November 5, 2025 — In the Clovis Unified School District, preschoolers are exploring a hands-on farm exhibit that goes far beyond simple play. Designed to immerse children in dramatic and interactive activities, the exhibit features a large red barn, pretend horses, and stations like a farmers market and tractor repair shop, all set within a 1,440-square-foot classroom on the Buchanan High School campus. Overhead speakers enhance the experience with sounds of cows and sheep, creating a fully engaging environment.
The farm space is part of the district’s preschool Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) program, funded through the state’s Proposition 28, which guarantees dedicated funding for arts education in public schools. Clovis Unified is using a portion of its $7 million Prop. 28 allocation to bring music, theater, and visual arts to the youngest students, transforming traditional arts instruction into immersive, hands-on experiences. Plans are already in place to rotate the exhibit’s theme next semester to an outer space adventure, keeping the learning dynamic and exciting.
Inside the exhibit, students can dismantle a pretend tractor with safe tools, run a farmers market or ice cream stand, or take part in musical activities with instruments like xylophones, guitars, drums, and maracas. The classroom is also equipped with color-coded keyboards, sound-producing books, and a small theater area where children can perform puppet shows or enjoy make-believe popcorn as part of the audience. These activities support not only creativity but also language, literacy, social-emotional growth, and motor skills.
Clovis Unified’s preschool arts initiative marks a significant expansion of arts offerings, which already include student-led musicals, band, orchestra, choir, dance, and art classes. By designing an interactive and adaptable learning space for preschoolers, the district is demonstrating a creative approach to using state funding, providing younger students with meaningful exposure to the visual and performing arts while serving as a potential model for other districts aiming to make arts education more accessible.