On the Farm {Expanded}

Check out our new and expanded “Farm” unit!  We’ve added a few new printables, which you can download. 


Just click the image above to download a single zip file from Google Drive. (Can’t unzip it. Try Hamster Free Zip Archiver approved by Amber’s husband. Remember to download carefully.)

You will need to be able to view pop-ups to download the unit, as it will appear in a pop up window from our site!

Here are the printables included in this unit:

• Farm Puzzles- Where Things Come From
• Roll & Graph
• Beginning Writing/Cutting Practice
• Patterns (ABAB and AABB)
• Letter Match
• Number Order Puzzle (1-10 and 11-20)
• Spelling Pages
• Which is Different? 
• Shadow Match Activity
• Plant or Animal Sort
• Cow Spot Counting (You’ll need our counting cards.)
• Shape Tractor
• Size Sorting
• Writing Maze  
• Shape Match

Tot Pack
Looking for some ideas for a younger tot?  Check out the Farm Tot Pack Carisa and I collaborated on. Here are the printables included in this pack:

• Animal Match
• Heads & Tails
• How Many Animals?
• Barnyard Colors (mini book)
• Size Sequencing
• ABCs on the Farm (mini book)
• Farm Picture Puzzle

Products We Use with Our Units

Looking for more ideas?

• Devotional &; Memory Verse
• Farm Learning Center Ideas
• Farm Craft Ideas
• Recommended Books
• Tots Around Town
• Family Theme Night Ideas
• Last Year's Post

There are also more  ideas, units, printables and crafts available on this theme.  Check out our Pinterest Board for some of our favorites!

We hope you enjoy these printables and please let us know if you have any issues with downloading or using the items provided. 

We’re linking up to: Preschool Corner.

Please do not sell or host these files anywhere else. You MAY link people here. When leading others to these printables, please link to THIS page, not to the file page.  Thanks! (See TOU)

Farm Fun Craft Ideas!

There are a lot of fun ways to get into this theme, and crafting with your kiddo is one of them.  Here are some fun ideas that you can use, or that might get your own creative juices flowing!
Sheep Cotton Ball Craft I don’t know about your kids, but if it involves glue and cotton balls then E is all in.  This simple sheep craft, from All In Kids,  is right up her alley so we will be making it!

Handprint Rooster This Handprint Rooster, from No Time for Flashcards is another craft we might give a go.  I love having things made with E’s handprints because they remind me of how little she is (and has been!) 

Oatmeal Box Silo This Oatmeal Package Silo, from Enchanted Learning is a way to craft the farm itself! 

There are plenty of other ideas out there on the web, but you find the ones that we have collected by checking out our Pinterest board!

Ecclesiastes 3:12-Memory Verse Helps

Here are some extras to help your kiddos memorize this weeks verse, Ecclesiastes 3:12. 
You can download all of the printables, including the devotional here. 

If you would like to download individual files, click on the image below. 

Memory Verse Card: Use this card daily during your calendar time to work on memorization. 
 
Memory Verse Puzzle and Cutting Practice:  This puzzle fits together to form this weeks memory verse. 
 
Memory Verse Color Order and Cutting Practice: Using color order arrange the verse.
 
Memory Verse Writing Practice: With this you can practice parts of the whole verse, or just work on starting a single letter.   

  
You may also re-visit this verses devotional from last year.  We hope you enjoy them!

Farm Centers

This week we are expanding our Farm theme printables.

To get you started, I’ve found some fabulous resources that can be use in independent centers or even as additional supplement to our printables.


Lacing Cards
My son has had the Melissa & Doug Lace and Trace Farm since his 2nd birthday.  I love their durability, but he has never been into lacing.  He rather just play with the laces.  So, I’m hoping that this year will be different.  I would love for him to actually use them! If you don’t have these, then I’ve also created a few lacing cards for you!

Melissa & Doug Lace and Trace Farm

Farm Lacing Cards

Use the templates above to create your own lacing cards.  Just print on cardstock, cut them out and laminate for durability. Then add some holes around it with a hole punch.


Games
Sheppard Software offers a variety of free preschool activities related to the farm online.
Hope these ideas are helpful.

Tots in Action! The Farm Unit

Here is a look at what we did this week in tot school with our unit.  Below you will also find our Grab and Gather list for the units activities. 

The Farm

This unit has been expanded. So, make sure and check out the additional printables here.

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Here is what we’ve been doing this week. Let us know what you think.  We hope by providing these materials to you free of charge, it will make your life easier! 

Lesson Plan: The lesson plan includes all the lessons for the week, as well as optional ideas. Items following the lesson plan are just the printables or links to websites we used to teach these plans.  (Please note: On top of our lesson plan we are reading books daily that relate to our theme throughout the week.)

Memory Verse: This memory card is for daily use during our calendar time.  You can learn more about calendar time at 1+1+1=1 or Homeschool Creations.  Our weekly devotional is an object lesson that will help your child apply the meaning of the verse to them. Day 1:

Build the Letter F- Teaches your child how letters are constructed by creating the shape with play-doh.

How Many Spots?- This activity will help your child begin to read, count and model whole numbers 1-10.

Sesame Street Farm Playlists- Offers a variety of activities (videos and games) related to life on a farm.

Day 2:

R is for Rooster- Teaches your child how letters are linked to sounds to form letter-sound correspondence.

Roll A Barn- This activity will help your child begin to read whole numbers 1-6. We found this at Play To Learn Printables.

Farm Tot Pack- Offers a variety of activities to reinforce number, color and letter recognition.  I collaborated with Carisa from 1+1+1=1 to create it.

Day 3:

Farm Spelling- Helps your child begin to recognize that when letters are combined they form words.  We used letter tilesfor this activity, but scrabble pieces work well too.

Shape Tractor- Your child will use visualization and spatial reasoning to begin to notice characteristics and properties of geometric shapes.

The Farmer in the Dell- Sing and act out this song using Rainbow Animals from Making Learning Fun.  Change the lyrics to include various farm animals and have your child be the farmer.

We hope you enjoy these lesson plans and please let us know if you have any issues with downloading or using the items provided.  

Questions?  Post questions or comments on our Facebook Page.  You may have the same question as someone else.  If you don’t have a Facebook account, feel free to email us.

Tots Around Town-Farm Field Trip

So here are some pics from our field trip that went along with our farm unit.  We live close to several working farms, and I am sure we would have been welcome to visit them, but last week was our State Fair.  Since there are always plenty of farm animals to be found at the fair, we headed out  to see what we could see!  Here are some pictures from our field trip! 

E was little unsure of what to make of the big cows.  Our fair had a wonderful farm discovery exhibit, though.  There E was able to get up close to some baby animals.  We saw this baby calf, and E went to pet it.

Also in this discovery exhibit was an incubator where you could watch baby chicks hatch!  Now, I know that is something we probably would never have gotten to see on a real farm!  We actually timed it perfectly, and one baby chick was popping out of his shell.  You can’t see it here, but you can get the idea. 

E did not want to share her sucker with the rabbits.  When I told her that the bunny might get it, she kept her sucker at a safe distance. :)

E had no desire to go near the roosters.  In fact she was quite terrified.  We left them pretty quickly and went over to the baby duckling exhibit.  You can see below why she was so entertained! 

Finally, E loved “riding” in this John Deere tractor. 

Wondering where to take your tot?  Here are some ideas:

• Do an internet search for working farms in your area and plan a visit.  Many farms are offering apple picking this time of year, so you might want to plan that as an activity. 
• If you live in a rural area, go for a drive and count the farms you see. 
• Visit a fair if there is one going on in your state.  You can find your state fair dates here.
• Just want to see farm animals?  Check your phone book and see if there are petting zoos in your area. 
• If all else fails take the kiddos to a farmer’s market and talk about where we get our fruits and veggies.  Let them talk to some of the farmers there about what they grow and how long it takes. 

If you don’t happen to find something in your area there are many on-line activities.  We will be linking to some of these in our lesson plans tomorrow, so be sure and come back and check them out! 

Don’t stress about the locale or the activities.  Your tot just wants to be with you!   Get out of the house and have some fun!

Questions?  Post questions or comments on our Facebook Page.  You may have the same question as someone else.  If you don’t have a Facebook account, feel free to email us.

Reaping and Sowing

The verse you will be working on with your child in the next unit, The Farm, is Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 .

 “There is a time for everything… a time to plant, and a time to reap”

 Materials:

• A stryofoam cup
• A seed
• Potting Soil
• water

Directions:

• Sit down with your tot and read the verse with them.
• Explain that today you are going to be talking about faith, and believing even when you don’t have proof you can see with your eyes.
• Tell your kiddo that they are going to be growing a plant with you!
• Fill your cup up about halfway with some dirt, then let your child put the seed in.  Put in the remaining dirt and water.  You can guide your tot based on their skill level with this one.
• Tell them that now their seed is ready to grow. 
• Watch the cup with them for a couple of seconds and say “Do you know why our plant isn’t growing yet?” 
• Go over today’s devotional with them. 
• Put the cup in the window and wait for your sowing to lead to reaping.  

Talk with your child about the following: 
Sometimes we work for things that we don’t yet get to see.  This seed will grow if we are faithful and water it each day, but it will take a little while to see something in our cup.  When we follow God and do as He asks us to in the Bible, we know that God will do what is best for us.  Sometimes though, things take a little while for us to see.  God asks us to be faithful, and to follow Him even when we don’t know if what we plant is going to even grow!  The Bible tells us that Faith is being sure of what we do not see.  Today we will have faith that even though we don’t see the plant growing it will!  We also need to have faith that God is with us even though we don’t see Him. 

Questions to ask:

• What do we call it when we trust God?  Faith
• Even though we don’t see God, is He with us?  Yes

Additional Resources:

• You may want to review last weeks question with your tot
• Mommy Devotional on the memory verse

 

Questions?  Post questions or comments on our Facebook Page.  You may have the same question as someone else.  If you don’t have a Facebook account, feel free to email us.

Family Theme Night- The Farm

Our household, mainly mommy, has been sick this week.  So, we didn’t get to do our Family Theme Night.  However, we had a hoedown last year, so I wanted to share it with you.

Below you will find a list of suggestions and choices to create your own unique Family Theme Night.  Pick and choose as you please…remember this isn’t about all the stuff it is about spending time with your family. 

Meal:

You can make this as simple or as complicated as you would like...just make/buy your favorite country dish.  We decided to pig out on some KFC.

Decorations:

• Print off Rainbow Shape Animals and set them on each person’s plate.  I colored them in Photoshop Elements before I printed them on card stock because we used them for Tot School.  However, your children can help you get ready for the festivities by coloring in the animals.
• Get dressed up: overalls, red, cowboy hats, plaid, boots, pigtails, etc.

Activity/Game:

• Bucking Bronco-  As you can tell from our picture, our bronco didn't look like the horse on the farm, but since my husband is a fan of the Denver Broncos, it worked out great for us. An alternative that you could try is a horse on a stick.  If you don't own one, then make your own.  On the last page of this PDF is a horse head that you can print and attach to a yard stick or long wrapping paper tube.
• Egg Gathering- I just used white card stock and cut out ovals for the eggs, but if you have plastic eggs then those would work great.  You will also need a basket of some sort to put your eggs into.

 

Craft:

• Cow Branding- You will need pictures of cattle, finger paint or paint of any color, and a cookie cutter of the letter you want to brand onto your cattle.

 

Read a Book:

 

Watch a Movie: Use your discretion on what is appropriate for your child.  These movies are merely suggestions and you should read and consider reviews of these movies before watching them.

Have a great time enjoying your family and making new memories.

Questions?  Post questions or comments on our Facebook Page.  You may have the same question as someone else.  If you don’t have a Facebook account, feel free to email us.