more apples

Objectives:

a) taste and explore three types of apples;

b) introduce basic bar graphs;

c) practice one-to-one correspondence;

d) develop fine motor skills using tweezers

Points to Remember:

1. Use a dice for the apple game that has "dots" on it. Have the child count the dots and then count the apples....twice the practice.

2. If you do not have child-size tweezers, use salad tongs.

3. Cover your table with scrap paper----the apple stamping gets messy.

Lesson:

1.Begin with your three apples: red delicious, yellow delicious, and granny smith. Let your child help to cut the apple in half as you help and supervise. Use half the apples for tasting and save the other half for painting. Talk about the different colors and then, after tasting them, talk about the tastes: sour, sweet, crunchy, good, favorite, and best are some good vocabulary to use.

2. Use a basic bar graph to record your favorites. Have the whole family involved.

3. Using red, yellow, and green paints, allow your child to stamp with the apple.

Brooke's stamping turned into more smearing but that is okay!

4. Apple counting. Using a paper with an apple tree printed on it and red, yellow, and green pom poms, play the apple counting game. Roll the dice, count the dots, and the put the corresponding number of pom-pom apples on the tree.

5. Use tongs or tweezers to pick up the pom-pom apples for some fine motor practice.

Modifications:

1. If you cut the apple core horizontally you should get a star shape to use for the apple stamping. I forgot about that until after we finished.

2. Instead of pom poms use apple erasers, balls of colored tissue paper, or painted cotton balls.

3. The Apple Counting game was difficult for Brooke and we only did it two times. I can easily do the same game again using pumpkins at Halloween, trees at Christmas, etc. to get more practice.