Gather several things you may find on a farm. Some examples may be a horseshoe, an egg (hard boiled, of course!), a boot, a length of rope and some hay or straw. Pour a bit of washable paint into a paper plate and allow children to make prints of the farm goods by pressing them into the paint and then onto a clean sheet of paper. To make egg prints, children can roll the egg through the paint and then later roll it onto the paper. Or, for a bit messier alternative, peel the shell from the egg and allow the children to use the hard boiled part as a means of spreading paint on the paper. Alternately, if you are unable to find this farm equipment, allow children to make prints in the same manner using farm-animal shaped cookie cutters.
Collect enough small milk cartons for each child in your class. Wash the cartons with warm soapy water and allow them to dry overnight. If cartons are waxy, gently rub them with fine grit sandpaper before giving them to children to paint. When the cartons are sufficiently dry, have children use paintbrushes and red tempera paint to cover the entire carton. When the paint dries, cut a small barn door in the side of the carton. Show children pictures of traditional red barns, and allow them to add details with white and black paint as they choose.
This simple activity will provide children with a dramatic play prop when they finish the art project. Have an adult cut the cups out of an egg carton using a utility knife. Use a hole puncher to punch two holes in the egg cup near the bottom. Thread yarn or elastic through the holes to create a way to hold the mask on the child's face. Children will then paint their egg cups pink and allow them to dry. When dry, have children draw nostrils using a black marker. Use the pig noses for dramatic play, or acting out "The Three Little Pigs" with your class.
Use a large sheet of butcher paper for this art activity. During your large-group circle time, ask children for suggestions of what types of things they may see on a farm. Barns, tractors, animals or farmers are all acceptable answers. Write down the children's ideas on a white board or chalkboard. Show them the sheet of butcher paper, and tell them that they are going to design and draw their own farm, but first they have to decide who will draw what. Allow children to work in small groups to decide which child will draw each farm tool, animal or building.