Who’s on the Farm?

Materials
Barn picture
5-6 book pages
Stapler
Scissors
Glue
Farm animal stickers

Directions
Staple several pieces of paper together.  I cut an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper into quarters. Make a cover and title for the book.  Invite your child to place one sticker of a farm animal on each page in the book.  Write a simple sentence for each page like, “I am a cow.”  Children will love the repetition and will enjoy reading their own handmade book!

Planting Lima Beans in a Zip-loc Baggie

Materials
4-5 Lima beans
Water
A plastic cup
1 paper towels
1 Ziploc bag (quart size)
Spray water bottle
Dirt

Directions
Place enough water in a plastic cup to cover the lima beans. Let the beans soak overnight. The next day, remove the beans from the water. Invite your child to fold a paper towel so it fits inside the plastic bag. Dampen the towel with water.  Place the paper towel in the bag, then add the seeds.  Seal the bag, and put it in a sunny spot where your child can observe the changes. 

Over the next few days, watch the seeds sprout! The seeds will begin to grow roots. When the roots become about an inch and half long, transfer seeds to a clear plastic cup.
Allow your child to fill the cup with soil, then use his finger to make holes in the soil, close to the edge of the cup. Place the beans, root side down, along the side of the cup, then cover with extra soil. Continue to water the plants so the soil is damp, but not soaked.
 
After a few days, the seeds in the soil will break through the soil and develop leaves. At this point, the small bean plant can be transfered to an outside garden if you want to grow actual lima beans, or you can watch them continue to grow indoors!
 
Lesson Extension
Read the book, One Bean by Anne Rockwell and Megan Halsey. This book was written with the youngest learners in mind.

Farm Animal Matching Game

Materials
Various farm animals from playsets
Cardstock
Printer

Directions
Take a picture of each animal one might find on a farm.  Print colored pictures of the animals onto cardstock.  Lay the various pictures out onto the workspace.  Invite your child to find the matching farm animal and place it on top of the picture. Count the number of animals.

Extensions
For preschoolers, label each picture with the name of the animal.  Focus on the beginning letter for each animal.  Ask, “Which animal begins with the letter ‘C'”

For Kindergarteners, place word cards only out for your child to read and then find the animal that matches the word card.

Have fun!

Farm Animal Paper Bag Puppets

Materials
Brown paper lunch bags
Templates of various farm animals (search Google Images)
Glue
Paints
Scissors
Cotton Balls (sheep)

Directions
Print puppet templates of several different farm animals. Cut them out.  Invite your child to decorate the brown paper bag (i.e. glue cotton balls on for the sheep’s wool, paint the bag pink for a pig, color spots for a cow).  Help your child glue on the cut out animal faces.  Once the puppets have dried, engage in some storytelling with the puppets, sing “Old MacDonald had a Farm”.

Big Red Barn – Story Stretchers

Materials
Book:  Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
Small plastic farm animals and/or pictures of animals that live on the farm
Container of shredded yellow paper

Literacy Activites

Picture Walk:  “Walk” through the book, page by page, and identify as many animals as possible.  Ask, “What does a pig say?”, “What does a horse say?”, etc.  Once you have taken a picture walk, if your child is interested, read the story aloud.  For toddlers, you may want to read the book another day.  They may want to spend some time playing with the plastic farm animals.

Read Aloud:  Find a cozy spot to read the story with your child. Take time to examine each picture and encourage your child to say and point to the animals and make the animal sounds as you read the story together. You may also want to ask him to share what else he sees in the picture.  Invite your child to find the matching plastic animal or picture of the animal.  At the end of the story ask content questions such as,
1. “How many horses were in the story?”
2. “How many eggs did the hen lay?”
3. “Which animal squealed?”
4. “Where were the children?”

Math Activities
Make a tally mark for every animal that is introduced in the story.  At the end of the story, count the talliies and remind your child that each tally represented an animal on the farm. Ask, “How many animals live on the farm?”

Sort the animals using various criteria (i.e. animals that have wings, animals with four legs; big and little, those that sleep during the day verses animals that sleep at night)

Science
introduce names of adult animals, male and female, and baby animals (sow, piglet, mare, foul, cow, calf, hen, rooster, chicks).  Look for pictures of adult and baby animals. Invite your child to match the baby with his parent.

Visit a farm
After reading the book, visit a local farm or petting zoo.  See a cow being milked, feed the baby goats, look for eggs in a hen house, watch the pigs roll in the mud.

Sensory
Shred yellow paper and place the shredded paper in a plastic tub.  HIde the farm animals in the tub and invite your toddler to find all the animals.  Name and count the animals.

Safety Begins with God

Safety regulations seem to be constantly changing and being revised to ensure that our children grow up in a protected and safe environment. But as parents, we know that safety begins with trusting in God’s protecting power. It is helpful to know that God is the universal and divine Parent of all. Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy states, “Love, the divine Principle, is the Father and Mother of the universe, including man” (p. 256). True safety and security for our children rest on the practical understanding that God is the loving and eternal Parent of man.

Safety always starts in thought and begins with faith in knowing the ever-present protecting influence of God. The Bible is full of demonstrations which bear witness to the fact that safety is spiritual. To mention but a few: Noah was safe from the peril of the flood; the children of Israel were safe both in captivity in Egypt and as they traveled through the wilderness; Daniel was safe in the lions’ den; the three young Hebrew captives came forth from the blazing furnace unharmed. If, therefore, an active consciousness of God’s presence has protected us in one instance, it will protect us in all. Many today through their understanding of God are experiencing similar proofs of deliverance and safety. The promises set forth in the song of safety, the ninety-first Psalm, are fulfilled now and always: “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”

It is important to be conscious of and take part in each child’s spiritual development. However, understanding that God is the true Parent of our children does not lessen an individual parent’s responsibility to provide a safe and secure environment. Parents need to take practical steps, as well, to keep their children safe, and appropriate laws should be enforced to ensure the highest degree of protection for our children.

As infants begin to move around and start crawling, their curiosity increases as does their interest in exploring. Allowing your baby to explore the home environment provides new learning opportunities. However, it is important to take a look around your home with safety in mind. Look at each room from your child’s eye level and safety proof any areas where your baby can go. We need to look thoughtfully at the physical environment in terms of our children’s current skills and interests, and work to eliminate any possible hazards. Young children need constant supervision, and the more children in a group, the more supervision is needed.

Rules that ensure safety can be provided as children grow and the need becomes apparent. For example, parents can limit the number of children on a climber and how high to climb. Children can be taught the boundaries of their yard and to play within those boundaries. They can learn to ride tricycles in the driveway and when to turn around and come back. The rule can be stated as simply as, “Cars go in the street; we ride our trikes in our driveway.”

Holding a parent’s hand in a parking lot and when crossing the street is an important rule to establish as soon as your child is walking. Practice looking both ways with your child before crossing the street so that it becomes automatic. When your child is older and is able to cross the street independently, he will remember to look both ways before entering the street. Other rules that need to be carefully thought through and taught as your child grows include:

  • how to answer the telephone—not giving too much information to the caller
  • how to use technology
  • when and how to be guarded with strangers—not getting into a stranger’s car without permission from parents.

As safety rules are taught and put into place, the rules need to be consistently followed and enforced. If your child later tests a rule, he made need an appropriate consequence as a reminder about the importance of following the safety rule. You can use your prayerful intuition to find words to let your children know why they should follow rules of safety. As we are watchful, keeping an eye on safety and gaining control of our thoughts and actions through love and not through fear, helps our children form habits that lead to safety in their lives.

Blue Salt Tray

Materials
Salt
Blue food coloring
Zip-loc baggie
Tray or small cookie sheet

Directions
Place salt (enough to cover the bottom of the tray) in a Zip-loc baggie.  Add 3-4 drops of blue food coloring and close the baggie.  Mix the color into the salt.  Your child will enjoy helpign with this step.  Once mixed, pour the colored salt onto the tray.  Invite your child to draw letters, write his name, practice sight words, etc. in the salt.  Gently shake the tray to erase the letters.

Suggested Chores for Children

This is only a partial list to get you started with your own ideas.  For greater success, discuss possible chores and let children choose their own responsibilities.

Chore List: One Year Old

  • Pick up toys
  • Pretend cleaning (wipe up spills, dust, sweeping, vacuuming)

Chore List: Two to Three Years Old

  • Help make up beds
  • Help feed pets
  • Help sort laundry
  • Place spoons and napkins on table
  • Unload plastic dishes, spoons and forks from dishwasher
  • Check bathrooms to be sure there’s an extra roll of toilet paper
  • Put clothes in hamper
  • Get dressed
  • Match clean socks
  • Clean spills
  • Water plants
  • Empty wastebasket

Chore List: Four to Five Years Old

  • Make bed
  • Set and clear the table
  • Dust
  • Help put away groceries
  • Use the hand vac to clean up
  • Bring in mail
  • Pull weeds
  • Take folded laundry to correct rooms
  • Fix bowl of cereal
  • Put food away after meals when within child’s reach

Chore List: Six to Eight Years Old

  • Help fold clothes
  • Put away clean laundry
  • Help with simple cooking and food preparation
  • Vacuum
  • Take out the trash
  • Rake leaves
  • Clean bedroom
  • Wash dishes
  • Fold socks and put away
  • Load dishwasher
  • Sort dirty clothes into whites and colors
  • Sweep
  • Walk pet
  • Put away groceries

Chore List: Nine to Ten Years Old

  • Wash dishes by hand and unload dishwasher
  • Prepare simple meals
  • Change sheets on beds
  • Learn to use the washer and dryer
  • Clean bathrooms
  • Help with yard work
  • Help wash the car
  • Scrub the floors
  • Clean the kitchen

Chore List: Eleven Years Old or Older

  • Help with younger children
  • Any household responsibilities than an adult would do

Tape Peeling

Materials

Blue, white, and red painter’s tape
Accessible wall or window

Directions

Place strips of painter’s tape onto the wall or window surface. Invite your child to carefully peel the tape from the surface.  

This is an excellent fine motor activity for improving the pincer grasp needed later when learning to write with a pencil.