Kindergartners can learn science concepts when studying farm animals.
Kindergarten lessons are often part of a thematic unit, and one popular theme is the farm. Studying the farm and the animals that live on a farm introduces kindergartners to several science concepts. Adding hands-on activities help children have fun while learning about the characteristics of different animals and why they are important to people.
Animal Sorts
Teachers can acquaint students to the types of animals found on a farm by having students categorize them. Show students several pictures of animals, including ones typically found on a farm, such as cows, chickens, pigs and goats. Also include pictures of animals not found on a farm, such as tigers, monkeys and elephants. Discuss the characteristics of each animal. For example, how it can help people or whether it is tame. Ask children to sort the pictures into two categories based on where they could find the animals -- Farm and Zoo. The pictures can also be used to sort the farm animals into additional categories, such as animals with or without feathers, or animals with two or four legs.
Animals and Their Babies
Kindergartners can learn about the names of animal babies by playing an active matching game. Prepare cards with the names of farm animals and another set of cards with the names of the baby animals such as calf, foal, lamb or piglet. Pass out one card to each student and help them read the animal name listed. Invite them to move around the room to find their matching parent or baby animal. Once they have found each other, they can make the sound that their animal makes to signal that they have made a match.
Hatch Chicks
One way to give students a hands-on experience with farm life is to hatch chicks in the classroom. Contact a local 4-H Club to see about obtaining some eggs and borrowing an incubator. Set the temperature in the incubator to 99.5 degrees and ensure that the humidity is at 50 percent using a hygrometer. You will need to turn the eggs three times a day, including weekends. Mark each egg with an X on one side and an O on the other so that you can keep track of which eggs have been turned. Allow 21 days for the eggs to hatch. For the last three days of incubation, raise the humidity to 70 percent and stop turning the eggs. Students should find it fascinating to watch the chicks hatch out of their eggs.
Food from Animals
Explain to students that most of the food we eat comes from farms, and several food items come from animals. Cows provide us with milk and many other dairy products, including butter. Kindergartners can make butter in the classroom. Put a half-pint of heavy whipping cream into a container with a lid and add a little salt. Have students shake the container until it turns to butter, and then serve the butter on crackers. As they eat, discuss what other food items come from animals on a farm.
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