MFW Kindergarten - Aa Apple

Apple Unit for Kindergarten

*JZ is 5 years old*

This week we studied:

Unit 4 of MFW

Unit 10 of You Can Read

Printables pictured are from MFW or YCR unless otherwise mentioned.

Theme:

Apples

Words to Remember:

If I live and grow in Jesus I will bear much fruit.  

You can read about our curriculum choice and organization HERE.

This week was all about apples!  We have a couple of apple trees in our yard, and I bought some different varieties at the store to compare and contrast.  JZ had fun balancing apples on our head like we did earlier in the year after reading Ten Apples On Top.

Here is our calendar set up.  We keep track of the weather, season, date both in digital and written form, and each day I have JZ tell me what today is, yesterday was and tomorrow will be.  I write them as he dictates.  I use chalk markers on laminated sheets, so I can erase and use them again the following day.  The MFW flashcard with our letter and theme for the week in on there as well as the words to remember.  JZ's sight words for the week are up there, and an alphabet and number chart are there for him to see the correct letter formation.

I think I have mentioned before that JZ puts a straw in his cup every school day.  Once he has ten he bundles them and wraps a rubber band around the group.  I have him count the straws every few days, counting the bundles by ten and the singles individually.  It's a simple yet great introduction to skip counting since he can visually see the straws in each bundle and know that there are ten.

We read the book How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman.  It is a lovely tale that takes us on a journey through many countries to find all the ingredients needed to bake the perfect apple pie.  Using our inflatable globe I showed JZ each country visited in the book, and he found where we live.

Using the recipe found in the back of the book we made an apple pie together.  I have never made a pie.  I have memories of helping my mom at Thanksgiving, but I think she uses pre made crusts.  I had no idea how involved a pie is!  We bake a lot and typically use whole foods, but I still wasn't prepared for the pie making.  JZ helped me each step of the way from measuring to sifting to slicing the butter.  Do you see a Spiderman peeking in one of the photos?  He made most of the pie with his Spiderman mask on, LOL.

While our pie was baking he asked if we could have a pie party and invite Grammy and Grandpa over. Grammy was out of town, but we did invite Grandpa over for a slice of pie. We also read Amelia Bedelia's First Apple Pie, and the story takes place at her grandparents' house. I'm guessing that's where he got the idea from, and it was a good one.

I mentioned above that I bought a variety of apples for this unit.  One day we made an apple graph by color.  J-Bug hung out with us for the graphing, and both boys really got into it. We cut out two inch squares of cardstock to represent each apple.  I drew lines on a 12 by 12 inch piece of white cardstock and wrote the numbers 1-5 and the colors yellow, red and green.  Both boys love using my paper trimmer, so they tooks turns making the squares.  They each chose a color of apples to represent.  J-Bug had the red apples, JZ had the green, and I had the yellow.  We each got to glue our own colored squares to the graph.  I love collaborative projects.  This involved teamwork, taking turns, communication, patience and cooperation.  So many lessons learned in through one simple graph!

After graphing we washed the apples and talked about the importance of washing fruits and veggies before eating.

Next we taste tested each type of apple and discussed the different qualities.  Then JZ and I made applesauce.  We peeled and diced the apples.  JZ has his own special knife and always helps with these tasks.  I'm a firm believer in teaching children young and equipping them with the proper and age appropriate tools.  We steamed the apples on the stove top, then JZ sprinkled them them with cinnamon and smashed them with a fork.  Once they cooled off a bit he enjoyed his homemade snack.

I printed a sheet from Mama Jenn for JZ to trace his words to remember.  Then he drew an apple tree with colored pencils.  (The blue on the left is a volcano according to him, you know, because they are always right next to apple trees.  Gotta love the imagination of a child!)  I had saved some seeds from the apples we used for baking for him to glue to the page.  Apparently volcanoes have apple seeds all over them.

We did a science experiment with sliced apples.  We dipped one group of apple slices in orange juice and left the other group untouched.  We checked on our apples several times throughout the day and observed as the undipped apples browned and shriveled.  The dipped apples remained fairly unchanged.

For more resources follow my Kindergarten board on Pinterest.

More hands on ideas with apples.