Recycled Apple Craft

I warned you I am crazy about apples right now; I can’t help it as more kids head back-to-school apples jump to my mind!  This week won’t all be apple themed here but over at my FamilyEducation.com blog it is. So if you are looking for more ideas check it out!  This craft is awesome because it requires almost no supplies, and it’s safe to assume most of us have paper rolls around the house. Oh, and it’s so cute! These could also be used for cute apple napkin rings, a useful craft.

1. Gather your materials. You will need a toilet paper roll, red and green paint, a sponge paint brush ( any brush or even fingers will work, but sponges work best!), scissors and glue.
2. Start by cutting your roll into rings; you can make think or thin.
3. Cut 1 or 2 into strips ( these will be made into the leaves).
4. Paint the rings red, inside and out. Let dry.
5. Paint the strips green. Let dry.
6. When the paint is dry, cut the strips into leaf shapes.
7. Bend the bottom.
8. Add glue
9. Stick it on the red ring!

Books!

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The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall is a cute look at a year in the life of an apple tree from the perspective of a little girl. From the bare branches of Winter to the pretty flowers in Spring we follow along not only with the tree but with a family of robins as they develop along with the fruit. The illustrations by Shari Halpern are so expressive that a child could easily read the pictures and enjoy this book independently even if they aren’t reading yet. I dare you to read this and not consider making apple pie after, if you need a recipe there is one at the end of the book!

Apples, Apples, Apples by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace will not be returned to the library on time. We got it out today, and my son has had me read it to him three times, and his dad read it twice. Clearly, it gets the 3-year-old seal of approval. It also gets mine. The story is more than just a story about a family going apple picking at an orchard. It explains all sorts of apple facts but what I really love is that it also explains that there are different kinds of apples, and each is used for different things. Since each member of the family is using their apples for different purposes that fact is driven home. Great book for preschoolers going on an apple picking field trip, making applesauce or apple prints ( psst check back for a craft in a few days!).

One Red Apple by Harriet Ziefert is stunning. I really enjoy this author but most of my praise for this book lands squarely on the illustrator Karla Gudeon’s shoulders. WOW. I just adore the look and creativity of this book. The story follows the cycle of one apple from the orchard, to market back to seed, tree and back into the hands of a child. I enjoy books like this that simply explain the cycles of the natural world to young kids, but you can’t miss this one.  As I turned each page I gasped, it’s one of those books you just need to sit and look at because each time you do you find some little detail you missed before.