Apple Theme

Crafts & Activities
Songs, Finger Plays & Nursery Rhymes
Recipes
 

Crafts & Activities

Apple Craft
Have children tear pieces of red paper.  Glue on apple shape. Trace and cut handprint out of green paper for leaf. Add poem:

"This apple that you see here 
Was made just for you in my preschool year.
You'll never see another just like it in this great land, 
Because for a leaf I used my own little hand."

Apple Play Dough 
Use red, yellow, and green colored play dough, adding cinnamon spice to it. Lay out apple cookie cutters and tools. Show the children how to create a play dough ball to resemble an apple. Add a pipecleaner for a worm!

Shiny Apple Sun Catchers 
Draw a large apple onto wax paper with a black marker, cut out. Let  the children use colored glue(red, yellow, green) to paint the inside of the apple. While still wet, use colored yarn to outline   the shape and then let dry. Once dry, peel the glue apple away, if thick enough, from the wax paper and hang! 

Musical Apple Tambourines 
2 Small or large paper plates per child, tempera paint, green leaf, brown pipe cleaner or twig, apple seeds or dried beans, masking  tape, and stapler. 

Have the children paint the plates red, yellow or green. Allow to dry. They can then make faces on their "apples" with felt markers, felt pieces, or other items. When done, help them staple the two plates together, leaving an opening at the top to insert your sound makers (beans or seeds) then tape on the stem and leaves; staple the opening closed. 

Apple Trees 
Rip brown paper  to make a tree trunk and glue onto a piece of paper. Use a leaf-shaped sponge to make green leaves around the top of the tree. Make red fingerprint apples. 

Paper Plate Apples
Decorate a 9" paper plate by painting, coloring or sponging red.  Add a green construction paper leaf and a piece of brown chenille or pipecleaner for a stem.

Apple Lacing 
Make an apple shape from heavy cardstock (paint red,yellow or green);  or red, yellow or green fun foam.  Add leaves.  Punch holes all around the outer edge of the apple shape with a hole punch.  Supply several lengths of red, green or yellow yarn for lacing.

Apple Alphabet Match Game 
Make 52 apple shapes. On one set print the alphabet in all capitals. One the other set print the alphabet in small letters. You may wish to laminate or apply clear contact paper for durability.  The children match the capitals to the small letters & visa-versa.
 
 

WAY UP HIGH IN THE APPLE TREE
Way up high in the apple tree, (hold arms up high) 
Two red apples looked down on me. (make fists for apples) 
I shook that tree as hard as I could, (shake the tree) 
And down fell the apples (hands fall to the ground) 
Mmmm were they good! (take a bite, and rub your tummy) 

THE APPLE TREE
   (Sing to the tune of "Rock-a-bye Baby")
Here is a tree with leaves so green.  (forearms together, elbows to wrists, hands spread) 
Here are the apples that hang between. (clench fists for apples) 
When the wind blows the apples will fall. (wave arms in the wind and let apples fall suddenly) 
Here is a basket to gather them all.  (make a basket with both hands, fingers interlocked)

FIVE RED APPLES - fingerplay 
Five red apples hanging in a tree (hold up five fingers) 
The juiciest apples you ever did see. 
The wind came by and gave an angry frown (fingers flutter downward) 
And one little apple came tumbling down (one finger falls) 

Continue with.....
Four red apples hanging in a tree, etc.
Three red apples hanging in a tree, etc.
Two red apples hanging in a tree, etc.
One red apple hanging in a tree, etc.

Finish with.....
No red apples hanging in a tree (hold up hand fingers closed)
No juice apples for me to see.
The wind came by and gave an angry grown
And no little apples came tumbling down. (shrug shoulders, shake head)
 
 

Core out the middle of the apple. Let the kids help by spreading in enough peanut butter to fill apple, then place a gummi worm or two in the middle of the peanut butter filled apple; place the worm so it is peeking out of the apple.

Apple - Fruit Leather Logs 
Cover a baking sheet with plastic wrap. Spread 2 cups applesauce in a very thin layer on the wrap. Bake at 150*F for 6 - 8 hours or until applesauce has a leathery look. Cool slightly and remove the plastic wrap. Roll up the fruit leather and slice it into small "logs".