Donnell Century Farm Experience : Spring Creek, TN

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Activities : Teacher Info

Pre-K & Kindergarten

From Farm Gate to Dinner Plate

Younger children journey through the food chain. Hands-on stations help children experience food moving from farm gate to dinner plate. This educational farm tour includes a visit to a cotton field, barnyard animals, and the farm basket tour. Learning is fun as the children climb on Hay Mountain and play in huge sand boxes filled with shelled corn. All the activities are modified for pre-schoolers. Students will return to class with cotton or a cotton boll.

Hands-on and Interactive Concepts experienced through role-play
Follow-up Lesson Plans Provided

Science Lab:

• COTTON - harvest, examine, discuss plant parts & functions
• GOAT - animal focus

TN Objectives:

K 1.1 K1.2 K2.2 K5.2 K.8.1 K.14.1
Pre-K activities modified for age levels

• Recognize plant & animal parts and learn their functions
• Learn animals & people use senses to interact with plants & animals
• See animal features that help them survive on a farm
• Recognize season change and how weather conditions affect crops
• Identify the sun as the source of earth's heat and light energy
• Participate in agricultural production.
• Learn how to wash hands properly
• Recognize consequences of improper handwashing

Social Studies Lab:

1920's Mule Barn, cotton field, 500 lb. bale, old cotton wagon
Donnell Century Farm est. in 1835, is a real working farm.

TN Objectives:

K1.01 K.1.02 K1.03 K2.01 K2.01 K2.02 K.3.02 K3.03
Pre-K activities modified for age levels

• Recognize difference in past farming practices and skills and those today as a result of technology
• Compare family farm life in different generations.
• Learn about differences & similarities in farming past, present, & future
• Experience through role-play contributions of farmers producing food & fiber for all of us
• Identify jobs on the farm
• Learn how weather affects crop production
• Realize the Donnell family tree and family history is the story of their past

1. Students will visit a COTTON FIELD.

• Learning Station
  • Cotton field Harvest
• Hands-On Activity
  • Participating in farming
• Concept Taught
  • cotton Plant parts & function
  • Learn past & present

2. Students will see, touch, hear, and smell plants & animals.

• Learning Station
  • Animal Barnyard
  • Goat Ramp
  • Corn Palace
  • Hay Climb
• Hands-On Activity
  • Interact with animals
  • Feed Goats
  • Examine seeds
  • Climb on hay
• Concept Taught
  • Animal feature & function
  • People feed animals
  • Plant part
  • Hay is food

3. Students will gather farm products to sell for ag bucks.

• Learning Station
  • Grain Storage
  • Chicken House
  • Apple Orchard
  • Planting & harvest
• Hands-On Activity
  • Feed hens
  • Pick 'apple'
  • Plant seeds
  • Dig 'potato' & pick 'tomato'

4. Students will learn how to wash hands properly & consequences of improper handwashing.

• Learning Station
  • Germ City
  • Handwashing
• Hands-On Activity
  • View imaginary germs
  • Wash hands carefully
• Concept Taught
  • Hands have many germs
  • Proper handwashing result

5. Students will view award winning video: BABY BARNYARD ANIMALS

Lunch in hayloft will include video directed and produced by by a farmer who is a science teacher. Video footage and dialogue is a result of her farm field trips in her discovery barn.

• Learning Station
  • 1920's Mule Barn
  • Hay Loft
• Hands-On Activity
  • Award winning video
  • During lunch time
• Concept Taught
  • Re-enforce objectives
  • Science & Social studies