Feeling Like the Farm: Farm Feely Box

Students with enjoy this farm-tastic feely box that encourages lil' farmers in training to investigate sights found on the farm through their sense of touch and learn about  physical traits of farm animals and crops (science). It will surely also develop early language skills through identifying and verbalizing farm animal names.

Items Needed to Make Farm Feely Box

Large hat box
Roll of brown paper
Animal Cutouts
Ink pads to create antiqued look
Foundation sponges
Shipping tape
X-acto knife
Glue
Assorted farm animal/fruit and vegetable plastic figurines
Stuffed animals
Fake flower
A variety of seeds (sunflower, cracked corn and soybeans)

How to Make Farm Feely Box 

1. Obtain a large hat box and cut a hole large enough for a child's hand to remove items in the box with an X-acto knife. 
2. Cover box with brown paper and tape with shipping tape. 
3. Find images of farm animals or use a paper diecuts to decorate the box. 
4. Use ink pads to create an antiqued look. To do so, dip a foundation sponge into the pad and gingerly brush over brown paper on the hat box. 
5. Glue the farm animal images onto the box with glue. 
6. Gather a variety of plastic animal /fruit and vegetable figurines, stuffed animals, a fake flower and a variety of seeds. Examples of seeds include sunflower, cracked corn and soybeans. 

How to Teach Using the Farm Feely Box

1. Before showing the children the feely box, ask them if they can name any animals or crops found on a farm. If not, give examples or oral clues such as mooing like a cow to elicit answers. 
2. Tell the children that they are going on a trip to the farm by using their sense of touch. Ask the children what they think their sense of touch is/does. After the children have answered, either explain that the sense of touch helps us discover how things feel or continue with the lesson. 
3. The teacher then places the feely box in front of the children and instructs them that they should close their eyes and pull an item out of the box . 
4. Each child closes his or her eyes and takes a turn pulling an item out of the box. 
5. After the child pulls the item out of the box, he or she should guess what the item is through their sense of touch. If the child is having trouble deciphering the object, have the other students help him or her by giving clues as to what the item is. 
6. Continue until each student has had a turn. 

Extension Activities

• Sort the items by living or non-living things (math)
• Have children describe the physical traits of the animals/crops using adjectives (descriptive language): soft, hard, bumpy etc. (language arts) 
• Using a map, chart geographic locations of states that have large amount of farms (social studies: geography) 
• Think of different foods that are made with the animals and crops in the box (science: Understanding how the raising of crops and animals affects the food chain). 
• Create a mini-farm in your sensory table using yellow yarn or construction paper as hay and animal figurines/stuffed animals (fine motor/creating imaginative play experiences/science) 
• Use plastic farm animal figurines to make animal tracks using paint. (art project)

Side View of Farm Feely Box