FARM THEME ACTIVITIES for PRESCHOOL

This week’s #playfulpreschool theme contains activities centered around a FARM THEME!  All throughout the school year, the Playful Preschool blogging team will be working behind the scenes to offer activities and suggestions just for your students or children.  Please visit the home page of this blog each Wednesday morning to see new theme-based ideas for playful learning!

For other posts in the #playfulpreschool series, visit:

APPLES THEME ACTIVITIES

FAMILY and HERITAGE THEME ACTIVITIES

Corn Life Cycle Paper Plate Craft & Sequencing Cards – CORN LIFE CYCLE SEQUENCING CARDS_LABELS

The first corn farmers in the United States were the American Indians.  Approximately 75% of the food we eat everyday contains corn in one form or another.   Teaching young kids about the growing cycle of a corn stalk is not only interesting, but it will help “plant the seeds” (pun intended) for future studies on life cycles and how plants develop.

Please note:  the paper plate corn life cycle above uses Wikki Stix.  Wikki Stix are the original wax-coated yarn sticks made here in the U.S.A.  While I do write for Omnicor, Inc. (better known as the Wikki Stix Co.), this post is NOT a sponsored post.  I’ve have used Wikki Stix for 25+ years with preschoolers and it is, by FAR, the best sensory material for creating life cycles.  In the extra resources section below, you’ll find links to many other life cycle crafts our own students have created.  Wikki Stix can be stored and used over and over again for future projects and learning activities.  Check out the Wikki Stix website, free lessons plans, or the Wikki Stix blog for creative ways to encourage playful learning!

Explain and discuss with the children the growth of a corn stalk from the corn kernels planted in the ground (seeds) to a corn plant that produces more kernels.

• The corn kernels (seeds) are planted in the soil.
• With water and sunlight the seed sprouts
• The sprouts grows and form the corn stalk with leaves and then tassels/silks
• The silks (inside the corn husks) grab pollen from the tassels to grow the corn kernels.

Remind the children that a life cycle repeats itself over and over again. Have the children divide the paper plate into four sections using Wikki Stix (as shown in photo above).

Materials needed to make the paper plate corn life cycle craft:   Green/Yellow/Orange Wikki Stix, one paper plate (per craft), scissors, and the printable labels (linked at the top of this section).

1. The life cycle begins in the upper left corner. Have the children cut small pieces of Wikki Stix with scissors and place real corn kernels (or print the photo of corn kernels below and have the children cut out the corn) on top of the Wikki Stix inside that section. No glue is necessary as the corn kernels (or paper corn) will adhere to the Wikki Stix.
2. In the upper right corner of the paper plate, the children can make a small sprout using the green Wikki Stix.
3. The lower right corner of the plate should contain a corn stalk with silks/tassels (the silks grab pollen to make the corn). Have the children create a larger green stem and leaves to resemble the corn stalk and cut small pieces of yellow Wikki Stix for the silk/tassels.
4. To complete the life cycle, the children can make the corn lower left hand corner of the plate.

The children can use markers to label their CORN LIFE CYCLE or they can cut the labels from the printable provided above. The labels will adhere directly to the Wikki Stix without the need for glue.

EXTENSION ACTIVITY:  Print the Corn Life Cycle Sequencing Cards in the file linked above, laminate for durability, and cut them out.  Invite the children to place the cards in the correct life cycle order from the planting of the corn seed to the actual corn.  If desired, the cards can also be used for a matching game:  print several copies of the sequencing cards and cut out.  Have the children place all of the cards face down on the floor.  The game begins by choosing two cards at a time.  If the cards match, then the children keep the cards.  If the two cards do not match, then the cards are turned over and play continues.  The game is over when all matching pairs have been located.

BOOKS ABOUT CORN FOR KIDS

Disclosure:  This post and others within this blog contain affiliate links.  To see full disclosures, see the ABOUT section at the top of this blog.

CORN IS MAIZE – The Gift of the Indians by ALIKI

CORN by Gail Gibbons

Corn Up Close by Katie Franks

I Like Corn by Robin Pickering

Three Stalks of Corn by Leo Politi

The Life and Times of Corn by Charles Micucci

COME EXPLORE ALL THINGS ABOUT FALL with the FALL THEME designed just for Preschoolers!  The theme is a large zipped file instant download with over 100 activities for:  literacy, math, science, gross motor, pretend play, crafts, and food crafts!  See how playful learning can benefit your kids at home or in the classroom!

ADDITIONAL FARM, PLANT, and LIFE CYCLE RESOURCES:

WIKKI STIX APPLE TREE LIFE CYCLE for PRESCHOOL

WIKKI STIX SUNFLOWER LIFE CYCLE CRAFT

WIKKI STIX CORN ESTIMATION

WIKKI STIX PARTS OF A PLANT (free lesson plan)

WIKKI STIX FARM-THEMED LEARNING CRAFTS

WIKKI STIX PUMPKIN MATH ESTIMATION BOOK (free to print and create)

WIKKI STIX PUMPKIN LIFE CYCLE and PRINTABLE PUMPKIN BOOK

WIKKI STIX POINSETTIA PLANT LIFE CYCLE

WIKKI STIX LIFE CYCLE OF A SEA TURTLE

PARTS OF A PLANT PLAYDOUGH MAT

 Plan Your Learning Week with Preschool Activities for the Farm Theme

From the ‪#‎PLAYful‬ Preschool Education Team!

Literacy, Mathematics, Science, Art, Sensory, Songs and MORE!!!!

Farm Animal Letter Sounds by Mom Inspired Life
Learning to Write: Labeling the Farm by Growing Book by Book
Make a Who Am I Farm Animal Book by The Educators’ Spin On It
Corn Life Cycle & Sequencing Cards for Preschool by The Preschool Toolbox Blog
While at the Farm:  Children’s Farm Song by Capri + 3
Farm Animal Counting and Sorting Sensory Bin by Life Over C’s
Farm Themed Count and Add Activity for Preschool by Rainy Day Mum
Corn Painting – An Art Activity for a Preschool Farm Theme by Fun-A-Day!
Preschoolers DIY Farm by Tiny Tots Adventure
Preschool Science: Duck Feather Experiment by Raising Lifelong Learners
Farm Animal Sort by Powerful Mothering
Wash the Farm: Fruits and Vegetable Sensory Play for Preschoolers by The Kennedy Adventures

Preschool Farm Activities and Sensory Play for Math, Science, and Literacy by Little Bins for Little Hands

We would like to extend an invitation to join us tonight 9/17/2014 at 9:00 P.M. EST for a live Google Hangout talking about the activities we are doing with our preschoolers for the farm theme. This hangout will be recorded and able to be viewed at a future date.