Happy Tuesday!!!  Ok, it MAY be one of those days! - went to bed super early and up at 3:00!  I am really going to have a problem going back to school on a regular schedule!! :/ Still have a few weeks to work on that, however, so I will put that off until tomorrow to worry about.
We are working on FARM ANIMALS: cow, pig, sheep - today let's look at CHICKENS!
Watch The Little Red Hen with your child: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smspKuKqt5c

Talk to your preschooler about a job or chore that HE or SHE has.  If not, find a "chore" for him to be responsible for everyday - picking up toys in his room, giving the dog a treat, pushing the chairs under the table after dinner, etc.  Children need to have something they can learn to be responsible for and this is the perfect age to start with something super simple.
Chicken Song:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHDUYF55eCE

   

Chicken Facts Chickens are domestic or farm birds. The live span of a chicken is about 10 to 15 years. The male is larger and more brightly colored than the female.  This is common feature in birds. The males show off their colorful feathers to  attract the females. A chicken has a comb on the head and two wattles under the neck. The male  has a larger comb compared to the female. The male is called a rooster. The  female is called a hen while the young are called chicks. The female is usually  ready to lay her first eggs when she is around six months old. The morning call your hear on the farm every morning is actually the rooster  crowing "cock-a-doodle-doo". The female is called a hen and she goes  "cluck-cluck". The young are called chicks and they go "chick-chick". What do chickens eat? Chickens eat worms, insects, seeds, grains, snails, slugs, fruits, vegetables  and many other foods. Sometime chickens will eat little rocks. The gizzard  which is a part of the stomach which stores the tiny stones to help grind  up the food. Who are the chicken's enemies? Animals like the hawks, bobcats, snakes, skunks, owls, raccoons,  foxes and opposums prey on chickens. Breeds of chickens There are approximatelty 175 varieties of chickens, WOW! Life-Cycle of a chicken The hen does not need a rooster to lay eggs. However, the eggs will not  hatch because they are not fertilized. Chicken eggs come in different  colors like white, brown, blue or bluish green and pink. We usually see  white eggs!  Most chickens will stop laying eggs when the weather is cold.  They will start laying when it gets warmer again. How long does it take for a chicken egg to hatch? A hen lays an average of 300 eggs per year. The hen will sit on her eggs to  keep them warm so that they will hatch into chicks. A fertilized egg starts  developing into a chicken when its temperature reaches 86 degrees  farenheight. A chicken takes 21 days to hatch. See if you can draw a chicken for your child to color.  Children need to be coloring and writing AND playing with play doh to build up the little muscles so they can write.  Have fun! Don't forget your ABC song:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNNpp0xJe50&feature=related