Ten Apples Up On Top

Today was my turn for our combined preschool! Let me just tell you, it is so much fun. I actually stress out a little getting it ready … but just having friends over and other little kids who are excited about what we’re doing. It’s fun!

I focused on apples and counting 1-10

• Apple Pom Pom Necklace … I did this just as a quick activity while all the kids were showing up. (I made the apples ahead of time)
  1. Need red pom poms, brown pony beads and a tiny bit of green felt.
  2. Cut a small leaf from the green felt.
  3. Glue it to the top of the pom pom “apple” with craft glue.
  4. Glue a brown “stem” bead on top of the leaf.
  5. Cut a length of plastic lacing or string.
  6. Let the kids thread the lacing through the bead stem.
  7. Tie a knot and wear your apple necklace!
     • NOTE: you could let them lace more beads on, but I wanted to keep this S.I.M.P.L.E.
• Apple Name Game
  1. Use a bean bag (see the apple bean bag tutorial below!)
  2. Say the rhyme below then toss the bean bag to the person named.
  3. Repeat until everyone has a turn!

I like apples

Yes, I do!

I like apples

(…name…) do you?!

• Apple Touch & Feel
  1. Give each of the kids an apple (I got a variety of colors)
  2. Ask them what they know about apples. We got some cute answers…
     • “we can eat them!”
     • “peel!” (we peel them!)
     • “they have stickers on them”
     • “there are seeds inside … we don’t eat the seeds”
  3. I think it’s fun to let the kids hold the real thing in their hands and let them see, feel, smell and yes, some tried to taste their apple!
• Apple Basket Mix & Match
  1. Have a basket full of different varieties of apples (I had a few each of red, green, yellow and speckled)
  2. Tell the kids you have a problem. You have a basket full of apples, but they’re all mixed up. You need their help to sort them!
  3. Show them the different colors, have them help you name the colors and start a “pile” of each color. You could even have red, green, and yellow bowls to sort them.
  4. Take turns picking an apple from the basket, naming the color and sorting it into the right pile. The kids did great!

 

• Apple Tree Fingerplay
  1. Make a simple tree (see one example above). You could even just cut out a large green circle and glue a brown rectangle to the back … instant tree!
  2. Print 5 apple shapes (or use 5 red circles … easy!) Try these:    
  3. I put sticky-back magnet on the back of my tree and the back of each apple, so they would “hang” in the tree, but still be easy to remove. Worked great!
  4. Say the rhyme below and let the kids take turns removing an apple from the tree. Encourage them to say the rhyme with you.
  5. Count the apples each time before you begin a new verse! Have them hold up that many fingers.

(Five) red apples hanging in a tree.

The juiciest apples that you ever did see!

The wind came by and gave an angry frown

And one little apple came tumbling down!

Repeat again with 4, 3, 2 and 1 apples

• Read Ten Apples Up On Top! by Dr. Suess. Available here!

• 10 Apples on Top of Us
  1. Glue a picture of your preschooler’s head to the bottom of a long paper.
  2. Give the kids 10 apple stickers (or red dot stickers or cut out red paper circles). I used these apple stickers.
  3. When finished, count the 10 apples up on top of their head!

  

• Apple Bean Bags … like the book, let the kids put these on their heads and try to walk, run and hop! Or play a simple toss-in-the-basket game!
  1. From felt, cut 2 red circles (trace around a cup), 1 brown stem, 1 green leaf.
  2. Sandwich the stem & leaf between the two apple circles, so they stick out the top.
  3. Sew (I zig-zagged) around the outside of the circles, leaving a small opening.
  4. Fill with rice or beans … not too full.
  5. Finish zig-zagging to close the opening. Done!

Snack Idea: Apple Slices & Dip

Yummiest Fruit Dip

1. Combine 1 8oz package cream cheese + 1 jar marshmallow cream.
2. Mix well! Store in fridge.

Peanut Butter Apple Dip

1. Combine 1 8oz package cream cheese, 1 cup peanut butter, 1 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup milk.
2. Mix well! Store in fridge.

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Click here for another Apple post!