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

Although I’ve seen a variety of 3D apple and pumpkin crafts using paper strips to form the sphere, I could not find a pattern anywhere on the web.

After a few hours of diddling around, I came up with this simple “print & go” apple craftivity, complete with several pattern options and step-by-step directions using photographs of the various stages.

Few teachers have the luxury of simply making a craft just for fun; so to incorporate some science standards, one of the options is to make a “label the apple” craft.

I’ve included labeled templates for little ones, as well as blank ones, so that older students can label their own pieces.

You can also opt to simply make an unlabeled apple, with the “skin strips” going all the way around the "core", which is a toilet paper tube. (Love recycling!)

Completed apples are free standing and make adorable centerpieces.

I’ve also designed the stem as a “looped handle”, so that the red, yellow & green apples look amazing swirling & twirling in the air, suspended from the ceiling on various lengths of yarn.

This craft goes perfect with my "Parts of an Apple Emergent Reader" packet. Click the link to have a look.

There’s a full-color copy for teachers, as well as a black & white version for your kiddos.
Choose the 6-on-a-page size, or the 12-on-a-page pattern to make Itty Bitty booklets.

* I’ve also included a set of 8 pocket chart cards, plus a colorful poster that labels the parts of an apple.

* There are 3, black line worksheet options, for students to color and label the parts of their apple too.

Today's featured FREEBIE is one of my personal favorite apple crafts. Even though this craftivity is quick, easy & fun, it definitely has the "Wow!" factor.

"Apples can be red, yellow and green. These are the prettiest apples you've ever seen."  is the little poem that's in the middle of the apple.

I've included a large, full-size teacher's apple, that you can use as a sample to explain things to your kiddos, then later, place it in the middle of your apple display or bulletin board.

Using a crayon sharpener & broken peeled crayons, have students "shave" separate piles of red, yellow & green shavings. 

They pinch a bit and then sprinkle the 3 colors on top of their apple cut out. Both of these activities, provide super, fine-motor skill practice, that helps strengthen those finger muscles.

Cover with a sheet of wax paper, press with a warm iron for a few seconds, then gently peel off the paper.

My kiddos often squeal with delight at how awesome their apple turns out.

Take that teachable moment to explain secondary colors, as the red crayon melting into the yellow will create a nice orange color.

Each apple is different; which makes for an amazing bulletin board that never fails to get lots of ooohs and ahhhs, from students and staff who pass by.

Well that's it for today. Thanks for popping in.  It's a beautiful autumn day in the 70s, so time to go crunch some leaves.

Chloe, my poodle pup is wagging her whole body in anticipation.  Wishing you a delightful day.

"If a year was tucked inside of a clock, then autumn would be the magic hour." - Victoria Erickson

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

Yippie Skippie!  I just finished a brand new apple packet.  You will LOVE covering all sorts of standards, in one fell swoop of fun.

Make writing more interesting, by adding a bit of craftiness to students’ work, with one of 3 options to choose from. They both fit lots of levels & ages. 

One of my teacher friends is going to do 2; another is giving her kiddos a choice of all 3.

When you simply add a crafty aspect to writing, children are excited to get down to business, and give you better effort. Bonus: completed projects make an awesome easy-peasy bulletin board.

You can reinforce a variety of standards with these super-fun “apple sense” craftivities: practice descriptive writing, with the use of adjectives, while teaching the 5 senses, using an apple!

For more apple science, skip labeling an apple on a different worksheet. Instead, kiddos simply label their completed writing prompt!

Now that’s the time-saving I’m talking about; building vocabulary, reinforcing writing skills, & covering the 5 senses & apple science, all at the same time! Woo hoo!

The first "craftivity" features a top & bottom apple, with the core in the middle as the writing prompt.

For that finishing touch, add a school picture. For extra pizzazz, make the leaves 3D.

I've added a larger teacher template, plus a completed sample, so that you can quickly & easily make an example to share with your students to help explain what you want them to do. 

The other writing prompt craftivity is a "flip the flap" apple.

The "skin" is the outside that's slit up the middle, so that the flaps, flip open to reveal the inside "flesh" of the apple, with the finished writing prompt on it. 

I've also included a completed teacher sample for this project too. 

Finally, to simplify things, you can skip the flaps & have students just complete the prompt, then color their apple.

Personally, I love the addition of the flaps & I think your kiddos will too.

The packet also includes:

* A “parts of an apple” poster.

* A 5 senses poster
* A 5 senses worksheet

* An apple cider opinion writing prompt worksheet

* A “Definition of an adjective” poster &
* An adjective graphic organizer worksheet

* As always, directions, photographs & completed samples, so you can quickly & easily make an example of your own.

This 30-page, packet of fun, is just $2.95.  Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to take a peek: Apple Sense Science & Writing Craftivities.

While you're there, I'd so appreciate it, if you'd follow me; that way you'll always know when I post new things, Dollar Deals & FREEBIES too.  

The featured FREEBIE today, is also an apple activity. I hope you find it useful.

In celebration of 600 TpT followers, here's a set of 7 apple-themed number puzzles. They reinforce numbers 1-10, as well as skip counting by 10s to 100. 

Well that's it for today.  Blogging took much longer than expected, so I'm bookin' outta here to get a zillion and one other things accomplished, before the weekend's over!

Wishing you a stress-free and relaxing afternoon, filled with all that makes you happiest. 

"Education is the most powerful weapon that you can use to change the world." -Nelson Mandella

1-2-3 Come Do Some Apple and Pumpkin Activities With Me!

One of the much-needed skills for little ones, is the ability to cut.  Just learning how to hold a scissors is quite an accomplishment for some.  To help my Y5's strengthen their hand muscles and increase dexterity, I incorporated cutting practice in some form or another every day.  To make this less tedious and frustrating, many of the activities revolved around creating a craft that included other skills as well.

Keeping this in mind, I designed "A-peel-ing Apples" so children could practice cutting in a circle.  This is a wonderful opportunity to add the term spiral to students' vocabulary as well.  Giving a red, yellow or lime green color choice for the apple, also reinforces that science fact. 

To add a bit more pizzazz, older students can glue two different colors together.  The thicker paper lessens the drop of the spiral, and the double-sided colors add interest to the dangler.  Students glue a stem and leaf to the top.  Punch a hole; add a yarn loop and suspend from the ceiling, or as a border against a hallway wall.  Click on the link to view/download the A-peel-ing Apples activity.

Cutting on a straight line is also not that easy for some little ones. These apple and pumpkin "strip" puzzles, will not only give your students practice with that skill, but review and reinforce sequencing numbers from 1-10, skip counting by 10's, or counting backwards from 10-1. I've used a dashed-line font, for the numbers on the apples and pumpkins, so that students can get some writing practice in.  Encourage children to count quietly as they trace the numbers.

Simply choose a number concept you want to work on and run off the puzzles on construction paper.  Children choose a puzzle; trace the numbers; cut the strips, lay them in the proper sequence on a sheet of black construction paper, and then glue them down. 

Remind students to keep a small space between the strips.  Students add a stem and leaf to the top.  You can make the pumpkin more of a keepsake, by having children, or a room helper, trace their hand, with their fingers spread, onto green construction paper.  They trim and glue next to their stem.  Completed projects make a sweet harvest bulletin board.

You may want to laminate one of each kind, to keep in your math center.  Each puzzle has its own Baggie.  Children can work indepently, or pick a partner to play "Speed" against.  The first one who completes their puzzle, is the winner.  Click on the link to view/download the Apple and Pumpkin Number Puzzles.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away.  To ensure that "pinners" return to THIS blog article, click on the green title at the top; it will turn black, now click on the "Pin it" button located on my menu bar.  If you'd like to take a look at all of the wonderfully creative stuff I PIN for school, click on the heart to the right of the blog.

"Imagination is the highest kite one can fly." -Lauren Bacall

An Apple (Activity) A Day Keeps Boredom Away!

One of my favorite units that I did with my Y5’s was APPLES.

I think they really enjoyed it too, as visiting an apple orchard and picking 3 different kinds of apples was our first fieldtrip.

I feel it’s important to have lots of hands-on centers for little ones, to help them increase fine motor skills through cutting and gluing.

Doing centers helps with a variety of life skills and forces them to listen in order to follow directions.

As they become independent, they are empowered and their self-esteem soars.

Seeing their creations hung on our “Wall of Fame” in the hallway, also helped give them a sense of pride.

Knowing I was going to display their work, was a good incentive, to give their best effort.

Through art, I could also incorporate reading, writing, math, and science; sometimes all of them in one quick project, which covered a variety of report card standards.

The 92 – page Apple Art Projects Book has a large variety of activities in it and includes directions, patterns and pictures.

These make terrific center activities, something for students to do when they have completed other work, a nice home-school connection project to be given as homework, or something to tuck in your substitute folder.

The results are wonderful back to school bulletin boards, or hallway and door displays.  Some can be suspended from the ceiling.

The crayon-melt apple poem was one of my favorites.

The poem introduced my students to rhyme; the rhyme taught them the science fact they needed to learn about apples; twisting the 3 color crayons through a sharpener was a terrific fine motor skill, and the result after I put a sheet of wax paper over their shavings and applied a warm iron was awesome!

I also reinforced the 3 colors with this rip and tear apple, which strengthened finger muscles as well.

Students enjoyed making the Life Cycle of an Apple on a paper plate, which was a quick and easy way to get some science in.

Click on the link to view/download the Apple Art Projects Packet.

Thanks for visiting today. I hope you can stop by tomorrow for more back to school ideas.

Do you have an apple activity that you could share with us?  I’d enjoy hearing from you! diane@teachwithme.com or take a moment and post a comment here.

Feel free to PIN anything you think others might find worthwhile.

“We should say to each [child]: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel.  You are unique -- you may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. 

You have the capacity for anything!” –Pablo Casals