Materials
- Poster board
- Small plastic farm animals and other toy farm pieces
- Farm-style dress-up clothes
What to do
1. Take a trip to a farm. Talk with a farmer and/or schedule a farm animal visit.
2. Make a "What Happens in a Barn?" poster. Ask the children the question after taking a field trip to a farm. Record their answers.
3. Add small farm animals, toy barns, tractors, trucks, etc. to the block area and add farming clothing to the dramatic play area so that the children can imaginatively play out the barn information they have learned.
More to do
- Dramatic play: The teacher holds the box top flaps up and tapes them together to resemble a barn roof. Keep a slight gap at the peak of the roof to let lighting in. Cut front and back doors if desired. The doors can be cut to open and shut or can be completely cut out so that only doorways remain. Windows can be cut the same way. Place the box on drop cloths and let the children paint the box. Teachers can add defining touches if desired but this should be as child-directed as possible. Allow the box to dry for several hours. After the box is dry, add a bale of hay or straw to box bottom to create the flooring inside of a barn. Add planters as animal troughs for stuffed animals.
-Tina R. Woehler, Flower Mound, TX
