Farm Themed Tot School Unit: Part I

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Something about Summer just makes me think of life on the farm.

I don’t know if it’s the slower pace or the long days outside in the sun but it always is enough to make farm life appealing. At least it was until last week. Last week we signed up to have farm duty at Goose’s Montessori school. The school has it’s own miniature farm with chickens, ducks, sheep and miniature donkeys. Since there is a new baby donkey I was quick to sign up to take care of the animals for one week of summer break. Little did I know that I was going to be in WAY over my head!

In way over my head …

The first day I showed up with a 3 year old and 1 year old thinking it would be a quick visit. We would hand out a little food, pet the baby donkey and be home in time for naps. Nope! I think the highlight was when the sheep got out of their pen and I spent an hour attempting to chase / bribe them back in. Or trying to corral the chickens into the coop …. or was it when I was hauling buckets of water (PS I think it weighed at least 50 lbs!) and a donkey knocked me over and I spilled the bucket all over myself.

Long story short – I have learned that I am NOT cut out for farm life. That hasn’t kept me from designing a super fun farm themed tot school unit. Please forgive the 3 enormous posts this week – there were so many cute activities I got a little carried away!

Nomenclature Cards

It wouldn’t be a tot school unit without nomenclature cards. If you aren’t familiar with these fantastic learning tools I explain them here. I always like to start any new unit with nomenclature cards because they are such an easy way to introduce the new vocabulary that you will be using throughout the unit. I have designed my own set of farm nomenclature cards that you can download for free from my Digital Resource Library. Don’t have an access code? Just sign up below and one will be emailed to you right away!

One of my favorite games with nomenclature cards is to combine them with one or more Safari Ltd. Toobs. I used the Farm TOOB and Farm Babies TOOB. Then allow your child to match the photographic image on the nomenclature card to the Toob figurine. For us this process often devolves into imaginative play but even then the boys are learning. It usually sounds something like, “The baby horse is driving my Hot Wheels, Mommy!” “The foal is driving the Hot Wheels dear.”

Is it just my house or does every activity ultimately involve Hot Wheels?

Pigs in Mud Sensory Bin

Now this is one FUN sensory bin! Probably because it’s so messy. We used some pigs from our Farm TOOB as well as pigs from the Battat Terra Farm Animals Set , and set them loose in a tub full of chocolate pudding.

I introduced the activity with this video explaining why pigs roll in mud, and we read ‘Hogwash‘ by Karma Wilson.

Goose prefers to keep his hands clean, but even he was willing to dive into the pudding when he figured out how tasty it is. Nugget, of course, can always be counted on to coat himself from head to toe in any substance he gets his hands on.

Fast Craft: Paper Plate Lambs

Making paper plate lambs is easy, fun and the end results are surprisingly adorable! Best of all this is a craft that a preschooler can complete with minimal assistance from Mom. Elmer’s glue scrubs clean from just about every surface, right? *wink*.

Supplies:

1 White Paper or Foam Disposable Plate
White Cotton Balls
One printed copy of the lamb template from my Digital Resource Library.
Elmer’s School Glue
2 Googly Eyes
Scissors

Prep Work: Download my template and cut out the legs, face and ears of the lamb.

**Don’t have an access code for the Digital Resource Library? No problem! Just sign up below and one will me emailed to you right away!

Instructions:

Use Elmer’s Glue to apply the round head to the center of the plate, then glue all 4 legs to the edges.
Glue the eyes on to the face (shocker, I know. Unless you have more of a Picasso-esque lamb in mind …)
Let your child go wild gluing as many cotton balls as they would like to the plate.
When finished tuck the ears into the cotton and glue in place.
Admire your adorable lamb – and maybe give it a name.

Milking a Cow Imaginative Play

Ok, I’m going to level with you. This was a super neat activity that turned out far better than I initially imagined, however it might be difficult to replicate at home. I will show you what I did, and then offer my suggestions for how you could possible put your own spin on the activity using things you already have around the house.

To begin with you need a frame of some sort. We made our own out of this Discovery Kids Construction Fort (which we have used endlessly for fort building!) I think you could use just about anything with 4 legs, maybe even a kitchen chair?

Next, you need a rubber glove and some twine. Fill the glove with water and use the twine to secure it shut at the wrist opening. Then use your frame to suspend the glove so that it dangles in the opening. When your child is ready to begin ‘milking their cow’ use a safety pin to poke 3-4 holes in the tip of 1-2 fingers. The glove will tend to drip so please keep a bucket beneath your milking station.

Like a real cow, we found that our glove gave us the best results when we used a push-pull motion. If you feel particularly ambitious you could even decorate your frame so that it looks like a real cow. If you do that you officially win the Mom-of-the-Year Award and I absolutely want you to send in pictures!

Delicious Haystack Snack Recipe

Nugget and Goose worked up quite the appetite doing all of our farm activities today so I figured it would be a great opportunity to finish the day with a yummy farm-themed snack. These tasty haystack snacks are a sweet and easy treat!

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter (or substitute your favorite nut-free butter if your household has allergies)
2-3 Cups Pretzel Sticks, broken into small pieces
1/4 Cup White Chocolate Chips

Optional Additions: Slivered Almonds, Nutella, Chopped Nuts, Mini Marshmallows, Caramel Chips, Heath Bar Crumbles.

Recipe:

Microwave the peanut butter and chocolate chips on high for 1-2 minutes until melted and stir until fully combined.
If you wish to add any of the optional toppings stir them in now.
Stir Broken Pretzels into your melted peanut butter mixture and spoon dollops of it onto a baking sheet covered in a Silpat Mat or wax paper.
Let cool in a refrigerator for about an hour.

There’s way too much sugar to call this snack healthy, but I think it’s just right as a special treat after working hard and learning all morning.

Did you try any of our farm-themed tot school activities?

Which did your kids like best? Are there any other farm-related activities you would like to see later this week?

Check back later this week to see Part II and Part III of our Farm Themed Tot School Unit!

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Crafts Early Tot School Farm Nomenclature Cards Recipes Sensory Bin Snacks Tot School