Apples

Objective:  Help children discover and learn about apples.

Preparation:

• Find drawings or pictures of apples and apple trees from books, magazines or old calendars.
• Gather the following materials; Apples, Knife, Paper, Paint: red; yellow and green, Paper plate. 
• Decide on a book to read.     Suggested books: The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall ,The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons,Ten Apples Up On Top! By Theo LeSieg.,

Lesson:

• Read a book. 
• Discuss apples while showing apples, pictures and/or books.  Apples are a fruit, plant, have seeds.
• Discuss the changes through the seasons in apple trees.  Can be discussed with seasons
• Fruits are a healthy food. 
• It is fun to cut an apple in half horizontally to show the children the star pattern created by the core and seeds.  Use this apple to do the apple stamping in the activity below.

Discussion Questions:

• What color are apples?  Red, yellow, green or a combination of colors.
• How do they grow?  On apple trees.
• How do they taste?  Sweet, crunchy, juicy.
• What can we make with apples?  applesauce, apple juice, apple pie, apple cake, etc.

Activity: Apple Stamping  (It is fun to use red, yellow and green paint and make a stamping of each color.  Keep an apple in each color of paint and don’t mix colors.  Use paint shirts.  Do with one child at a time.)  

• Cut your apple in half( for an apple-shaped stamp cut the apple vertically – cutting it horizontally makes a circular shaped stamp.)
• Pour paint onto a pie tin or plastic plate.
• Dip your apple into the paint.
• Stamp your apples on the paper.  If the apples are carefully stamped, the star may be visible.  
• Set aside to dry.

Making Applesauce is a fun activity with children.  Applesauce blog to be posted soon.

For more educational products and information visit www.phonicsbyspelling.com