Preschool Apple Theme
(cont.)
Gross Motor

Picking Up Apples

Place a basket on the floor. Let the children take turns picking up pretend apples and putting them into the basket while everyone sings the following song:

Picking Up Apples - Sung to "Paw-Paw Patch"

Pick up the apples, put 'em in the basket
Pick up the apples, put 'em in the basket
Pick up the apples, put 'em in the basket
Way down yonder by the apple tree.

~Submitted by Barbie

Pretend to Be Worms

Children can wriggle on the floor and be worms. Make a large apple cutout from poster board or cardboard. Cut the hole large enough for children to crawl through.

~Submitted by Barbie

Balancing Fun

Read the book Ten Apples Up On Top by Theo LeSeig (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss). Get some bean bags and practice balancing them on your head. Great Fun!!

~Submitted by Barbie
Other Theme Ideas

At our preschool 3 year olds are not able to go on field trips. Our director feels that they are too young. Alot of our parents were very upset last year that their kids could not participate, so this is what I did.

Depending on the weather: if it's not raining this is what you do..

Bags of apples (small round)
Apple bags (if you ask, a local farm stand will donate them)
Yarn
Apple Cider
Plain Doughnuts

Tie the yarn on to different branches on various trees on your play ground. Next tie the yarn around the apples. I suggest doing this the day before. Give each child an apple bag and let them pick 2-3 apples. When everyone is done, they can enjoy some apple cider and a doughnut while you read a story. My favorite is The Apple Pie Tree. Then you can sing some Apple Fingerplays. My group really loved doing this last year. I think I will do it again this fall.:)

You can adapt this for your classroom by hanging the yarn with thumbtacks from the ceiling. Just make sure you have small (light) apples.

~Submitted by Christine in New Hampshire

One thing we do for apples is graphing. I get red, green, and yellow apples (I just get Red delicious, etc but you can do whatever you want) and cut them into slices. I then encourage everyone to try all the styles. Then we chart what color we liked best. This is really simple and fun. One little boy always said he hated apples, but he found out that he likes green apples.

~Submitted by Nikki

Apple Tasting Party

Discuss apples, how they grow. Identify different types of apples and how they can be used to make other things.

Show children variety of apples and foods made from apples.

Allow each child to have a taste of all the items (applesauce, apple juice, baked apple, apple pie, apple cake, apple butter on bread).

~Submitted by Cindy in MD

Bulletin Board - An Apple a Day . . .

Need: paper plates, red tissue paper, white glue.

Add a small amount of water to the glue so it can easily be applied with a paintbrush to the back of the paper plate. Once the paper plate is covered with glue, the children may place small pieces of red tissue paper on it.

You may have to rim along the edge of the plate when dry. Use green construction paper to make a stem. You can also add green or brown pipe cleaners as small worms, on the apple or coming out of the top of the apple.

Place on bulletin board with words "An Apple a Day . . "

~Submitted by Cindy in MD

Real Easy Apple "Stuff"

Have several different varieties of apple, several different colors - discuss different colors, you can let each child have a different one and play a game like -- if you have a green apple stand up, if you have a yellow apple hop up & down, etc. Have large apple shapes cut out and different color paint to match the apples and let the kids choose which color to paint theirs. Cut the apples and serve for snack, talk about the different tastes, make a graph showing which apple each person liked. Cut the apple in half and show the kids the star inside, make up a story about it! You can do apple printing from the halves - maybe on a large apple shaped paper. Hang apples from ceiling & challenge the kids to take a bite without using their hands (good for older ones, can be frustrating for little ones)>

~Submitted by Doris

Apple Talk

Apples are a fruit which grows in different sizes and colors. Bring in several kinds of apples, such as Jonathans, Red and Yellow Delicious, and Granny Smith, to show the children the differences. Apples are a great snack whether eaten alone or used to make cider, muffins, dumplings, pie, or applesauce.

Apple books

Show and discuss 2 apples. What might be inside? Cut in ˝ (vertically and horizontally). Discuss appearance (similarities and differences). Color bottoms of 2 paper plates red, green or yellow. With white sides facing, put together and punch holes in the left side. Tie with yarn. Open book and glue real apple seeds inside. Add a paper stem and leaf.

~Submitted by Barbie

Matching Games

Apple Tree and Apples matching game, Apples and worms, Apples to Apples. Make with construction paper, stickers or other materials.

~Submitted by Barbie

Bob For Apples

Fill a bucket with water an apples and let the children take turns catching on me in there mouth. When they are done they can eat what they catch.

~Submitted by Barbie

Hot Apple Pie

Play like hot potato.
~Submitted by Barbie

Field Trip

Pick a bushel of apples at an apple orchard or farmers market (or have each child bring in some apples). Use apples to sort, graph, pattern, etc. Read Rain Makes Applesauce. Ask children what goes in applesauce. Print the recipe on a chart (see below). Make applesauce, using apples from the discussion, monitoring through the day. Make observation charts bout the changes seen by the children.

~Submitted by Barbie

Science

Plant apple seeds and make an observation booklet or chart. This can be done as a group or by individual students.

~Submitted by Barbie

Scales

Put out a basket of apples in various sizes. Allow children to weigh and measure them with a balance, scale, and tape measure. Have paper handy for recording the data.

~Submitted by Barbie

Cut an apple in half crosswise to show design of the seeds. How are they formed? What do they look like? Ask children questions about the apple such as: What design does the apple make? Were you surprised? Do you think any other fruit has a special shape inside it?

Planting Apple Seeds

Provide small paper drinking cups, apple seeds, potting soil or dirt, and water. Save seeds from the apples used for the food experience. Give each child a cup and have the children fill their cups with soil. Place finger in soil to make a small hole and drop in the seed. Dampen the soil with a small amount of water. Place cups in a well lighted place and water occasionally; then read the children the book The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle.

~Submitted by Barbie

Discovery Table

Display different types of apples. These include Granny Smith, Yellow Delicious, Red Delicious , Macintosh, etc. Add a magnifying glass; and foods made with apples (applesauce, dried apples, apple juice, etc.) for more exploration.

~Submitted by Barbie

Apple Changes

Observe and discuss with the children what raw apples look like. Ask them to predict what will happen when the apples are cooked. Bake a whole apple. Slice and simmer another one. Have the children compare the results with the raw apples. Ask them to describe the changes that occurred in color, texture, and taste. Also leave a cut apple out, put one cut apple in a baggie, and try putting cut apples in other places--what happens?

~Submitted by Barbie

Circle Time/Group Projects

Discussion About Apples
Where do apples come from? What different colors are apples? Do you like red, yellow, or green apples the best? Which apples are sweet? Which apples are tart?

~Submitted by Barbie

Classroom Apple Tree

Use a large piece of bulletin board paper. Draw a tree with branches. Children can use an apple shaped sponge or use paint and a brush to put apples on the tree. When paint is dry write the children's names on their apples. Hang apple tree art in the classroom or on a bulletin board.

~Submitted by Barbie

Fishing for Apples

Make fishing poles with magnets connected to the ends. Cut apple shapes from red, yellow, and green construction paper. Attach a metal paper clip to each apple shape. Place apples on a large piece of blue butcher paper which has been cut into the shape of a pond. Lay the items on the floor and ask children to fish for different colored apples or to pick up a certain number of apples.

~Submitted by Barbie

Musical Apples

Make an apple necklace for each child playing. Cut a small apple shape from, red, yellow, and green construction paper. Punch a small hole in the top of the apple and attach a piece of yarn large enough to loosely go over the child's head. Let the children wear their necklaces while playing Musical Apples. This is played like musical chairs. Place a picture of an apple on each chair. Put out one less chair than children who will be playing. Play some marching music and have children sit on the chairs as the music stops. Each time you play the music eliminate a chair. The child who doesn't get a seat needs to wait until the game starts over. The winner is left when there is only one child on one chair.

~Submitted by Barbie

Dramatic Play

Add wicker baskets of various sizes, plastic apples, and other apple picking supplies to your dramatic play area.

~Submitted by Barbie

Suggestions For Parents

Make apple pies with your child
Serve applesauce and apple juice at home this week
Plant an apple seed with your child. Water it together and discuss its growth
Provide apples for snacks at home

~Submitted by Barbie
Links

Apples - A to Z Teacher's Stuff
Washington Apple Recipes - Washington Apple Site
Michigan Apples
Apple Activities - Childfun
Apple Theme - Child's Play
Apple Theme - Everything Preschool
Apples/Worms - Hummingbird Educational Resources
Everything Apple - Reber's Resources
Apple Juice On The Internet
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