Farm Preschool Activities

Lessons from the Farm

Farm stories, songs and activities are some of the most exciting exercises you can find for preschool children. Whether we are talking about simple tunes like "the wheels on the bus" or more complex agrarian activities like growing your own corn, farm activities are a great way to acquaint children with what it takes to grow and harvest food.

Songs

As we mentioned, songs are a great way to get the entire class involved and hopefully help them learn something this fascinating subject. While most preschool songs concern themselves with seasonal themes like Christmas, Hanukkah or Halloween, farm songs can be sung any time of year. Some of the most popular farm songs include: This is the Way we Plant the Hay, Ho Down, Farm Sounds, Five Little Pigs, Animals on the Farm, High-ho the dairy-oh, Billy the Bull, Mother Duck and Mary had a Little Lamb.

Activities

Corn is one of the most plentiful crops in the country today. Not only do we eat it from a can and off the cob, it is also used to make corn syrup, which is used in a multitude of modern products. If you want to show your class how to grow corn, all you need are dried out corn kennels. You need only purchase or acquire a few dried up cobs and then pluck all the kernels off of the cobs. Next you need to put the bare cob into a container and wait for one to two weeks. In that time new corn sprouts should begin to form. You can then plant the old cob in fertile soil and grow new corn.

Milking a Cow

Before you actually get down on you knees and begin to squeeze and pull, explain to the children where exactly milk comes from. Then you can fill a plastic bag or a latex glove with milk and show the children what fresh milk actually looks like.

Feeding the Pigs

Pigs are probably the most popular animals on the farm and feeding them will be an experience your students will never forget. Today�s farm hogs normally eat quite a bit of corn and grains, mostly because they are cheap and are in abundant supply on the farm.

Feeding Plants

To show the children how plants drink, you need only put a celery stalk in a glass of water. Within a day or two, the celery will absorb some of the water to quench its thirst.

Growing Grass

Explain to your children that grass is the primary source of food for several farm animals, including cows and horses. Then your can grow some grass of your own in an aquarium or in a pot.

Hatch a Chick

You can use a simple incubator to hatch a baby chick in front of your class. Eggs can be ordered on the internet or from a local hatchery. It will only take a couple of weeks and will not require undue attention. This is the ultimate lesson for your students to let them know how life on the farm begins.