Structured activities focused on rhyming, counting, letter recognition, crayon grasp, color sorting, and making predictions. We read several fiction and nonfiction texts about apples. The children learned about the parts of an apple, both inside and out. They learned about the life cycle of apples and how trees change with the seasons.
Art Center
At the Art Center, the children painted with real apples. They created crates using brown paper which practiced their cutting skills. Next, the children chose red, green or yellow apples to stamp in their crate.
Playdoh
At the playdoh center, increasing hand strength was combined with number recognition and counting as the children rolled a die to see how many apples to sculpt for their apple tree or their basket.
Exploring New Materials
At the blocks center, the children used hand-eye coordination skills and creativity to build apples out of red, green and yellow bricks given only a model.
The children also explored making shapes and visual-spatial skills as they tried to create Fall items (tree, apple, pumpkin, acorn) using geoboards.
Math
We are focusing on counting with 1:1 correspondence and beginning number recognition skills. Below students are counting out apples for their tree to match the number written.
We are also continuing to use graphs to represent information and express our opinions. Graphs also allow us to practice counting and comparing numbers. Below is a graph created after the children taste tested three different types of apples each of a different color, red, yellow and green.
After tasting the apples, I asked the children to use their five senses to describe the apples.
Sensory Table
The sensory table is always a favorite. The children enjoyed mixing, scooping, measuring and pouring oatmeal to make "apple pies."
Literacy:
One of the skills that we will work on throughout the school year is drawing representational pictures. We are beginning with drawing self-portraits. As a class we built Mat Man, a visual support to assist students with remembering all of the parts needed to draw a person (two eyes, nose, mouth, two ears, a body, two arms, two hands, two legs and two feet and hair). After working together to build Mat Man, the children drew their first self-portrait. We will do this activity each month to show progression.
Block Center
The children worked together to set up scenes and act out stories using our miniature farms.
Dramatic Play
At the dramatic play center, the children role played cashiers, snack shop attendants and visitors to an apple orchard. The children pretended to pick apples off of trees, purchase Fall items, order items from the snack shop, bake pies and donuts, prepare drinks and collect money.
Baking:
We ended our study of apples by making applesauce as a class. Each of the children helped to peel and core the apples. They then took turns adding cinnamon, sugar, or water to the mixture. After a short time cooking, the applesauce was finished and we all enjoyed a taste. It was heavy on the cinnamon, but still delicious!
Apple Stem
To assist students with developing their problem solving skills I try to incorporate STEM activities that pose an engineering challenge. For this exercise, I asked the children to build an apple tree using toilet paper rolls, popsicle sticks and pom poms. Tweezers were added as an additional fine motor activity. The children were challenged to see who's tree could hold the most apples. Students talked with one another and modified their trees making improvements. In the end, two students counted nine apples on their trees, the most for the class.
Sensory Fun!
On one of our rainy days, we took a trip down the hall to one of Memorial's sensory paths. These paths were designed to provide movement breaks for children. Along the sensory path, the children practiced jumping, hopping, walking on tip-toes, sliding, counting and letter recognition. It was so much fun!
Choose to Be Nice
After our Choose to Be Nice assembly, a banner was passed around the school. Each of the Memorial students and teachers were asked to take the pledge and sign their name to the banner.
The Pledge:
"I promise to help spread kindness wherever and whenever possible."
