I hope you are excited as I am about farms. My uncle owned a small farm where I loved spending time with cute cuddly baby goats and calves. We checked the chicken pen for eggs and watched cows being milked. Despite the hard work and responsibilities, farming is at all times very rewarding and fulfilling.
Here in Perth, we are fortunate to have plenty of welcoming farms. A visit to a farm is always exciting and fun. We get the opportunity to experience close interactions with farmyard animals. At some places, kids get to enjoy activities like fruit picking, bottle feeding and train rides.
Did you know? Horses stand while sleeping, ducks have three eyelids, pigs roll around in the mud to keep themselves cool and cows have a strong sense of smell.
Learning about farm animals will help kids to recognise and identify common animals, names of babies, sounds and products.
In this post, we are going to show you a few books about animal farms with some rhymes and a craft that you can share with your tots.
Books
Old MacDonald had a farm, e-i-e-i-o. Old MacDonald is working on the farm. But he’d better watch out… the cheeky Australian animals are up to mischief!
This book includes all the favourite aussie animals – Kangaroos, koalas, emus and cockatoos. Its an awesome book with delightful illustrations. Ideal for group reading as it encourages noisy participation.
Hattie and the fox shapes by Fox, Mem
Hattie, a large black hen, tries to warn the other animals on the farm that there is something or someone lurking behind the trees. The suspense is built by slowly revealing a fearsome fox that is waiting to pounce. “Hattie and the Fox” combines repetition and imagery to create a dramatic tale of a clever hen who saves herself and all her farm friends from a hungry fox.
Another farmyard fun book, this repetitive story sure will be liked by all kids. Its full of suspense and kids get engaged with the story from the start. Which animal is your favourite? I like Hattie because she tried to warn everyone what’s behind the trees.
A spider, blown by the wind to a fence post near a farm yard, begins to build her web and cannot be distracted from the task at hand — not by the horse, cow, sheep, goat, or dog. But when the rooster asks if she wants to catch a pesky fly, the busy spider is able to catch it in her web immediately!
The spider cannot be distracted…filled with farm animals that can talk and a very hard working spider, this book is for sure an enjoyable and fun read. Look carefully – you can find a fly on every animal page. Recommended to kids starting to read.
Rhymes
Ba Ba Black Sheep
An all time favourite rhyme that will have your child singing and dancing in no time. To make it special, try singing along with different colours – white, blue and green.
Old McDonald Had a Farm
E-i-e-i-o…This classic rhyme is a favourite for both kids and adults. Its one of those rhymes that stays with us forever. Its about a farmer who had so many animals. Make it more fun by adding a few farm animal toys or puppets.
Craft – Clothespin Horse
What You Need:
- Craft Clothespin Horse
- 2 clothespins
- Scissors
Instructions:
- Print out your horse on brown construction paper and cut it out. You can also print it on white paper and colour it.
- Attach your clothespin legs and glue on a google eye on either side of your horse.
- In addition you may cut small strips of yarn and glue them along the horses neck for the mane. Cut a few longer strips and glue them on for the tail.
