oh, The Thinks You Can Think!: Thinking Theme: The Farm

Lesson 1: Cow Craft
Objectives:
* To learn the characteristics of a cow
* To use the fine motor skills involved with cutting, gluing, and drawing

Materials:
* Paper Plate
* Black, White, and Pink Construction Paper
* Scissors
* Googly Eyes (optional)
* Glue
* Black Marker

Procedure:
* Start by cutting out the shapes for the cow craft. You will need a white circle that is a little smaller than the paper plate, an even smaller pink oval, 2 black triangular shapes with 2 smaller pink triangular shapes for the ears, and black spots in any kind of shapes.

* Have your child glue the white circle on the bottom half of the paper plate and glue the pink oval on the bottom half of the circle like this:

* Then glue the ears under the top of the white circle with the black triangles first and the pink triangles on top like so:

* After this, let your child starting gluing on the spots at the top of the paper plate, however they want.

* Then glue the googly eyes on and draw the mouth and nose.

* A cute little cow! Talk about cows and their characteristics. Discuss the sound they make, as well as the food they give us.

Lesson 2: Mommy/Baby Animal Matching Game from This Reading Mama
Objectives:
* To learn the baby animal names of farm animals
* To match mother animal pictures to the corresponding baby animal pictures

Materials:
* Printables from This Reading Mama
* Scissors

Procedure:

* Print and cut out the printables and spread them out on the floor.

* Have your child match the mommy animals with their babies. As they make a match, tell them the mommy name and the baby name. For example, a pig and a piglet, a hen and a chick, a horse and a foal, etc.

* Once all of the matches have been made, review the names and ask your child to say each one. These are great to use as flashcards throughout the week so your kiddos can remember the different vocabulary.

Lesson 3: Life Cycle of a Chicken Craft from I Heart Crafty Things
Objectives:
* To learn the characteristics of a chicken
* To discuss the life cycle of a chicken (egg, hatching, chick, chicken)
* To use the fine motor skills involved with cutting, gluing, drawing, and painting

Materials:
* White, Orange, and Yellow Construction Paper
* Red Paint
* Paper Bag (or brown construction paper)
* Glue
* Scissors
* Googly Eyes
* Red, Yellow, Orange, and Black Markers

Procedure:
* I found this creative craft on the I Heart Crafty Things Blog. You can follow the directions from the site. Such a clever way to explain the life cycle of a chicken. Enjoy!

Lesson 4: Farm Animal Sounds
Objectives:
* To listen to and learn the sounds that different farm animals make
* To explore You Tube for videos of animal sounds

Materials:
* You Tube: Farm Animal Sounds for Children
* Computer or iPad

Procedure:
* Click on the link above and go to the Farm Animal Sounds for Children video. Let your child watch and listen to all of the sounds the different animals make. I loved this video because it had real life pictures of the animals, as well as the actual sounds they make. It is good for your children to learn that a cow says moo and a duck says quack, but it's very important for them to hear what they really sound like.

Lesson 5: Sheep Craft
Objectives:
* To learn the characteristics of a sheep
* To use the fine motor skills involved with painting, cutting, and gluing

Materials:
* Construction Paper (pink and any other color)
* White Paint
* Googly Eyes
* Black Marker

Procedure:
* I love how my children's schools just read my mind sometimes! I picked Tucker up from MDO today, and this was his craft! Super cute! Just make their handprint using white paint. Then help them paint a circle for the head. Add pink, oval ears cut out of construction paper, two googly eyes, and a smile! Talk about the characteristics of a sheep as you go.

Lesson 6: Animal Sorting from This Reading Mama
Objectives:
* To recall the names of different animals
* To discuss where certain animals live
* To categorize the animals into groups of farm animals and non-farm animals

Materials:
* Printables from This Reading Mama
* Scissors

Procedure:

* Download the free printables in the Pre-K Farm pack from This Reading Mama. Scroll through to find the 2 animal sorting pages seen above and print. Cut out the animals and spread them out on the table.

* Help your child sort the animals into the two categories "Down on the Farm" and "Not on the Farm". Once all of the animals are sorted, talk about how there are many types of animals that live in different places. Discuss where the "Not on the Farm" animals live.

Lesson 7: Duck Craft
Objectives:
* To learn the characteristics of a duck
* To use the fine motor skills involved with cutting, drawing, gluing, and tracing

Materials:
* Toilet Paper Roll
* Yellow and Orange Construction Paper
* Scissors
* Black Marker
* Glue or Tape

Procedure:

* Cut a piece of yellow construction paper to fit around the toilet paper roll tube and tape/glue into place.

* Trace your child's hands and cut them out of yellow construction paper. These will represent the wings of the duck. Glue them to the back of the toilet paper roll like so:

* Cut out a small yellow circle for the face and let your child glue googly eyes and an orange triangle on for the bill.

* Cut out two webbed orange feet and tape/glue them to the inside of the toilet paper roll.

* Talk about the characteristics of a duck and what a duck says. You can even look online at pictures of different types of ducks.

Lesson 8: Food from Farm Animals
Objectives:
* To understand that different foods we eat come from farm animals
* To learn which foods come from different animals
* To use the fine motor skills involved with writing

Materials:
* Printable from me :)
* Pencil or Crayons

Procedure:

* Discuss the different types of food we get from animals. Print out the worksheet, and show your child each animal and each food. Help them draw a line from the animal to the foods they give us.

Lesson 9: Pigs in the Mud Craft
Objectives:
* To learn the characteristics of a pig
* To discuss why pigs like to be in the mud
* To use the fine motor skills involved with cutting, gluing, drawing, and painting

Materials:
* Pink and Blue Construction Paper
* Brown Paint (with bowl or plate to put it on)
* Paintbrush
* Scissors
* Black Marker
* Glue
* Drop Cloth (or something to cover the table)

Procedure:

* Place a drop cloth or a cover on the table you are using. Cut out a medium sized pink circle, two small triangles, and two legs as seen below:
(The blue construction paper with the title label was left over from my teaching days :))

* Glue the pink circle in the middle of the construction paper. Then put the two triangle ears on top and the legs on the bottom as seen here:

* Help your child draw a face on the pig.

* Using brown paint, let your child blot "mud" all around the pig. Talk about how pigs like to keep cool in the mud.

Of course, Sawyer wanted to make
one, too!

Lesson 10: Down on the Farm File Folder Game from File Folder Fun
Objectives:

* To review all of the farm animals and their characteristics
* To match the fronts and backs of each animal

Materials:

* Printables from File Folder Fun
* File Folder
* Scissors
* Glue

Procedure:

* Print and cut out the pieces for the file folder game. Glue the title and cover on the front of the file folder like this:

* Cut the animals in half and glue some fronts and some backs onto the inside of the folder, leaving the matching pieces off.

* Have your child match the pieces together and say the animal's names as they go. This is a great review game for this unit. Don't forget to store your game pieces in a ziploc bag!