* Cut a big apple out of poster board. Cut in to pieces. Cut as many or as few for your age level. Have a group of 3-4 to try to put it together. * Learning centers What can an apple do? Set up an apple activity center.  Provide a variety of items for the children to explore such as red, green, and yellow apples; apple seeds to examine with a magnifying glass; and foods made with apples (applesauce, dried apples, apple juice, etc.) Seeds Set out several different types of seeds, and some magnifying glasses. Allow the children to explore the seeds, and tell you some of the differences and likenesses among seeds of different types. Resource; Theme-a-saurus, Jean Warren; warren publishing, 1989. Apple activities Observing changes Observe and discuss with the children what raw apples look like.  Ask them to predict what will happen when the apples are cooked.  Bake a whole apple.  Slice and simmer another one.  Have the children compare the results with the raw apples. Ask them to describe the changes that occurred in color, texture, and taste. How many seeds? Hold up an apple and ask the children to predict the number of seeds that will be found inside.  Cut the apple open and count the seeds with the children.  Have them compare the number of seeds with their predictions.  Try the experiment with another apple.  Does it have the same number of seeds as the first one?  Try the same experiment using a different colored apple. Apple book Cut a red construction paper cover and newsprint pages into an apple shape. As a group, make a book about apples by having the children each dictate a story for you to record on one of the apple-shaped pages.  Let each child illustrate his or her story. Then staple the cover and pages together to make an Apple book. Variation:  Make a separate book for each child's story. Another variation:  Instead of a story, have each child dictate one thing they learned about apples. Apple counting game Glue a felt tree shape to each of five cardboard squares.  Write a number from 1 to 5 under each tree.  Cut fifteen apple shapes out of felt.  To play the game, have the children take turns identifying the numbers below the trees and placing the corresponding numbers of apples on them. Apple colors Have the children sort different colors of apples (or apple shapes cut fro construction paper) into baskets.  Let them count how many red, green and yellow apples there are. Then ask them to line up the apples in each group from largest to smallest. Resource; Theme--saurus, Jean warren; warren publishing, 1989. Apple Art Print Apples Set out corks and shallow containers filled with red tempera paint.  give each child an apple tree shape cut out of construction paper.  Let the children use the round ends of the corks to print "apples" on their tree shapes.  After the paint has dried, use the prints for counting. (An alternate to corks and paint, would be red bingo markers.) Apple Printing Cut some apples in half vertically and others in half horizontally.  Show the children the hidden star inside the apples cut horizontally.  Pour small amounts of red tempera paint onto several sponges set in shallow containers.  Let the children dab the apple halves on the sponges and then gently press the apples on pieces of construction paper to make prints. (This is a great activity to follow the story, "Little bear's star.) Apple collages Give each child a small paper plate and a piece of red paper.  Let the children tear their papers into small pieces.  Then have them glue the pieces all over their paper plates.  Add green paper stems and use the "apples" as room decorations. Fingerprint Apples Cut large apple shapes out of white butcher paper.  Give each child an apple shape and a small amount of red fingerprint.  Let the children paint the apple shapes. Attach precut green leaves to the top of each apple when the shapes have dried. Resource:  Theme-a-saurus, Jean Warren; Warren Publishing Company, 1989 Paper mache Apples Blow up small balloons.  Tie a green piece of yarn to the knot of the balloon.  Tear newspapers into narrow strips.  Dip the strips into paper mache mixture, and have the children wrap the balloons with the wet strips.  Hang the balloons to dry. Once dry, have the children paint the "apples" with red tempera paint, and add a green construction paper leaf. Apple songs Do you know the apple man? Sung to; "the muffin man" Oh, do you know the apple man, the apple man, the apple man? Oh, do you know the apple man who likes to play with me? Oh, he has a great big smile, a great big smile, a great big smile, Oh, he has a great big smile and likes to play with me. Continue with other verses that the children make up about the apple man. Applesauce Sung to: "Yankee Doodle" Peel an apple, cut it up, cook it in a pot. When you taste it you will find it's applesauce you've got! Look at the apple Sung to: "the mulberry bush" Look at the apple I have found, so fat and rosy on the ground. Mother will wash it and cut it in two-- half for me and half for you. Apple snacks Apple coleslaw In a bowl mix together 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup milk, and 1 tsp. lemon juice.  Grate 1 large apple and 1 small cabbage and add them to the mayonnaise mixture. Makes 8 servings. Apple finger cubes Pour 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin into a bowl.  Add 2 cups boiling water. Stir until gelatin is dissolved.  Add one 6 oz. can unsweetened frozen apple juice concentrate. Pour mixture into a lightly greased 9-by-13-inch cake pan and chill.  cut into squares when firm. Applesauce Quarter, core and peel 3 to 4 sweet apples.  Cut the quarter pieces in half and put them in a saucepan.  Add 1/2 cup water, sprinkle on 1/2 tsp cinnamon and simmer, covered, until the apples are tender (about 20 minutes).  Have the children mash the cooked apples with a potato masher or whirl them in a blender.  Cool and eat.  makes 6 servings. Resource:  Theme-a-saurus, Jean Warren; Warren publishing, 1989. Books and videos * Apple match Cut out apples out of green, yellow and red paper. glue them on a file folder. then have the kids match them by color. Or you can draw shapes on the apples and they can match them. Numbers, Size,or Letters work also. * Apple Stories:  10 Apples up on Top (We have fun with this one. I always have some apples to balance and we try our luck with just one!) The Little Red House (The story about a little boy searching for a "little red house, with no windows, no doors, a chimney on top, and a star in the middle" (an apple). 10 Red Apples 10 red apples growing on the tree 5 for you, and 5 for me Help me shake that tree just so And 10 red apples will fall below! 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 Away up high in an apple tree 2 little apples smiled at me I shook that tree as hard as I could Down came the apples Yumm--they were good! Apple Prints: Instead of using tempera paint for this, I use a fairly large red stamp pad.  It dries more quickly.  I also find if I cut the apple several minutes before using it, it dries more and makes a better print.  I also use a small knife to "score" the star after cutting the apply horizontally.  Just enough to deepen the impression. Mosaic Apples: Great small motor.  The kids love tearing.  I usually do this with my 4-5's.  They need small paper plates, scraps of red construction paper, construction paper apple stems or small twigs or pipecleaners, whatever.  The kids tear the red paper into small pieces and glue on the back of the paper plate.  Top with a stem. You can also add real apple seeds or paper "seeds" on the other side of the plate to make it seem more like a real apple. Apple Prints 2:  Use tempera paint for the apple prints.  When the child has made as many prints as he wants, help him dip his thumb into green paint and make a thumbprint on the top of each apple.  That is the stem. Apple Smiles: Great snack! You need apple slices (wash well, but don't peel.  You need the red part!), peanut butter, and miniature marshmallows.  Top an apple slice with peanut butter, then marshmallows.  Then do another one.  Put them together to make a "smile". * The Star in the Apple Once upon a time there was a little boy who couldn't find anything to play with.  He was tired of all his toys and asked his mother if she could please help him find something to do.  She thought and thought and finally said, "Why, I know what you can do.  You can go outside and look for a little red house that is red and shiny, has no doors, and windows, and has a star inside."  He thought it sounded like fun, and easy to find, so outside he went.  He looked and looked, but there was no such house to be found. The little boy met a dog and said, "Mr. Dog, would you help me find a little house that is red and shiny, has no doors, and windows, and has a star inside?"  The dog said, "Surely," and they went together to find the house. (They meet a cat, horse, cow, and a chicken and go through the same routine.)  Then they met a little old woman who had a knife in her hand.  The little boy asked her if she had seen a little red house that is red and shiny, has no doors, and windows, and has a star inside. She answered, "Why yes, come along with me and I will find it for you."  The little old woman said, "This is where the house is, little boy."  The little boy and his friends looked and looked, but could not see the little red house.  The old woman picked an apples and asked, "Isn't this round and shiny?  It has no doors and no windows.  I wonder if there is a star inside." With her knife, she cut the apple horizontally.  There was a star! So the little boy found the little red house that is red and shiny, has no doors, and windows, and has a star inside.  It's an apple!! * One thing we did was have each student bring in an apple and then we sorted by color. It was surprising to the children how there were different colors! Some children didn't realize apples could be red, green and yellow. There is also a story out there about finding the star when you cut an apple a certain way. I will see if I can find it in my files and contribute it as well. * apple time...making applesauce!  And could the person who mentioned apple sauce cake share her recipe?  I assume it's one you make with the children?  Thanks! 1.  Apple Sauce Every Fall I always make apple sauce with my 4 year old classes. I make up a recipe chart with the following steps. 1.  Wash the Apples 2.  Core & slice the apples.  We use an apple corer.  The children push the corer down into the apple. This cores and slices the apple into 6 or 8 slices - I forget which!  The children count the slices as they put them into a large bowl.  We discover why we don't eat the core and we count the seeds too. 3.  Cook the apples.  When the bowl is full the teacher spoons the apple slices into an electric fry pan which has water covering the bottom of it.  We cook the apples right in the room.  Occasionally the teacher needs to stir the apples.  When she lifts the cover (Mmmmm What a good smell!).  I often call the children to come and peek inside the pan (at a safe distance of course) as I stir the apples.  This gives them the opportunity to observe the changes that are taking place as the apples cook. 4.  Mash the Apples.  The teacher spoons the cooked apples into a Foley Food Mill.  The children take turns turning the handle which mashes the soft apple slices into apple sauce.  5.  Eat The AppleSauce! We always make enough so there is some apple sauce to eat at snack and a small cupful to take home and share with our families.  You can leave the applesauce as is and eat it "naturally." Or for a sweeter taste you can add a small amount of sugar or cinnamon.  I leave it natural as most children have tasted "sweetened" store-bought apple sauce but not "naturally sweetened." 2. "WHO WILL HELP?"  adapted by Rozanne Williams   I found this book at Hammett's teacher store.  It's a very thin, short paperback book.  It's a MUST for applesauce day!  Basically it is the story of Henny Penny...."Who will help me grind the corn, bake the bread etc."  Only the story has been adapted.  The chicken in this story is asking "Who will help me pick the apples, slice the apples, cook the apples etc."  And the end reads "Who will help me EAT the APPPLESAUCE?"  I read the story and then I go back and ask the children "did you help slice the apples, cook the apples etc." " Then YOU can eat the APPLESAUCE!"  And We do!! * I made an interactive chart with the "Apple Tree" poem. Way up in the apple tree, ----------little apples smiled at me. I shook the tree as hard as I could. Down came the apples, Mmmmm, they were good. In the --------space, I wrote the numbers 1-5 on separate index cards along with the corresponding number of apple stickers on each.  We plug in the different number cards as we read the poem from the pocket chart.  When we use number one, we cover the s in apples and use "it was" in place of "they were".  They children really enjoy reading this on their own! * Apples are great to use to compare difference in color, taste, and size. Make a huge apple tree and have the children make their own apples to go on the tree.  They can be green, yellow, pinkish, yellow colored with red crayon, red, etc. to represent the many types of apples. Have a taste test of different types of apples.  On a large sheet of paper have each type of apple listed horizontally and placed not directly next to each other.  Get apple stickers, rubber stamp of an apple, or have the children draw a picture of the apple they like best above the name of the apple.  Talk with the children about which apple the class liked best and why the children liked that apple better than the other apples offered. Not all apples are the same size!  Set out some apples and encourage the children to place the apples from smallest to largest and vice versa. Incorporate math into your unit by making baked apples, applesauce, apple bread/muffins, etc.  encourage the children to measure the items needed to make the food.  Viola! Snack for the next day or that same day (depending on your program). Read the book by Theo LeSeig (aka Dr. Seuss).  Get some bean bags and practice balancing them on your head!  Great Fun!! Some people make star prints using apples cut horizontally.  I haven't done this simply because I try not to use real food unless it is going to be eaten.  The prints are neat, but I think it is a waste of food. Plant the apple seeds from the apples you eat.  chart their growth (if they grow!) Talk about Johnny Appleseed!