January 2020
Fun activities, aligned with the Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards, to help prepare children for school success!
We're learning at the Pennsylvania Farm Show!
Did you know there are early learning opportunities at the Pennsylvania Farm Show? This month, Learning is Everywhere travels to the Pennsylvania Farm Show .

This edition of Learning is Everywhere features family-friendly resources to support children's early learning at the Farm Show. Even if you are not able to come to the Pennsylvania Farm Show, you can still use the resources at home, in an early learning program, in school, or within your community.
Activities to do at the Farm Show
  • Cows and other animals: Count the legs on a cow. Help your child identify what other animals have the same number of legs as a cow. Can you find an animal with two legs?
  • Quilting: A quilt can have many different colors. Help your child identify the different colors on a quilt. A quilt can also have different shapes of fabric. Help your child identify the different shapes, like square, rectangle, star, or circle.
  • Sheep, Pigs and other items: A sheep may feel soft, while a pig may feel rough. Help your child identify other items that may feel soft (like a blanket) and items that may feel rough (like a piece of wood). What other words can you use to describe items? How about smooth, wet, or cold?

Babies
  • Here is a Beehive (hand game): Here is a beehive, but where are the bees? (clench fist). Hiding away where nobody sees (point to fist). Here they come, crawling out of their hive (open fist, one finger at a time). One, two, three, four, five!
  • Animal Antics: Children can imitate the sounds that the animals make. Adult can prompt them to, “Moo like a cow, neigh like a horse, cluck like a duck, etc.”

Toddlers
  • Sensory: What did you see, hear, smell, and touch at the Farm Show or your home or community? What surprises did you find?
  • Shape and Color Identification: Shapes and colors can be found everywhere around the Farm Show, your home or community. Help your toddler look around and identify the different shapes and colors that can be found.

Preschoolers

  • I Spy: Have an adult or your preschooler describe something that they spy in the environment. Use descriptive words (like round, or tall or blue) and have preschoolers guess what is being described. 
  • Comparing Size: Preschoolers can start learning about size differences by comparing the sizes of the animals, tractors, etc. Be sure to use words like: smaller, smallest, bigger, largest, etc.

Kindergartners
  • Growing Food: When exploring the food at the Farm Show at home or in the community, prompt your kindergartner by asking, “Who grew it? How did it get from the field to our plates? How long does it take to grow the items and then sell the items?” The book lists below also have books that feature foods. Ask your librarian to help you find one of the books to explore.
  • Scientific Thinking: There are many living and non-living things found at the Farm Show at home or in the community. Explore the differences between the two and talk about how plants and animals grow and change.

About the Pennsylvania Farm Show

Each year, Pennsylvania hosts the largest indoor agricultural exposition under one roof in the nation, with nearly 6,000 animals, 10,000 competitive exhibits and 300 commercial exhibits. The event showcases the quality and breadth of Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry and the people who make it thrive.

The Pennsylvania Farm Show offers something for everyone, young and old, farmers and non-farmers, foodies and just people who like to have fun. Aside from food and entertainment, the Pennsylvania Farm Show offers an opportunity to get an up-close view of how food goes from farm to fork, and learn about Pennsylvania agriculture.

The Pennsylvania Farm Show is held January 3, 2020 to January 11, 2020 at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, PA.
A Family Guide to Exploring the Pennsylvania Farm Show
The 2020 Pennsylvania Farm Show provides opportunities for you and your child to learn and explore new and exciting experiences.

This resource,  A Family Guide to Exploring the Pennsylvania Farm Show , can help you make the most of your visit. It provides family-friendly information on everything from parking to restrooms!
Books Related to the Pennsylvania Farm Show
Looking for a book with items or subjects associated with the Pennsylvania Farm Show? Pennsylvania's Promise for Children has a variety of books about butterflies, horses, cows and more!

Find your favorite book list, then visit your local library and ask your librarian to help find the books from the list. Use the books to explore your child’s interests or introduce them to new ones.
Activities of Interest
Does your child have a fascination with cows? Chickens? Tractors? Here’s a  handy list of events and activities  at the 2020 Pennsylvania Farm Show that may be of interest to families with young children.  Click here to print Activities of Interest .
Five Senses
Using your five senses, you and your child can to explore the Pennsylvania Farm Show or your community. This one-page printable helps young children and their families to smell, hear, see, touch and taste for a full experience.  Click here to print Using Your Five Senses at the Pennsylvania Farm Show .

If you're not at the Farm Show, visit a local farm, grocery store, park or other location to experience Using Your Five Senses !
Search at the Farm Show
Who loves a treasure hunt? The Pennsylvania Farm Show is full of treasures and PA's Promise for Children has searches to help you and your child find some of them.

Download  Search at the Farm Show , then help your child find each item on the list. Cross off or circle each item as you see them.  

Not at the Farm Show? No worries! Visit your local library for a book that contains the items. PA's Promise for Children has Book Recommendations that contain the items from  Search at the Farm Show . Look through the books with your child to locate items on the search. Which item is the most challenging to find? Which is the easiest to find?
Find us at the PA Farm Show!
PA's Promise for Children will be at the 2020 Pennsylvania Farm Show! Follow us on Facebook , Twitter or Instagram to see what's happening during the Farm Show and share your experiences, photos or favorite memories. Use the hashtag #AtThePAFarmShow or tag us in your posts.
Learning is Everywhere: January
You can still find early learning activities for January on the PA's Promise for Children website . January's Learning is Everywhere features early learning activities and books for learning while in the kitchen.
Do you have a Preschooler?
Help them prepare for Kindergarten!
If you have a preschooler, every day gets them closer to starting kindergarten! The Kindergarten, Here I Come Activity Guide and newsletter has activities, tips and resources you can use to help your preschooler prepare for entry into Kindergarten. 

If you're a preschool teacher, you can sign up to get the monthly newsletter with activities aligned with the PA Early Learning Standards you can do with your preschoolers and share with families.
Our Favorite Pinterest Pins
The PA Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) provides families access to high quality services to prepare children for school and life success. 
  
Find more information about Quality Early Learning in Pennsylvania
We are where you are.