Apples
This fall themed sensory tub is a great way to welcome the best parts of the coming season, by scooping, pouring and pinching up beans, apples and acorns. I usually keep a sensory tub theme for a month or two pulling it out every few days and letting my son explore. Now that he is a little older my son prefers to use the tongs to pick things up . Using a small dish to hold the material he pinches up is a great way to encourage counting and sorting with a sensory tub.Don’t miss our books about apples
- Gather your materials. You will need some beans ( we are using pinto and navy), acorns ( real or artificial), some fake apples, scoops and tongs. I use the same container for my sensory tubs usually , and keep the materials in ziplocs while not in use. I got the acorns and the apples in the potpourri section of a home decorating store.
- Start by pouring the beans into the container.
- Add the apples .
- Add the acorns.
- Add your tools and invite your child to play!
- Pinch and count!
Books About Apples
Apples
I Know It’s Autumn
Apple Farmer Annie
Basket of Apples
Sometimes I think of kids craft and in my mind it’s simple, when in reality it’s not. This is one of those crafts but I still wanted to share, we had fun doing it but it was definitely a mom and little man joint effort, I helped with almost every step. All the steps were worth it though, he was so proud to show off his” tricky art ” to his dad when he got home from work. If you are looking for a more toddler friendly apple craft try this or this or this .
- Gather your materials . You will need 1 sheet of plain construction paper( or paper grocery bags would be awesome too),1 sheet of orange construction paper , some green paper, red, brown and green markers (crayons or paint would work as well), popsicle sticks, glue and scissors.
- Start by drawing some apples ( yes those are apples) on the plain construction paper.
- Have your child color the apples.
- While they color draw a basic basket on the orange paper, leaving room under for the grass. This is just a guide for your child. Cut a strip of green for the grass, set aside.
- When they are done cut the apples out.
- Have them make cuts along the green strip to make grass, do not cut all the way through. I folded it in half to make it easier for him to hold it .
- Time to glue.
- Add a line of glue on the bottom for the grass.
- Add the grass.
- Add glue to the basket.
- Add the apples.
- Add stems and leaves with a green marker
- Add glue for the sticks.
- Add the sticks, let dry.
Books!
” Apple Picking Time” by Michele Benoit Slawson was not what I was expecting , it was so much more. I was expecting a basic book about picking apples at an orchard. This book is anything but basic, it’s dreamy and while reading it I almost felt as thought I was back in time when a whole community would come to a stand still for something like apple picking. The protagonist is Anna a little girl who works hard in the orchard along side her parents and grandparents . She isn’t as fast as her parents, but with hard work and the support of her family she reaches her goal and fills a bin! I loved this book, I didn’t even try to read it to my son, he simply wouldn’t sit long enough. The text is long and I would suggest it for preschoolers and up.
“I Know It’s Autumn” by Eileen Spinelli is much more age appropriate for my son and other toddlers. The book is a simple look at all the things that tell a small child that Autumn is here. Pumpkin muffins, apple picking, cooler weather, hayrides and more all signal that the summer is gone and the fall has arrived. I like this book because there will be something a child will relate to and be able to identify with. I also love that the family is biracial and there is no mention of it at all. It’s nice to see and I wish more books were so non challant about representing all kinds of families.
“Apple Farmer Annie” by Monica Wellington is another instant favorite in our house. My son loves this author and I like how simple but informative this book is. Your little reader will learn about the basics of what happens at an apple orchard , but you can take it further if you want. On many of the pages there are chances to learn more, like the page about sorting and classifying, where there are apples ready to count 1-10, and sorted by colors. I love the last page that says that Annie is so happy to have her own apple farm. I loved that message and think it’s a lot more powerful than some may think, women on farms in most books are “farmer’s wives” and I love that there is no one but Annie doing her own thing.
Go Apple Picking !
Check out pickyourown.org
to find local pick your own farms near you!
Welcome to the new letter of the week- it’s all lower case from now on! Don’t worry though I will link the uppercase letter at the bottom of each post . I know we just did an apple but I have to practice what I preach and let my child’s interests lead – and the little dude wanted to make an apple a, which I was happy to since it’s a cinch to turn a lowercase a into an apple. I am not starting with a to go in alphabetical order, and in many teaching circles you keep the vowels for last. I am doing them as he shows interests but encourage you to do them however works best for your child.
- Gather your materials. You will need a paper plate, some scrap green paper, a red and brown marker, glue and scissors. If you want to make it easier to display you can also use another piece of paper for a backing. Also I am only using the paper plate because my husband bought a pack large enough to use for 10 years , plain paper would work just fine.
- Start by writing a large lowercase a on the plate.
- Have your child color the straight side brown to make a stem. As we were coloring we talked about how the a is shaped and also the parts of an apple.
- Color the rest red ! A cool perk of the paper plate was that it kept the marker contained even with very very enthusiastic coloring.
- While they color, cut out a leaf from the green paper. If your child is able to do this step have them do it after coloring.
- Cut the a out.
- Glue onto the paper.
- Add the leaf. Let dry.
Books
“The Apple Pie the Papa Baked” by Lauren Thompson had me tricked into thinking that it was a new edition of an old book. The retro look to the illustrations hooked me and I was shocked to see it was only published 2 years ago. The reader is taken through all the elements that go into making a pie, not the recipe though. The story works backwards from pie to the apples, the tree, the roots and more . The message is one of interconnectedness and makes me feel equally important and small all at the same time. I think it’s useful to teach how everything in nature is dependent on other elements and can’t work alone. My son enjoyed the illustrations of the sun with a face and the little girl helping her father at every step.
“Apple Farmer Annie” by Monica Wellington is another instant favorite in our house. My son loves this author and I like how simple but informative this book is. Your little reader will learn about the basics of what happens at an apple orchard , but you can take it further if you want. On many of the pages there are chances to learn more, like the page about sorting and classifying, where there are apples ready to count 1-10, and sorted by colors. I love the last page that says that Annie is so happy to have her own apple farm. I loved that message and think it’s a lot more powerful than some may think, women on farms in most books are “farmer’s wives” and I love that there is no one but Annie doing her own thing.
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School starts in less than a month for my little guy and I know we are among the very latest to go back to school, or rather go to for the first time ! This is a fun craft that can be adapted easily for any age or ability. Beginners can finger paint the apple and skip the collage, older children can be challenged by finding the red paper in magazines and cutting them out , instead of the construction paper. If you ever need to have on one my crafts simplified or modified for older children never hesitate to contact me , I’m happy to help.
- Gather your materials. You will need some heavy paper ( a paper grocery bag is perfect), a red marker, red paint, glue, red construction paper, kid scissors, and some brown and green construction paper. I have felt shown in the picture but decided to use paper for the leaf and stem instead.
- Start by cutting open the bag and drawing an apple with your marker.
- Have your child paint the apple .
- While they do that get the red construction paper ready to cut. Older preschoolers won’t need to have strips cut but children who are still mastering scissors can be helped by cutting strips that are only as wide as one cut, so that when they close the scissors there is no dangling or frustration. Immediate results are important when toddlers are learning a skill we want to encourage them to practice, and do again.
- Cut!
This is the only pic I have because it took me holding the trip to get my son to cut it properly, we got into a great groove- about half the cutting were done by him with my help, I did the rest.
- Add glue
- Add your cut pieces.
- While they are adding the cut pieces, cut out a stem and leaf from your green and brown paper.
- Glue them on ( my son was outside by this point!) Let dry.
- Cut out and share with your favorite teacher at home or school.
Books
“The Red Apples” by Pat Hutchins is a simple but effective and delightfully bouncy countdown book. The tree starts with 10 red apples but one after another farm animal swipes an apple , despite the farmer’s protests. The sing song rhymes are fun to read out loud and my son enjoyed announcing the numbers as we counted down. The illustrations look like wood toys and I thought they were charming but my son told me he was scared of the farmer’s wife!
” How to Make an Apple Pie and see the world” by Marjorie Priceman cost me a total of 15 cents at a thrift store. It is worth so much more than that. This book is a gem! Perfect for older preschoolers who are getting a sense of the world beyond their own home and city, this book takes you on a ride around the world! You follow the little girl to Italy, France , Sri Lanka, England, Jamaica and back to Vermont! As soon as I read this my mind was racing with classroom activities ! I will be posting some soon. I LOVE this book, I just wish I had read it when I was still teaching it would have been so much fun to teach geography with!
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- Gather your materials. You will need some 2 pieces of construction paper, a brown marker, some green paint,paint brush glue, scissors and some red pom poms.
- Draw a truck and the top of the apple tree on a light piece of construction paper. Cut the paper in two so each piece is separate.
- Have your child paint the top of the tree with the green paint. Let dry.
- Have your child color the trunk of the tree with a brown marker.
- Cut both pieces out.
- Glue the trunk on.
- Glue on the treetop.
- Add large globs of glue for the pom poms, my son was rather angry that I allowed him to do the glue for the paper but not for the pom poms. It’s hard to be 2.
- Add the “apples” and let dry.
