Springtime on the Farm: Oxen Hill Farm Visit

Oxon Cove Park & Oxon Hill Farm
National Capital Parks East
6411 Oxon Hill Road
Oxon Hill, MD 20745
(301) 839-1176

Instructional Unit:
The purpose of this field trip is to expose autistic/multiple handicapped students to farm animals.

Curriculum Unit:
General, Autistic
Science

Objectives:
The students will be able to:
1. Correctly identify pictures of farm animals and match them with the written name.
2. Generalize the concept of farm animal from pictures to living animals.
3. Identify and describe characteristics of farm animals including where they live and what sounds they make.
4. Correctly match pictures of mothers and baby farm animals.
5. Develop a caring attitude toward farm animals.

Pre-Visit Activities:
1. Coordinate farm field trip with farm staff and transportation.
2. Discuss where milk for snack comes from. Where do eggs come from? Remind the children that both milk and eggs as well as other foods come from animals. Where do we find these animals? (The farm). Conclude that we need to know how to care for animals so as to maintain our food supply, among other things. Tell children that we will be learning the names of animals and the job of the farmer, the person who takes care of the animals.
3. Read The Year At Maple Hill Farm or other suitable story. Emphasize which animals they would find (or not find) on a farm. Sing Down On Grandpa's Farm.
4. For Math, count (add, or subtract, depending on the concept being taught at that time) different farm animals on the flannel board.
5.Read Brown Cow Farm, emphasizing the numbers of animals, particularly noting the addition of new babies in the Spring.
6. Read Whose Baby? Discuss the farm animals and the names of their babies.
Remind the children of the upcoming farm trip. Talk about what animals they will see. Read The Farm Concert and practice imitations of the sounds the animals make. Sing Old MacDonald Had A Farm.

On-Site Activities:
1. Have children listen for animal sounds they had practiced in the classroom. Ask them to identify the animals they see by sight and/or sound.
2. With the help of the farmer/guide, note the names of the animals and their babies.
3. Have children help the farmer with farm chores (i.e. milking the cow, feeding the animals, etc...)

Follow-Up Activities:
1. Sing Hap Palmer's Grandma's Farm . Use pictures from the bulletin board or animal/name matching game cards as visual prompts.
2. Make a book called Farm Friends. Each page should have an animal picture to color along with the animal's name to trace.
3. Continue to count (add, or subtract) farm animal figures on flannel-board.
4. Play Farmer in the Dell using pictures with character names for prompts.
5. For individual center activities, set up an animal/animal name and animal/baby matching game.
6. Write or dictate a story about their favorite animal they saw at the farm.

Appendices:
None

Bibliography:
Books:
Integrated Language Arts Guide for Kindergarten, Fairfax County Public Schools
Provensen, Alice and Martin. The Year At Maple Hill Farm.
Yabuuchi, Masuyuki. Brown Cow Farm.

Music:
Down on Grandpa's Farm from One Light One Sun, Raffi Recording.
The Farm Concert from The Story Box by The Wright Group.
Grandma's Farm, Witches Brew, Hap Palmer Recording.

Return to Science Lesson Plans