Farm Animals!

For joy school this week we learned all about farm animals. Each child had a mask and was either a cat, a sheep, a rooster, a horse, a cow, or a pig. Then we sang different rounds of "Old McDonald Had a Farm" and when it was that child's turn, he/she would sing the song using sound effects. It was funny to hear them but also funny because the eyes on their masks were too far apart, so the kids couldn't see all that well. :)
Next, we had an Easter egg hunt. But this time, after the eggs were found, we brought all of the Easter eggs back into the center of the floor where we matched the mommies and daddies with their baby animals. It went like this:
hen, rooster, chick
goose, gander, gosling
cow, bull, calf
pig, sow, piglet
sheep, ram, lamb
The pictures matched up, so that part was easy, but it is tough to remember the names of the babies and the mommies or daddies. Later, we did a good puzzle where we had to match up the parent with his/her baby that I really like. It is great reinforcement since only certain pieces actually fit.
Also, I had checked out multiple books on farm animals from the library. I gave the kids a few minutes to look at the pictures in their books, before switching with the friend next to them. It was fun for me to see them so excited, looking through the books to see pictures of cows, horses, pigs, ducks, etc. Then we discussed things like, "What kinds of things do farm animals eat based on what you saw in the books?" "What is one new thing you learned that you can share from looking at these various books?"
After this, we had craft time! The kids colored their animal masks, and made the pictures of their sheep. That craft idea came from this website: http://www.allkidsnetwork.com/crafts/animals/farm/sheep-craft.asp They turned out really cute. I am bummed that my camera battery was dead so I couldn't take any pictures. It was a lot of fun today. Thanks!