Getting your unit ready
Below I have the details for each part of the farm unit and what specific supplies you will need. I suggest printing most of the pages in this unit on cardstock and then laminating for durability. You will be able to use these activities again and again. There are some parts of the unit such as the I Spy and Scavenger Hunt pages that are designed to be printed and consumed but to save paper you could definitely laminate and have students write with crayons or dry erase markers.Suggested Supplies for Entire Unit:
LaminatorLaminating Pouches
Paper
Colored Paper if you'd prefer to print in black and white and have a pop of color
Cardstock
Plastic Storage Container (I love these for storing each unit in and you can write with dry erase markers on the label for easy labeling and storage.)
Farm Graphing
Supplies Needed:
-Counting and graph paper sheets
-Farm scene pictures
-Pencil
-Crayons
To Prep:
Print out the 5 farm scenes and the matching 5 graphing sheets. You can laminate the pictures if you'd like to use these again.
To Use:
Choose a scene and the corresponding graphing sheet. Count each animal in the scene and write the number on the count it side. Use the numbers from the count it side to color in the correct number of boxes on the graph it side. We did each animal in a different color just to make it easier to see the difference when graphing.
You can read more about Farm Graphing and grab it as a freebie HERE.
Farm Animal Size Sort
Supplies Needed:
-Animal cards
-Size headings
To Prep:
Print the size headings and the animal cards. Laminate and cut apart.
To Use:
Compare the animal cards to one another and sort them as either small, medium or large under the correct heading.
Alphabet Match Games
Supplies Needed:
-Spin and Cover Game Boards
-Pencil/Crayon
-Paperclip
-Glass Gems, erasers or some small objects that can cover the board
To Prep:
Print and laminate the game boards. Use a paperclip and a pencil as the spinner. The paperclip will just spin around the pencil as you hold it in place. There is no need to attach it to the board. Gather enough erasers/gems/small objects/counters to cover all the letters on the board.
To Use:
Spin the spinner and find the uppercase version of the letter the spinner landed on. Cover it and spin again. Continue until all letters are covered. To play this as a partner game, gather 2 different types of counters. Have players take turns spinning and covering until the whole board is covered.
You can read more about Alphabet Match Games HERE.
Farm Scavenger Hunt
Supplies Needed:
-A visit to a farm or even a video of a farm
-Scavenger Hunt Checklist
-Pencil
-Clipboard
To Prep:
Print and cut the scavenger hunt checklist. Use a clipboard to hold the paper. A mini clipboard would work perfect for this.
To Use:
While students are at a farm or watching a farm movie, have them check off items on the list as they find them.
Beginning Letter Clip Cards
Supplies Needed:
-Clip Cards
-Clothespins
To Prep:
There are specific directions for assembly in the download but basically print out the clip card pages. They come two to a page. Cut apart horizontally. Fold the page in half so that the animal is on one side and the yellow dot is on the other side. Laminate while they are folded.
To Use:
Clip the letter that the picture starts with. The rest of the letters in the word have been provided under the picture. Turn the card over. If the yellow dot is clipped, the answer is correct.
Write the Room
Supplies Needed:
-Clipboard
-Pencil
-Recording Sheet
-Vocabulary Words
To Prep:
Print out the vocabulary words and laminate for durability. Place these words around the room so that students need to get up and move in order to find them. Print out a recording sheet and attach it to a clipboard.
To Use:
Using the picture clues on the cards and recording sheets, find the correct spot to write the vocabulary word. Copy it down from the card and then move around the room to find the next card. Continue until all cards have been found.
Sensory I Spy Bottles
-Empty dry water bottles (I used Smart Water)
-Rice
-Food Coloring
-Hand sanitizer
-Ziploc bag
-Farm words cut out
-Checklist
-Clipboard
-Pencil
To Prep:
Dry water bottles and remove labels. For these Smart bottles I just peeled the label off in one sheet and then used Goo Gone to remove any stickiness. Dye the rice by putting rice in a ziploc bag, squirting a few squirts of hand sanitizer and then squirting in a few drops of food coloring (more if you want bold colors). Mix it around in the bag until the rice is colored. Spread on a cookie tray to dry. Should dry relatively quickly. Fill the bottles a little more than half way with the rice and put the word or picture cards (your choice based on ability level of your learner) in as you put the rice in. Print out the checklist.
**Note: I used the 16.9 fl oz size which was perfect for my girls to hold. However, the bottles needed a little less rice than I included or needed the picture/word cards cut a little smaller so they could move through the bottle easier. The size of the bottle will determine how many cards you want to put in each bottle. Also, I would suggest hot gluing the top if your students will be using them without an adult. I didn't glue mine because I sat right with my girls as we did this so that they wouldn't unscrew the tops.
To Use:
Shake the bottle to find the picture/word cards. Check them off on the list as you find them. Alternate: If you don't want to make sensory bottles, you could create a sensory bin with rice or any other filler and insert the word/picture cards. Have students follow the same process when they find a card.
Habitat Sort
-Animal Cards
-Sorting Sheet
-Plastic Animals
-2 buckets
-Sorting Signs
To Prep:
Print and laminate the sorting sheet and the animal cards. Cut the cards apart. If you would prefer to do this activity with plastic animals, print out the sorting signs and attach them to two different buckets.
To Use:
Sort the animals (cards or plastic toys) into two piles - animals that live on a farm and animals that do not.
You can read more about our Habitat Sort HERE.
Tens Frame Number Match
-Laminated number cards
-Laminated tens frame cards
To Prep:
Print, laminate and cut apart the number cards and the tens frame cards.
To Use:
You could use these cards in a variety of ways. I had my daughter put the numbers in order from 1-20. Then she went back and found the matching tens frame for each number. You could also turn these over and play them like a memory game. You could put them in a pile and have students sort for a match. You could copy/laminate them back to back to make a flashcard. The possibilities are endless
Are you ready to have your own farm learning fun? This is great for a preschool, homeschool or kindergarten setting.