1-2-3 Come Do Some Apple Math With Me

The last few articles have covered apple art, some apple science (apple facts and the apple life cycle) plus a bit of writing, so I thought it was time to throw in a little apple math.  I've designed some numbered apples from 1 to 100.  You can put them up all at once, or add one each day of school, as you count up to your 100th day celebration.  

Another fun way to reinforce counting, is with Willie the Worm.  His body is a numbered "slider".  Children trace the numbers and then insert Willie into their apple.  Call out a number, students slide the worm to that number. 

This is a quick and easy way to whole group assess, as you can see at a glance who is having difficulty.  I've also included strips for skip counting by 2's, 3's, 5's, and 10's for a non-boring way to practice. 

For just-the-right-size number fun, with an apple theme, click on the Apple Number packet.  The packet includes: Smaller numbered apples (1-120) that students can easily sequence.  Use these as anchor charts or a help poster for your students' math folders. The apple 1-120 individual strips, can be cut to form a number line. 

I've included 16 "What's Missing?" activity sheets, that are especially helpful for those toughy teen numbers. Run them off for students to fill in, or laminate and have children place number tiles on empty spaces.  The apple math symbols, allow students to use the apples to create and solve addition and subtraction equations, as well as show greater and less than.

Apples with numbers as well as number words, help with reading comprehension. Use them for games, pocket charts, or your word wall.  Skip counting by 2's, 3's, 5's and 10's is also included, plus 4 games, with the ability to create many more.  Click on the link to get the 35-page comprehensive Apple Number packet.

For more addition and subtraction activities, you'll enjoy the apple-themed 10-frame packet.

If you teach little ones just learning to count, or ESL students, they'll enjoy the 1-to-1 correspondence apple game.  I've included full-color cards, as well as black line masters if you want your kiddos to color their own. 

I used red, yellow and green pony beads as manipulatives.  This provides great fine motor practice as well.

Puzzles are also a fun way for students to practice sequencing numbers. 

I've included an apple as well as a pumpkin shaped puzzle in this packet. Run the apples off on red, yellow and lime green construction paper; give students a choice of what color they want for their apple. 

Children can simply put the puzzle together, or have them create an interesting mosaic picture, by gluing the pieces to a sheet of black construction paper.  (Make sure they leave a little space inbetween the pieces.) 

For that finishing touch, add their photo to the leaf.  To make it more of a keepsake, have students trace their hand for the pumpkin leaf.

There are 7 more apple-themed puzzles in another packet. Use the skip counting by 10's puzzles for older students.

Finally, when doing apple math, one can't forget to include shapes as well as graphing.  Both are accomplished in the Shapely Fall Graphs packet. 

I hope you found a few things here that you're excited about sharing with your students.  Do you have an apple activity that you could share with us?  I'd love to hear from you.  diane@teachwithme.com  or feel free to leave a comment below.

It's a rainy day, and although it's tempting to venture into some time-sucking fun on Pinterest, I'm off to higher priorities.  (Perhaps curling up with a good book!) Wishing you an apple-icious afternoon.

Awesome October Fun!

Math Extensions:

Comparing & Contrasting apples and pumpkins via a graph and Venn diagram:

If you’re like me, one of your science units in September was probably apples.

I take my students to an apple orchard in October that also has a huge pumpkin patch.

My students enjoy a tractor-pulled hayride out to the fields to pick out our class pumpkin and we get a chance to review what we learned about apples as they pick 3 different kinds in the orchard.

I thought you’d enjoy comparing the two fruits with a Venn diagram and seeing which is your students’ favorite.

My Y5’s have already graphed which color apple (red, yellow or green) they liked best, as well as compared apple juice with apple cider.

To enjoy a pumpkin, I give them each a tiny square of pumpkin pie (some have never tried it!) as well as a taste of roasted pumpkin seeds.

Once they’ve sampled both kinds of fruit, I graph which one they liked the best.  Every year the apples have gotten the most votes.

It might be because they enjoy that fruit in a huge variety of other ways or because quite a few of my students do not like the pumpkin pie.   

Click on the link to view/print the apple-pumpkin graph and Venn diagram to see how your students do.

I do my initial Venn diagram on the floor with two hula-hoops, picture cards, and sentence strips, so I’ve made you an apple and pumpkin poster-card, if you want to try that fun Venn diagraming method with your students.

Jack-O-Lantern Counting:

Your students will have fun making this plump pumpkin, tracing and sequencing the various number cards and stapling the mini booklets to the appropriate pumpkin part. 

What a fun way to review a variety of math standards.

My Y5's have counting by 1's and 10's as a standard, but I've also included 2's 3's and 5's. 

Choose whatever is appropriate for your students, run the masters off on yellow and green copy paper, and you'll have a handy reference tool for your little "punkins"!

Click on the link to view/print the pumpkin patterns.

Great Learning is something to CROW about!

So I designed a black crow where you can key in information your students are learning, on the wing-pages of the bird. 

You can also use my fast-bird-facts if you want.  I've also included skip counting by 2's, 3's, 5's and 10's for a fun way to review that standard, or have students write down spelling words, word wall words, or math equations etc.

Buy a bag of black feathers at a craft-hobby store and add some extra pizzazz by stapling one to the outside of the wing. I used a glue dot and stuck a wiggle eye to my crow for that special 3-D look. 

You can staple the pages or attach then with a brass brad.

Click on the link to view/print the crow patterns.  If you'd like a fact sheet on crows and an answer as to what's the difference between crows, ravens and black birds, click on the link to view/print my crow fact sheet.

For your convenience I've put October Arts & Activities from 2010 right after this article so you can scroll down for even more ideas!

I also have other October FREEBIES available: 16-pages of Spider Stuff, 23-pages of Pumpkin Art & Activities in book I and 42-pages in book II, + Leaf Activities, and finally, Halloween Stuff.

Click on the links to check things out.

Looking for more?  I have entire units on pumpkins, leaves, bats, fire safety, acorns, candy corn, scarecrows and spiders! 

Why not become a subscriber and be able to download the entire shopping cart for an entire year at no additional cost.

I wish you a howling great time with your little ones!