As you probably know, I was previously a teacher and I LOVE thematic units! When kids get really interested in a topic and learn about it through a variety of activities, it sticks. So this week we read, learned about, and explored farms.
So where do you start…..BOOKS!
As I mentioned in a previous post, I check out a TON of books. When I picked up my batch of farm books this week I had about 25. These are just the books that came up when I searched for juvenile picture books about farms. Many of them I have never read before.
So what do I do with all of these books? I read them to my daughter. Do I complete an activity with each book? Absolutely not! However, while reading them, I think about which ones lend themselves to a fun toddler activity. This is where my teacher brain takes over. I think of ideas while reading these books with my daughter the first time, then I create activities to go with a few of them. These selected books I will reread with my daughter prior to our learning fun.
This week the three books I decided to focus on were Mrs. Wishy-Washy’s Farm by Joy Cowley, Blue Goose by Nancy Tafuri, and I Spy on the Farm by Edward Gibbs.
Mrs. Wishy-Washy and Mrs. Wishy-Washy Farm
I read both of these books with my daughter and decided they were perfect for sensory play. The stories are both about farm animals getting dirty and Mrs. Wishy-Washy having to give them a bath in her big tub.
Prior to reading these to my daughter, I hid some of her little plastic farm animal in a garden container that I hadn’t gotten around to planting. But really you could hide them in dirt anywhere around your house or in a little tub of dirt. When we were done reading the books, I told her I was worried that some of her animals may have been naughty and gotten dirty too.
We went outside, and sure enough, they were a mess! I got her a “tub” full of soapy water, some brushes, and a towel. I asked her if she could clean her animals just like Mrs. Wishy-Washy. She loved taking care of her animals and mama got to sit outside and enjoy the beautiful day!
Blue Goose by Nancy Tafuri
This book was new to me, but as soon as we started reading I knew it was perfect for an art lesson! Basically, it is about some animals that decide to paint their gray farm to make it colorful. It teaches primary colors and how to mix them to make secondary colors.
We haven’t used our easel to paint in a while, so this was the perfect opportunity. I made the very simple chart you see pictured below and decided to make the painting a messy adventure. I painted her left hand the first color and her right hand the second color. She stamped them each separately on the paper. Then, we predicted what color we would get if we mixed them together. Now the fun part! I let her rub her hands together to see what color it would make. We stamped the result and filled in the color word. Have a pack of wipes ready!
Super simple, but fun AND educational. After finishing the chart I gave her some free time to just paint whatever she wanted. I do love structured play, but I also think creativity is really important!
I Spy on the Farm
If you have never read an “I Spy” book by Edward Gibbs, I highly recommend. My daughter loves them. Very simple and interactive! After reading this book with my daughter we played a little I Spy on our front porch. Such a simple game, but it really makes your toddler observe their surrounds and think about what you are describing.
After playing for a little bit, we got out our sensory tub. For this activity, I filled the sensory tub with birdseed and hid farm puzzle pieces under the seed. You could also use dried beans, oatmeal, or corn. I chose bird seed because we had a bag in the garage and we could use it to feed the birds AFTER our sensory play. As I said, I’m very thrifty and try to entertain my daughter using as little cash as possible. I would describe one of the animals I hid in the seed and she had to “spy” the animal I was describing. If you don’t have a farm puzzle, you could hide little plastic animals you have lying around the house.
Other Farm Related Activities/Toys
These are all things that we already owned that were farm related. I searched through our toy room and found:
- String a Farm Lacing Toy – I love these for toddlers who are just learning how to thread objects. They are sturdy and the string has a really nice wooden tip.
- Fisher-Price Little People Farm Animals – This linked set is a little different than mine, but the same idea.
- Farm Puzzle – I pretty much love everything Melissa & Doug sell. Very quality toys!
- Around the Farm Game – I personally love board games, so I’m trying to instill that same love in my daughter. This game is very simple, but it starts the process of teaching a toddler how to play a board game.
- Wooden Farm Set – Back to my love of Melissa & Doug! This is a nice wooden set my daughter loves playing with.
***Please do not feel like you need to buy any of the books, toys, or puzzles that I linked in this post. I simply put the links there in case you wanted to see what they looked like or want to buy them. They are not required to complete most of the activities listed. As for the books, you should be able to check them out from the library if you aren’t interested in adding them to your home library.***
Farm Field Trip
This week my daughter and I visited a strawberry farm for a U-Pick Strawberry event. It was the first time I have ever been strawberry picking, but it will be an annual tradition now. It was so fun, cheap, and delicious! My family goes apple picking every fall, but I honestly think strawberry picking is better for toddlers because it is low to the ground. See if you can find a farm near you that offers this activity, I promise you won’t be disappointed!
Hope you enjoyed this week’s Thoughtful Theme. Let me know if you have any feedback, I’d love to hear from you!