Instead Of An Apple For The Teacher, How About An Apple FROM the Teacher?

Yikes! It's July 19th; how'd that happen?  Every year summer zooms by like no other season.  I feel like I was just blogging about end-of-the year activities, and now my wheels are spinning dreaming up stuff for fall! 

Seeing all of the adorable back-to-school displays, certainly puts one in the mood and generates excitement for the wonderful loss-leaders and discounts on school supplies.  Nothing like the smell of a brand new box of crayons to get the energy and creative juices flowing.

One of my favorite summer projects, was putting together treat bags for my Y5's first day, or dreaming up some other little gift that would make them feel special and welcome.  Since I often taught two alternating classes (40+ total kiddos), I looked for something quick and easy on the budget.

We have lots of apples here in Michigan, and all sorts of orchards surrounding my school, so I did all kinds of activities with an apple theme.  One of my Y5's favorite snacks was dipping apple slices in caramel.  

Since an apple is super-healthy, I thought it would be a wonderful alternative to the usual treat bags or candy for a first day gift. (Less time consuming too!)

So they looked more like a welcome gift, I felt the apples needed jazzing up in some way, and wanted a cute saying to put on my green construction paper leaf. 

Cyber space never lets me down.  I found this cute poem on Pinterest.  Amy, over at Positively Splendid came up with this sweet gift tag that she attached to the front of her apple.  She made this as a gift for her son's teacher.  Click on the link to grab her FREEBIE.

I revamped her poem and included a ladybug in mine.  Simply run the leaves off on green construction paper, trim and tape a toothpick to the back, so you can simply poke it into the top of the apple.  Wahla! Your gift is done.  

Besides the poem leaves,  I also have sets where I added:  "Welcome to (preschool, kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th grade)!"  to the bottom of the leaves.  To make things more personal, sign the back or bottom of the leaf. 

For that finishing touch, add a ladybug sticker.  If you don't have any on hand, I've included 8 different ladybugs that you can print, trim and glue onto your leaves. 

There's a set of little ones for the smaller leaves, as well as a larger size, if you want to make the big over-sized leaves.  Click on the link to view/download the 1st Day Apple Treat. 

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away. 

Wishing you an "apple-icious" rest of the summer.   I'm off to hit some garage sales with my daughter.  Woo hoo!

"If an apple blossom or a ripe apple could tell its own story, it would be the story of the sunshine that smiled upon it, of the winds that whispered to it, of the birds that sang around it, of the storms that visited it, and of the motherly tree that held it and fed it until its petals were unfolded and its form developed." -Lucy Larcom

     The snow’s melting; look at all that mud! That’s what these no-bake cookies remind me off…little mud pies! And that’s just one of the reasons they are so much fun for kids to make.

No-Bake Oatmeal Mud Pie Cookies

Ingredients:

• ½ cup milk
• 1 stick margarine
• ½ cup cocoa
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 cups oatmeal
• ½ cup peanut butter

Directions:

• Blend cocoa, margarine, sugar, milk, and salt together in a pot.
• Put pot on low heat and cook ‘til blended and melted together.
• Remove from heat.
• Add vanilla, peanut butter and oatmeal.
• Mix well.
• Drop from spoon onto wax paper.
• Let cool.
• Mmm mmm delicious!

Build a Sweet Treat Snowman!

Ingredients per person:

• Hershey Chocolate Kiss
• 3 large marshmallows
• 1 piece of red licorice
• 2 thin stick pretzels or 2 shoestring potatoes
• 6 raisins
• 8” paper plate
• Popsicle stick
• Toothpick
• Small tube of red gel
• 1 can of white frosting

Directions:

• Cut raisins into 1/3rds so that students can use them for eyes, noses, and buttons.
• Cut licorice in ½ and then in ½ again and then slice it down the middle lengthwise. This is the snowman’s scarf.
• Pass supplies out to students.
• Have students design their snowman on their plate.
• The kiss is the snowman’s hat.
• Give each student a spoonful of frosting. They use their Popsicle stick to “glue” their marshmallows together and stick their accessories and facial parts on. The raisins might stick on by themselves if they pick at the inside with the toothpick.
• Children can poke a hole in the sides of the snowman with the toothpick and insert their potato sticks/pretzels for arms.
• Adult puts a red gel smile on each snowman.

Frosted Face Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

• Pre-made sugar cookie dough
• 2 cans white frosting
• Popsicle sticks
•  Things to decorate the snowman face: Raisins, red hots, M&M's, Skittles, colored gum drops, Fruit Loops etc. 

Directions:

• Follow directions on cookie dough and make circular cookies.
• Set up the decorations on paper plates at a table. Children choose which things they want, putting them on their plate and then return to their seats to decorate. 
• Give each child a spoonful of frosting and have them frost their cookie "face" with the Popsicle stick and then decorate their snowman. 
• Take a group photo of all the frosty faces and then "crunch-nibble-munch!"

Snow Covered Logs

Ingredients per person:

• 1 banana
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• ¼ cup shredded coconut (There will be some leftovers.)

Directions:

• Cut banana in half lengthwise
• Spread peanut butter on the halves.
• Press together like a sandwich.
• Sprinkle the coconut on a sheet of waxed paper.
• Roll the banana in the coconut until completely covered.
• Chill in fridge for 15 minutes.

Purple Sauce Slurpies

Ingredients:

• 6 cups applesauce
• 3 cups grape juice
• 24 paper Dixie cups
• 24 Popsicle sticks

Directions:

• Combine applesauce and grape juice in a large bowl.
• Stir until blended.
• Spoon equal amounts into Dixie cups.
• Freeze for 1 hour and then insert Popsicle sticks.

From a Liquid To a Solid

In January we study liquids turning into solids and then melting when they get hot.

A fun way that I demonstrate the liquid to a solid with my students is making Popsicles.  As a behavior modification technique I write the word Popsicles on the board and circle a letter at the end of each portion of our day, if everyone has performed/behaved appropriately.  It helps them clean up, line up, stay focused, get their work done etc.  When all the letters are circled, we take the Popsicles out of the freezer and see that the liquid has turned into a solid!  We also let one melt in the sun on our shelf to see a solid turn back into a liquid.

Popsicles with a Punch

Ingredients:

• Red Hawaiian Punch or juice of your choice.  This is my Y5’s favorite.  The blue Hawaiian punch is also a fun color for winter.
• Tupperware molds or Dixie cups + Popsicle sticks.

Directions:

• Pour liquid into molds.
• Put covers on
• Put in freezer
• Run under a bit of warm water to loosen the molds
• If you don't have molds, use Dixie cups, fill them 1/2 full and freeze for 1 hour.  Insert Popsicle sticks. 
  
• When ready to serve, remove paper.
  

Dirty Snow-Ball Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup butter
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 cup walnuts
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 15 oz. package Hershey Kisses
• Powdered sugar

Directions:

• Combine sugar, butter and vanilla in a large bowl and beat until fluffy.
• Add nuts and blend.
• Chill the dough.
• Shape dough around unwrapped individual chocolate kisses.
• Put on greased cookie sheet.
• Bake 12 minutes at 350 degrees.
• Set pan aside to cool
• Roll in powdered sugar ‘til completely covered and looking like a slightly dirty snowball.

Kool-Aid Cool-Snow Cones

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups crushed ice
• 2 Cups sugar
• ¾ Cup water
• 1 package unsweetened Kool-Aid

Directions:

• Combine sugar and water in a pot and bring to a full boil.
• Remove from heat.
• Stir in the Kool-Aid
• Chill.
• Crush the ice cubes in a blender.
• Put the ice in a cup or cone and pour the Kool-Aid syrup over the ice.
• Eat with a sippy straw spoon.
• I’ve also used real “just-fallen” clean snow for that special touch of “winter wonderland magic!”

Yogurt “Snow” Fun Pops

Ingredients:

• 2 cups vanilla yogurt
• 6 oz. frozen orange juice
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

• Mix ingredients in large bowl ‘til blended.
• Pour into ice cube trays.
• Freeze for 30 minutes and then insert Popsicle sticks.

     Dreaming up frozen concoctions with a kid in the kitchen can be "snow" much fun, especially if your state is a bit on the warmer side!  I hope you have a great time with yours.  

     These recipes were all rather on the "cool" side, but January is also National Soup Month so why not have a nice bowl of your favorite some frosty day, especially if your state is on the colder side like mine is in Michigan.  MM-MMM-Good!  And you won't be alone while enjoying this comfort food.  According to Lifestyle Magazine approximately ten billion bowls of soup are consumed by Americans every year!  Bon Appétit!