Elementary Lesson Plan on Horses

Crafts

• Use crafts as a means to supplement a school lesson unit for elementary school children about horses. Kids can make their own hobby horses to use for imaginative play. Fill a brown paper lunch bag full of shredded newspaper for bulk. Insert a dowel stick into the bag and tie a piece of string around the opening to secure it. Then decorate the horse's face with googly eyes, yarn, felt and markers. Other simple craft projects include cutting a horse shape out of brown felt, attaching it to a piece of paper and decorating the horse with yarn and beads. Crafts encourage children to study how horses look and move.
  
  

Books

• Teach children about horses by using books. Assign horse-themed books for them to read on their own, or for younger children, read the books aloud to the class. After they have heard the story, ask them to draw an illustration, write a book report or act out a scene of the story. Some horse-themed books include "Black Beauty" by Anna Sewell and "My Friend Flicka" by Mary O'Hara.
  
  

Field Trips

• Take elementary school children on a field trip to learn more about horses. Seeing the animals up close and in person will help children get a sense of a horse's size, shape and mannerisms. Destinations can include a local farm or petting zoo. If you are unable to secure a location where students can see live horses, consider going to a museum that features horse-related art or exhibits.
  
  

Games

• Play a trivia game as a means of teaching children about horses. Research horses and write trivia questions based on the information. Have children take turns pulling a question out of a hat to try to answer. The person or team with the most correct answers is declared the winner. Another horse-related game is a scavenger hunt. Hide horse pictures, horse shoes and other horse items and allow players to look for them.
  
  

Special Speakers

• Another way to teach kids about horses is to invite a veterinarian or horse trainer to the school to hold a discussion. Allow a time for questions from the audience as well and encourage the speaker to bring visuals such as charts and tools to help describe her work.