Down on the farm in preschool

By Laura Eldredge

It's apple picking time here in New England, and we are fortunate to be close by to many local farms.  So as the seasons change from summer to fall, we get ready to pick our own apples, peaches, pumpkins and corn!  This lends itself to great opportunities in our preschool classes to talk about where our food comes from, how it grows, and ways to prepare food.

We also get to see farm animals (cows, chickens, goats) - and sometimes the children are even able to pet them.

If one is close to your location, a field trip to a local farm or apple orchard is a great experience for young children. 

We start off with a tractor ride to take us out to the trees that are in season. This is always exciting for the kids!

 Pick an orchard where trees are small and apples are within easy reach for little hands.

 

In October, it's time for the pumpkins!

 

 

Have you ever milked a goat before?

Don't have a farm available close by?  Well then, if you can't bring the kids to the farm ... it's time to bring the farm to the kids!

 

Bringing the FARM into the classroom!

 

Set the stage for a Farm theme by decorating your classroom to look more "farm-like". 

Use an area around a window or opening to assemble a tractor out of construction paper shapes.

 

 

More construction paper on the walls can be made to look like a barn.

 

Wrap a large box in yellow construction paper, and attach some hay or raffia to it to make a haystack. 

 

Construct a cardboard or wooden cow. You can use a sawhorse to prop up the cow, and attach the glove filled with milk (or construct the "utters" using a large bucket with holes at the bottom).

 

 

 Have children actually milk the cow!

 

 

Have an in-school apple orchard demonstration
(here Ms. Brittany holds an actual apple tree branch, and Ms. Kim brought in an apple barrel that she uses for collecting apples at her farm)

 

Fall farming fun activity round-up

 

Now that the stage is set ... infuse more apple orchard and farm experiences with a few of these ideas!  

• Learning about apples and pumpkins in preschool
• A "peeling" fun with apples (Little Illuminations)
• Dressing for the occasion in early childhood (PreK+K blog) ... see our own Ayn dressed as Johnny Appleseed!
• Setting the scene in dramatic play (PreK+K blog) ... Ayn shows her set up for lots of dramatic play scenes, including a pumpkin & fruit stands and a barn 

Laura Eldredge is a teacher and curriculum coordinator at a NAEYC accredited early childhood program in Connecticut. She also co-founded the website The SEEDS Network, as a way to provide early childhood professionals with ideas and resources that support them in their quest to provide quality care and education to our youngest learners. She blogs at www.theseedsblog.com.