Every September, I like to add in a short unit study on apples. I do this to take advantage of all the fun apple orchards in my area that we love to visit as a family.
Some of my favorite apple activities include:
Fingerplay/felt board song:
WAY UP HIGH IN THE APPLE TREE
Way up high in the apple tree
Four little apples smiled at me
I shook that tree as hard as I could
Down came an apple! Mmmm mmm good!
Way up high in the apple tree
Three little apples smiled at me
I shook that tree as hard as I could
Down came an apple! Mmmm mmm good!
Way up high in the apple tree
Two little apples smiled at me
I shook that tree as hard as I could
Down came an apple! Mmmm mmm good!
Way up high in the apple tree
One red apple smiled at me
I shook that tree as hard as I could
Down came an apple! Mmmm mmm good!
Way up high in the apple tree
Zero red apples smiled at me
I shook that tree as hard as I could
Down came no apples! They’re gone for good
Way up high in that apple tree
No more apples left for me.
I then added verses, replacing the word “smiled” with frowned, giggled, cried, and got angry. The children then practice changing there expressions to reflect the “feeling” verb.
READING:
I also always check out a book or two from the library about Johnny Appleseed and we read and discuss these books.
We’ve learned about his birthplace as well and located it on a map.
SCIENCE:
We also buy a variety of apples and explore them. How many seeds are in each type? Do all apples have the same number of apple seeds?
HISTORY:
We’ve researched how apples came to be in the Americas and the role various influential Americans played in the apple becoming as popular today as they are.
ART:
We start by reading the Apple Star Story.
https://www.ncagr.gov/agscool/commodities/redhouse.htm
As the mother in the story cuts into the apple, I do too, to reveal the STAR inside. I then allow each child to cut their apple(depending on age) and we paint with them. I put a craft stick on the side with the skin still on and give them red, green and yellow tempera paint and they make apple stamp prints.
HEALTH:
We’ve studied the different vitamins that can be found in apples as well as where the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” originated.
LITERATURE:
We’ve focused on the symbolism of an apple in Greek and Roman literature.
FUN:
I always include a day to bob for apples. The kids(and I) look forward to this all year long!
COOKING:
We always make some kind of applesauce.
Some of the other items we’ve made throughout the year:
Caramel dip
Our own taffy apples
Apple muffins
Apple pie
Dehydrating apples/making apple chips
The possibilities are endless!
POETRY:
Apples have always provided us the perfect opportunity for us to write shape poems.
Trace a simple apple shape on paper and have the children write their poem around the edges.
I love displaying these each year.
For some more fun poetry ideas, check out an earlier blog post:
https://learningisawayoflife.com/poetry-with-children/
This year, my oldest son is researching and drawing an apple orchard. He’s including spacing for the trees, the best types of apples to grow in our climate, when to plant, when to harvest, how to know when apples are ready.
My other son is researching how to make cider. He’s drawing the blueprints for building our own cider press and we will see where this goes.
During the week or two that we focus on apples I always plan a tour to a local apple orchard.
We’ve been able to learn about cider presses and try our hand at making apple cider.
We’ve learned about challenges facing apple orchards and how to look for damaged trees.
We’ve been able to learn the correct way to pick apples and pick our own.
We’ve learned how to distinguish different types of apples and learned which are best for making sauce, pies, and eating fresh.
I’ve found that every time I’ve contacted an apple orchard, they’ve been eager to share their expertise with my family. We haven’t been told “no” yet(and it’s going on 15 years)!
Do you have any favorite apple recipes or crafts/projects?
I love seasonal activities! Will be trying these ones with my little one 🙂
The very first record I had was an audio recording on vinyl of Johnny Appleseed way back in ‘68. We have a son with autism that has a love for apples, he goes through about 5 lbs in under a week. He is probably the healthiest person I know, lol.