FALL…in Love with Apples!

It’s officially upon us- fall is here, well in most states (sorry Florida folks)! While I do love lazy summer days, fall brings a refreshing change of cool breezes, new shades of nature, sweaters/boots, and pumpkin spice lattes!

For the kiddos that means nature hikes to add to Sean’s growing nature collection, apple picking, pumpkin patch, trick-or-treating, and all the goodness fall has to offer.

This week we kicked off fall with a fun apple thematic unit that will end with a trip to the apple orchard in north Georgia. In the classroom I absolutely loved using thematic units to integrate subjects, apply learning to everyday life, and include fiction and nonfiction books to our lessons.

I headed to some of my favorite blogs and Pinterest  for some fresh ideas and free printables, and filled in the rest with some homemade goodies. This post contains the first 3 days of activities, a later post will contain the last 2 days. These activities are targeted for preschoolers and kindergarteners but can be adapted for younger and older children. I complete the activities with Sean providing assistance as needed.

Skills we are learning and practicing are: cutting, gluing, coloring, counting, measuring, writing, labeling, comparing/contrasting, graphing, reading comprehension, patterns, and investigating.

Introducing the apple:

 

We read Apples by Gail Gibbons and talked about why we label things. I made an easy cutout of an apple shape on red construction paper and a smaller shape on white paper. Glue the white on top, draw a core and seeds in the center, add a leaf and stem. I hand drew some labels and Sean cut and glued them on the apple. We also made some homemade applesauce. I peeled, cored, and large chopped the apples, Sean used a plastic knife and cut smaller chunks, added the cinnamon, and when it was cooked and cooled he mashed it. It was a hit with both Sean and Olivia.

 

 

 

Day 2:

 



 

 

We read Apples, Apples, Apples by Nancy Wallace. Today was my mini scientist’s favorite day, investigation! I found a cute booklet on the teacherspayteachers website, but  I knew I could quickly whip up my own for free. I choose to have Sean measure the apples height and width with legos, pegs, and a tape measure, guess and count how many seeds were inside, and predict and test whether it will sink or float. I hand drew the pictures and stapled a cover page on the front.

 

While we were doing the investigation Sean decided to test the other fruits in our fruit bowl (orange, kiwi, and peach) for size comparison and whether they sink or float as well.

We also completed an investigating apples flip book you can find HERE! Sean colored and cut and as we completed each section I recorded.

 

Day 3:

This was a math focus day. We read the book Ten Apples Up on Top by Theo LeSieg.

I folded a sheet of construction paper into 8 and drew a tree in each box with a random number. I gave Sean some paint and q-tips and he stamped the correct number of apples on each tree. Sean completed this by himself while I cooked dinner but for younger children you could do smaller numbers and count out loud with them while they stamp, for older children you can use larger numbers or write addition sentences for them to solve on each tree.

 

He also completed  an apple  pattern sheet you can find HERE!

 

Sean used the extra paint to paint an orchard, this was one of the first non-abstract paintings he’s done!

 

*Check out The First Grade Parade blog for more great ideas!

 

Still to come:

Venn Diagram comparing apples and tomatoes (cut and paste), apple color graphing, apple taste testing, and making mini muffin tin apple pies.

Seuss-tastic!

 

Every year on March 2 (this year the 3^rd) schools across America celebrate the famed Dr. Seuss by reading his stories, dressing up as favorite characters, and doing activities galore to celebrate his birthday. When I was teaching, especially 1^st grade, I spent the entire week exposing my students to his wonderful works while crafting, playing, and learning along the way. I’m super excited to continue the tradition at home this year with Sean and Olivia! We will share a story a day, or more, with a few activities to extend the fun. Grab yourself a few Seuss classics and join in on the fun.

A few Facts about the Author:

·         His full name is Theodor Seuss Geisel.

·         He took on the pseudonym “Seuss” after being kicked off his college’s magazine for drinking.

·         His first children’s book And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, was rejected 27 times before it was finally published in 1937.

·         “The Cat in the Hat, published in 1957, was written by Seuss in response to a 1954 LIFE magazine article that criticized children's reading levels, Houghton Mifflin and Random House asked him to write a children's primer using 220 vocabulary words.”

·         Before his death in 1991 Dr. Seuss published 60 children’s books.

A few activities we will be doing this week in honor of Dr. Seuss…(Click red links to be directed to activities throughout!)

The Cat in the Hat…the book that sparked the craze!

Sean is working on beginning sounds so he will complete a matching activity sheet created on a word document with a simple table. He will look at the –at word picture and find/match the correct beginning sound.

Hat pattern activity- Use various strips of colored paper to make patterns on the Cat’s Hat.

Thing 1 & 2 Handprint art with Sean and Olivia

 

And to Think that I Saw it on Mulberry St… Perfect since that street is in our neighborhood!

Sean will make and decorate toilet paper roll binoculars and take a walk on Mulberry Street in our neighborhood noting things he sees and practice using descriptive language!

 

Mcelligot’s Pool

Sean and Olivia will make water color paintings of a pool and make fish collages to add to the pool.  For the water color paintings, tape a large sheet of white paper to an easel or wall and dilute some blue tempera paint with water. Provide large brushes to coat the paper. Then provide several fish shaped templates and a ton of random art scraps (construction paper, foil, material, buttons, string, etc.) and collage away!

Sean will play a magnetic fishing game where he will fish for paper fish with paper clips attached, practicing his colors, shapes, and numbers. To make the fishing pole simply attach a magnet to the end of a pencil or stick.

 

Green Eggs and Ham… One of my favorites!

We will of course have a good ol' fashion green eggs (spinach scramble) and ham (bacon) breakfast.

Both kiddos will explore in a Green Eggs and Ham themed bath.

Sean will play a matching game (upper and lower case letter) and a counting game. For the letter match I folded a paper into 8 rectangles and free handed 8 egg shapes then made 8 small green circles. I wrote uppercase letters on the paper and lower case letters on the circles. On the back I repeated the same 8 egg shapes and covered it with contact paper. He will place 8 dollops of green play dough as the yolk and stick a dry spaghetti stick in the center. He will place a magnetic number on each egg and count out and place the correct number of buttons on the spaghetti. This is great practice for counting and fine motor skills.

If I Ran the Zoo

Of course a zoo outing is in order to end the week!

Sean will also play an online animal mix up game!

I’m beyond excited for this week’s Seuss-tastic activities! I hope you grab a few of your favorites and join in on the fun!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR. SEUSS!!!!!

I Heart You!

Weeeelllll, another week shut in due to the lovely winter weather! This time we have been plagued by ice. No fluffy snow to sled and play in, just cold dreary sleet and ice. Thankfully we had the luxury of power, heat, food, and all of our family under one roof; as many Georgians weren’t as fortunate to have during this storm.

So how to pass the day with a 3 year old, teething 10 month old, and a husband who’s working from home????? Lots, and Lots, and Lots of activities. Since Valentine’s Day is on the horizon I decided to dedicate the day to hearts and crafts for loved ones.

We started the day reading some favorite Valentine’s stories we checked out from the library: The Day it Rained Hearts, The Biggest Valentine Ever, and Happy Valentine’s Day Mouse (If you give a…).

 

 

Next Sean was given a handful of conversation hearts in the lid of an egg carton cut in half. On the inside of the holes I colored the bottom the same colors as the candy. I free handed a graph and supplied him with some magnetic numbers. First Sean sorted the colors in the egg carton; next he transferred each pile of colors onto the graph. Then he counted the number of each color from the graph and placed the appropriate number in the egg carton. We talked about which color had the most (longest line) and the least.

 

 

I whipped up a bowl of cloud dough. Just mix 2 and half cups of flour with half a cup of oil ( I used baby oil which made the dough soft and lightly scented). You could always add food coloring, glitter, or essential oils. The cloud dough is different from play dough in that it crumbles like dirt but molds together when firmly pressed. It’s a great texture to explore. I added some measuring cups, heart molds, pom poms, and leftover heart candies. Sean spent a long time scooping, sorting, counting, mixing, and stacking. This was a hit. I placed some saran wrap over the top to keep it fresh for tomorrow.

Last we spent hours painting and crafting Valentine cards and prints for our loved ones.

I used contact paper to make heart collages. Cut contact paper into desired shape/size, peel the paper backing off, tape it sticky side up, tear/cut tissue paper (Sean is working on cutting so this was great practice for him), and stick all over the contact paper.

 

 

Check out the cute handprint art. I stalk Pinterest for handprint art every holiday and make one for our scrapbook and one for each set of grandparents. They are cute personal ways to remember how tiny your babies are and how fast they grow.

 

Olivia got in on the craft action by crumpling tissue paper and finger painting. She also had 2 busy baskets today. One was filled with random items: a block, board book, 2 teething rings, balls, and scrap material. The other was filled with musical instruments. She loved pulling out each item, exploring (ie. eating, sucking, chewing, throwing) and placing them back in.

We survived the boredom, kept the noise level down for daddy to work, did a little learning, and had lots of fun. Now off to plan for tomorrow as we will be home yet again! Stay warm!

Eeeeek! There's a Mouse in the House

If your family is anything like mine you have gone through a few tissue boxes this germy winter season. After reading a Sean favorite, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, I decided to transform an old box into the furry lil critter from this well-known tale.

First lay the box on its long sides and trace around it on blue construction paper. Cut out and glue on both sides for his overalls. Then lay it facedown where the opening is and trace/cut on brown paper and cut a hole where the tissue is pulled from. Glue on the box, repeat with the 2 short sides in brown. Cut out some ears, arms, and legs. Draw on a face and voilà you now have a mouse in your house.

This box can be used for retelling by printing and cutting pictures from the story and having your child feed them to the mouse in order. Check out http://www.octc.org/pdf/guides/giveamouseacookie_rg.pdf for images

I made a quick chart with just a few items from the story and had Sean glue them with the correct match.

*Sean and Olivia enjoying the story!

 

 

 

 

 Also you can create “cookies” by making circles on different colored construction paper and take turns feeding colored cookies to the mouse. This can be adapted by cutting the cookies into shapes, with numbers, or letters.  

Sean had cookies with the letters from his name in upper and lowercase that he had to correctly put in order before feeding the mouse.

We also practiced counting chocolate chips on handmade cookies. He counted the chips on each cookie then placed the correct number (cheap number magnets from the dollar store) on the cookie.

 

For a gross motor activity Sean practiced throwing various items from the story (glue stick, straw, napkin, tape, plastic toy cup, and crayons) into the mouse box. We had a great discussion about which ones were easier to get in and why.

Bonus…don’t forget to get in the kitchen with your kids and bake some REAL cookies!