This week we’ve been learning about things In the Barn with Experience Preschool (formerly known as Mother Goose Time). The preschool curriculum this week includes these topics: barn, silo, tractor, hay & straw, and mud. One of our the farm process art activities was tractor wheel prints.
Every day we start with circle time. Just a short time where we identify the day of the week, add the number to our calendar, count the day, talk about the weather and a little on our topic of the day. The daily topic poster clearly shows everyone what we’re learning about today. Putting the poster up early in the day builds excitement for our day’s activities.
Tractor Wheel Prints
The tractor wheel prints Invitation to Create involves making a wheel with a cardboard tube and adhesive foam squares. Look at the inspiration photo and see the texture on the tractor’s wheels. That is what we are trying to create.
I like to use the Invitation to Create title and inspiration photo while we are working on our art as a reference, and then include them in our displays around the room.
Making tractor wheel prints.
Exploring texture, rolling, feeling the paint, and attempting to make tractor wheel prints through trial and error.
Painting with Tractors
After we painted with our homemade tractor wheels, we decided to try painting with our farm toys. Painting with tractors is so much fun! I felt the children were even more engaged in this version because it involved pretend play.
We have some of these John Deere farm toys from a local farm store, but you can find similar tractor toys on Amazon.
I didn’t lead with painting with tractors because I believe there’s value in creating our own tool for painting as we did with the cardboard tubes and foam stickers. The process of creating and exploring helps us grow.
I also have little ones that really don’t like getting their hands dirty. Even though they are quick to say “I’m done” it’s an opportunity for them to get the sensory experiences.
The different wheel marks were fun to make as well as play with the tractors while painting.
Tractor wheel prints and tire tracks art – looks like a muddy field.
Our display of tractor wheel art.
We Go to the Barn Sight Word Books
The I Can Read Books from Experience Preschool are awesome in so many ways. First, everyone gets a book, which the kids love. We want children to see themselves as readers so it’s important that we put books in their hands.
Teaching children to enjoy books and that words have meaning is so important. Books offer so many little lessons such as, how to turn pages. Little ones can practice turning their pages and following along while I read or while they look at the pages on their own.
Children learn that letters make up words and that words have meaning. We often look for specific letters in our books. Or I ask each child to show me a letter they know. I always read through the books with them as a group. Pointing to individual words helps children to follow along and they learn that text reads from left to right.
Tractor Math Game
The tractor game is very simple. Roll the pocket cube and put that amount of pigs in the cart.
I always play a couple of rounds of the game with my group and then put it out for independent play.
To make it more challenging, those who are ready can roll the cube twice and add the total amount of pigs together.
Or even for those who are not very interested in counting or numbers yet, it sure is a fun set to play with!
Tractor Books
Here are the three books we’ve read about tractors this week:
- Goodnight Tractor: Cute illustrations and great for bedtime (or any time), rhyming words
- Driving My Tractor: Awesome pictures, repetition, a song, and video can be found on YouTube
- Scholastic Farm: Beautiful hardcover book, many real farm photos besides tractors including, plows, balers, and trailers
More Preschool Farm Activities
