Old McDonald Made A Farm: 6 Craft Activities

While you can't exactly take a trip to the farm right now, that doesn't mean that you can't bring all of the fun back home to you.

There are plenty of unique and creative farm-related arts and crafts activities that your kids will absolutely love to make. From cardboard scarecrows to finger puppet farm animals - you'll be lost for choice. Check out our top six ideas!
 

DIY Stick Farm Animals

With this clever craft, you and your little ones will be able to create your very own set of stick farm animals including a pig, a chicken, a cow, and even a sheep!

You'll need: four wooden ice lolly/ice cream sticks (these can be ordered cheaply online if you don't have any), white and pink paint, googly eyes, a black felt tip pen, different coloured card or felt paper and cotton balls.

1) Carefully paint three of your wooden sticks in white, and the other one in pink. Allow them to dry.

2) Take one of your white sticks, and using your black pen begin drawing circles and other shapes to resemble spots on a cow.

Once you've filled these in, you can stick a pair of googly eyes on to your creation, draw on a pair of eyebrows, and use some black coloured card or felt to cut out and glue on a pair of ears, and a round mouth.

Your cow is complete!

3) Now, let's start on our chicken. Using another of your white sticks, begin by glueing on a pair of eyes and drawing eyebrows.

Then, using red coloured card or felt, cut out a comb to glue to the top of its head. Finally, use either red or yellow coloured felt to create a little beak and glue that down.

4) It's sheep time! Stick down a pair of googly eyes on your final white stick, and of course, draw on a pair of eyebrows.

Take your cotton balls and start glueing them all over the wooden stick - cutting them down if you feel they're too large. Then, use some more black card to cut out two little ears. Glue these onto the stick, and your farm animal is done!

5) Finally, take your pink stick and glue on a pair of eyes, and draw some eyebrows. Then, use pink felt or card paper to cut out a large round snout and pair of ears. Once you've glued these down - you've got yourself a pig!

Build Your Own Farm

Over the years, you've probably gone out and bought your kids plenty of toy buildings, cars, and other figures - but did you know that you can actually craft your very own farmhouse and truck with your children, out of objects that you've probably got lying around the house?

Cardboard Scarecrow

You may have spotted a few scarecrows during your time at the farm. Now, you and your kids can craft your own together at home!

You'll need: a wooden ice lolly stick, cardboard, glue, some coloured card, some thick string or yarn, and a couple of buttons.

1) Cut out a square of cardboard (this will be your scarecrow's head) and glue this down to the top of your wooden stick.

2) Using your coloured card, cut out a large hat, a mouth and a nose - and glue them all onto the head. These look great in different colours!

3) Cut up several small pieces of string or yarn and glue this down around the scarecrow's head for his straw hair.

4) Finally, use your buttons for eyes. You've now got yourself a mini scarecrow!

Farm Finger Puppets

Perfect for storytime, a puppet show, or even just to play with - learn how you can create your very own farm animal finger puppets.

You'll need: different coloured felt sheets, embroidery thread and needles, fabric glue, and googly eyes.

1) Begin by sketching and cutting out a long rounded shape for your finger puppets on normal paper. You can use this as a template going forward.

2) Take your white coloured felt, and using your template cut out two pieces of the material. Sew these together back to back around the edges, leaving the bottom unsewn so that you can slide your finger in. Repeat this so that you have two white finger puppets. (Your cow and your chicken!)

3) Repeat step two with pink felt - this will be your pig.

4) Glue a pair of googly eyes onto each of your finger puppets.

5) Now you'll start getting your puppets to look like actual animals. For your cow: use black felt to cut out and glue spots on, and pink felt for a snout.

For your pig: use pink felt to create two little ears and an additional snout. Cut out two tiny circles of black felt for nostrils and glue that down, too.

For your chicken: use yellow felt to create a little beak, and red felt to make a comb.

6) Once everything has been glued down and dried - your kids can begin playing with their creations!

Muddy Farm Animals

While I'm sure you don't miss all of the mud and mess that comes with visiting the farm, your kids just might. That's why this activity is great for the whole family - your kids get to play with 'mud' without actually making a mess!

You'll need: coffee granules, some water, paintbrushes, coloured pencils, and to print out some farm animal colouring sheets (which you can find here).

1) Give your kids a couple of printed out farm animals each, and let them enjoy colouring the pictures in.

2) Pour some coffee granules into a cup, and very slowly add drops of water - mixing until you get to your desired thickness and colour for your 'mud' paint.

3) Lay down some newspaper to prevent any mess, and give your kids a paintbrush each. Watch them make their animals muddy. They'll have so much fun!

4) When finished with the 'mud', let the pieces of paper dry and you'll be able to keep your muddy animal farm crafts forever!

Paper Plate Pig

Easy to craft and super cute to look at, you and the kids will have so much fun making this paper plate pig!

You'll need: a paper plate, pink paint, two large googly eyes, a black felt tip pin,  pink card paper, and a pink pipe cleaner.

1) Start off by painting the whole paper plate in pink, both back and front. Allow this to dry fully.

2) Stick on your pair of googly eyes and draw two small eyebrows on top with your pen.

3) Using your card paper, cut out a round snout and two ears. Glue these onto your plate, and fold down the tips of the ears for added effect. You'll also want to use your pen to draw a set of nostrils onto your snout.

4) Twirl and twist your pipe cleaner so that it resembles a pig's curly tail, and glue this onto the back of your plate.

5) Let the glue dry, and marvel at your creation!