The Homeschool Classroom

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Biting Into Apples!

by Sarah on October 11, 2010

in arts and crafts, elementary school, field trips, hands on, nature studies, preschool, science, unit studies

Apples speak “autumn” to me like nothing else. We have had apple orchards in our family for six generations (that’s my brother and me in the picture above), and I can’t let an autumn pass without apple pies, apple sauce, and a trip to an orchard. In this post are all kinds of activities, recipes, rhymes, books, and other resources that can enhance your knowledge of apples. This is a great time to take a break from your regular studies and delve into autumn—and apples! These activities are geared toward preschool-6th grade, but you can adjust to fit your own students.
Hands-On Apples
The best way to learn about apples is to really examine them! Buy as many different varieties of apples as possible. We came up with a total of 14 varieties from 3 different produce markets. Make a chart with various information on each apple (ABC Teach has some great free printables):

1. variety
2. appearance (color, size)
3. Number of seeds
4. Taste (taste just one slice from each apple). Describe the apple and write down your reactions (sweet, sour, mushy, crispy, bland etc.). We each picked a favorite and recorded that as well.
5. Origin (Look at the stickers from the apples. Where are most apples grown? Check here for more information about where apples grow.

• Save a slice from each apple to see which will take the longest to brown. Be sure you label each apple slice (you can do this by putting the slice on a labeled piece of paper.
• Save a couple of seeds from a few different apples. Take 1 seed from each apple and place inside of a damp paper towel piece. Label. With the other seed from each apple, place in slightly damp soil. Label. Discuss what might happen. Watch and record data over the next few weeks.

Apple Facts
Now that you’ve had some hands-on experience with apples, take some time to study the facts about this wonderful fruit. I’ve listed lots of books and teacher resources at the end of this post. Here are some helpful websites, as well:
• Michigan Quick Apple Facts and University of Illinois Apple Facts
• Is it true that “An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away”? Read apple history, folklore,  medicinal uses and more here and here.
Field Trip
If you are in an area with apple orchards, you must take a field trip to one! Pick your own apples if you can. Browse around the store. Watch cider being made. (Here’s a youtube video on Making Apple Cider if you can’t see the real thing.) Before you go, be sure to check out some of the books below to learn what to expect on an apple orchard.
Apple Recipe Ideas
• Apple pie: Mix all kinds of varieties after your science projects.
• Applesauce: (Peel, core and quarter about 8 apples. Add 1/2-1 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of water and 2 tsp. of cinnamon. Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes, mashing often with a potato masher. Cook until desired texture.)
• Fried Apples: (Cut apples into slices. Fry in butter with 1/2 cup of white sugar, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, and 1 T. cinnamon. Serve with biscuits.)
• Mini Pies: (one refrigerator biscuit per child, apple slices, cinnamon, sugar. Have each child press out their biscuit. Take one apple from the filling and place to one side. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over the apple. Fold in half. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over the top. Bake according to the biscuit package and enjoy.)
• Baked Apples: Cut apple in half and core. Fill core hole with a dab of butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Put in microwave for up to 1 minute.
• Dried apples: Slice apples into rings and hang to dry for a week or more.
• Lot of recipes on FamilyFun.
Arts and Crafts
• Apple Mural/Acrostic: Make mural using apples to paint with. We used a poster-sized sheet of paper and filled it with with all kinds of apple prints. When dry, write A P P L E vertically down middle. Write words or phrases that describe apples by each one.
Ours:
A—autumn, aromatic
P—pretty pink petals
P—pie, Pink Lady
L—luscious
E—exciting, edible, excellent
• Enchanted Learning has all kinds of apple activities, from crafts to apple books, for all age levels.
• Carve apple heads. It’s so much fun to watch these wrinkled faces take shape over a couple of weeks!
• Lots more apple craft ideas. Pick a few that your kids would enjoy and have fun!
Books about Apples
Aliki. The Story of Johnny Appleseed
Caseley. An Apple Pie and Onions
Gibbons, Gail. The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree
Greene, Carol. John Chapman: The Man Who Was Johnny Appleseed
Hall, Zoe. The Apple Pie Tree
Hodges, Margaret. The True Tale of Johnny Appleseed
Johnson, Sylvia. Apple Trees
Kurtz, Shirley. Applesauce
LeSeig, Theo. Ten Apples Up On Top
Lindbergh, Reeve. Johnny Appleseed
Maestro, Betsy. How Do Apples Grow?
Marzollo, Jean. I Am an Apple
Mayr, Diane. Out and About on the Apple Orchard
Moses, Will. Johnny Appleseed: The Story of a Legend
Naslund, Gorel. Our Apple Tree
Noble, Trinka Hakes. Apple Tree Christmas
Priceman, Marjorie. How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World
Rockwell, Ann. Apples and Pumpkins
Saunders Smith, Gail. Apple Trees
Scheer, Julian. Rain Makes Applesauce
Slawson, Michele Benoit. Apple Picking Time
Taglioferro. The Life Cycle of an Apple Tree
Tryon, Leslie. Albert’s Field Trip
Wolfman, Judy. Life on an Apple Orchard
Teacher Resources for Studying Apples
Bourgeois, Paulette. The Amazing Apple Book
Gillis, Jennifer. An Apple a Day: Over 20 Apple Projects for Kids
Micucci, Charles. The Life and Times of the Apple
Apples: Thematic Unit
Finger Plays and Rhymes
Find loads of apple-themed finger plays, rhymes, and songs at: Alphabet Soup and Preschool Apple Songs and Music. Here are just a couple to get you started!
Five Red Apples
Five red apples in a grocery store
Bobby bought one & then there were 4
Four red apples on an apple tree
Susie ate one & then there were 3
Three red apples. What did Alice do?
Why she ate one & then there were 2
Two red apples ripening in the sun
Tommy ate one, & now there was 1
One red apple & now we are done
I ate the last one & now there are none!

All Around The Apple Tree
(sung to the tune of Mulberry Bush)
Here we go round the apple tree, the apple tree, the apple tree
Here we go around the apple tree
On a frosty morning.
This is the way we climb the ladder -pick the apples -wash the apples -peel the apples -cook the apples -eat the apples
On a frosty morning!
Whatever you do, don’t let the autumn slip by without at least sampling a few of this season’s most wonderful fruit!
Sarah Small is in her eleventh year of homeschooling. She currently has two students left at home, a fourth grader and an eighth grader. She has her master’s degree in creative writing and enjoys writing and reading poetry. She writes about homeschooling, family, and life in general at SmallWorld at Home. She also offers SmallWorld’s WordSmithery, an ongoing series of free creative writing lessons.