* After reading the book Top Ten Apples, the children make self portraits on sandwich size paper plates.  They often use colored paper for the features and yarn for the hair. Next we make apple prints on long narrow strips of paper (from a roll).  The children decide how many apples they want to balance on their heads and then print that many with apples dipped in paint.  They also get to choose if they want to print yellow apples or red apples or both. After they are dry we attach the long strips of apple print paper to the top of the paper plate self portrait.  As if to seem the apples are being balanced on a head. The children can count the apples and write the number on the paper if they are old enough.   Each child seems to enjoy pointing out their head and prints to their parent and most count the apples for the parent.  * APPLE CRISP I did this recipe after making apple sauce.  I reminded the children that we used a simple machine last time...What was it? .....an apple corer.  To make this recipe even more "hands on" for children I purchased an old fashioned "apple peeler".  They are now reproducing them (at least here in the East.).  Today we talked about a new machine that will help us get the apples ready in a different way for making this recipe. STEP 1 1.  Child chooses and washes an apple. 2.  Teacher places the apple onto the apple peeler machine. 3.  Child turns the crank and watches as the machine peels and slices the apple. (This was a fascinating step for all involved.) 4.  Child places the apple slices and counts them into a dish/pan with a little water on the bottom. STEP 2 - The Topping Mix the following ingredients: 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup of flour 1/2 cup of oats 1/2 cup of cinnamon 1/2 cup of nutmeg 1/3 cup of margarine melted in a microwave Mix and stir.  Pat topping onto the top of the apples.  Bake in a 350 oven for about 30 minutes (or until apples are bubbling and top is hardening).  Spoon into individual bowls and leave plenty of time to cool before snack.  YUM! For a class of 15 we mixed and used two batches of topping on a large pan. STORY:  While the apple crisp was cooking I read "Oats and Wild Apples" by Frank Asch This was a story about a deer who eats wild apples and a calf that eats oats.  They become friends and visit each others living area and share some of their food.  I draw the similarity that we just used apples and oats in our apple crisp.  Deer and Calves like them....let's see if we do too?!? * September is apple season is Washington... Johnny Appleseed was born on September 26, 1774.                                                                                                 JOHNNY APPLESEED GOES A 'PLANTING                                                                                                                                                 by Patsy Jensen As a young boy John Chapman loved to help take care of the apple orchard, picking apples and eating them.  His love of apples served him throughout his life. As a young man he discovered a way to help pioneers on their way to Ohio.  He gave them apple seeds to take with them.  But when he found they would not have time to tend the trees, he decided it would be better if he planted the trees himself.  Thus began the adventures of Johnny Appleseed as he traveled throughout the land, befriending both people and animals. He spent his whole life planting and tending apple trees.  Even today, people will often think of Johnny Appleseed whenever they see an apple tree. Some apple activities... An Apple Smile Core and slice an apple.  Spread peanut butter on one side of each apple slice.  Place four tiny marshmallows on top of the peanut butter of one slice.  Top with another apple slice, peanut butter side down. Gently squeeze together.  Enjoy!! Round the Apple Tree Play a singing circle game to the tune of "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush".  Children skip in a circle, holding hands, while singing the first verse. Verse 1:  Here we go round the apple tree, The apple tree, the apple tree. Here we go round the apple tree, So early in the morning. On subsequent verses children stop circling and create motions to illustrate the words. Verse 2:  This is the way we plant the seeds Verse 3:  This is the way the little seed sprouts. Verse 4:  This is the way it grows to a tree. Verse 6:  This is the way the apples grow. Verse 7:  This is the way the apples are picked. Repeat verse 1 A Growing Experience Have the children pretend they are seeds by curling up their bodies. As you tell them a story about how a seed grows, direct students to move accordingly.  For example, as the seed reaches upward toward the ground, the children can stretch upward as they try to break through the earth.  As the seed sprouts, have the children move their arms expansively.  Play soft music in the background to enhance the mood. Slice an apple in half...have the children estimate how many seeds are inside the apple.  Count the seeds. Take the sliced apple.  Dip into thin tempera paint to make apple prints.  Use red, yellow or green. * Our drop in center is doing apples for the first week of fall..we're making apple prints (cut apples so seeds visible, dip in paint and print..great for twos), were also making a collage apple with various fabric ribbon and paper (all torn or cut) on a paper plate. We're going to compare sizes and colors of apples and count seeds, and I'm making one of the apple crisp recipies I have. * We made these at school last week and the childrem loved them. We also took a paper plate and cut two circles out of the sides. We painted the left over plate brown like a tree trunk and the top green like leaves.(place a hole in each side of leaves) Thread a 18 inch piece of red yarn through the two holes yarn in back. We painted the two circles red like apples. Put a hole in each apple and attach to a red piece of yarn 18 inches long. (one apple at each end). Pull string tight making apples appear in tree and say Way up high in an apple tree Two red apples smiled at me So I shook that tree as hard as I could Down came the apples Mum mum good! * This apple pizza recipe comes from the Grand State of Michigan.  Terrific apple recipes. Take a half-loaf of frozen bread dough, thawed and  spread on a greased cookie sheet or round pizza pan; 4 apples of choice, peeled, cored and sliced; 2/3 c sugar, 1/2 c  flour,1/4 c margarine and 2 tsp. cinnamon. Mix flour, sugar, butter and cinnamon together.  Add 1/2 c of nuts, if desired.  Sprinkle over dough.  Spread apples over mixture.  Then make a glaze from 1 c powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp. water and one teason vanilla.  Spread over the top and bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes.  Cool.  *   We have a field trip to the apple orchard. We have a tractor/hay ride and it is explained to the children how to turn your apple up to the sky!The next day we make applesauce in crockpots(boy does school smell good) We let the children cut up the apples and check the star inside.We sample plain, cinnamon and then sugared applesauce.   I do my letter A project. I cut out a red apple(Iteach 2-3 year olds)They glue on flat toothpicks in the shape of A and brown stem, green leaves.   Books:    I read a BIG BOOK called An Apple a Day by Melvin Berger- It shows the apple tree and its different stages.    I also have a book called TEN APPLES Up on top (not sure who the author is)     THE SEASONS OF ARNOLD'S APPLE TREE-Gail Gibbons     JOHNNY APPLESEED- Reeve, Lindbergh   SONG:    ( Tune of twinkle twinkle)    Apple, apple tree so tall,    I can hardly wait till fall!     When your apples I can pick,     Fill my basket, eat them quick.    Apple, apple tree so tall,    I can hardly wait till fall!    Apple ,apple tree so fair,   What do I see growing there!     Green and round and plump and sweet,     Soon they will be good to eat.    Apple, apple tree so fair,   What do I see growing there! In the back of my big book there is a mailing list for info. by mail.     Internationational Apple Institute      P.O.BOX 1137      McLean, Va 22101    1-703-442-8850       Washington State Apple Commission    P.O.Box 18    Wenatchee, Wa. 98807     The processed Apples Institute   5775 Peachtree-Dunwoody Road Suite 500-G   Atlanta, Ga 30342 * I have done the following activites: -a paper shaped apple that the children glued red tissue paper -an apple cut in half with a square of white paper in between (to represent the middle with the seeds) and the glued together on a piece of yarn. -three of the same size paper apples, colored by the children in red, yellow or green and then glued together to make a 3-D apple. we also added a paper worm with a smile sticking out -half an apple (children glued small pieces of red paper along the edge to represent the skin and filled in the middle with small pieces of manilla paper to represent the inside of the apple) -paper plate apple with cut up pieces of red, yellow or green. we add a leaf and stem at the top - a taste test of as many different types of apples that my grocery store sells -we will be cooking apple muffins, applesauce, apple crisp and apple pancakes -apple shape with glitter * *Serve applesauce cake for a snack and apple juice for a snack. *Have the children bob for apples.(see below) *Go for a walk and collect autumn leaves and arrange them on a plain paper tablecloth.  Set an apple (use different varieties) on each plate. Print child's name on a piece of masking tape and tape it to the apple. Game ideas Tape a leaf to the top of the tree-Play like pin the tail on the donkey Hot Apple-Play like h