Apple Fun Has Just Begun!

Apple season is here!

I love using the end of September to 'chomp' into some apple fun!

This week we started to 'bite' into our apple unit and it will continue through next week!

I gathered some of my favorite apple books (I have a TON but will highlight how I used these):

 

    

I used Melvin & Gilda's simple informations story, Apples, as my unit launch.

We discussed several apple 'facts' that we learned from the book and then worked on this interactive writing chart about apple colors:

My sight word for the week was 'A' so it tied in perfectly.

The children then chose one of the three colors to make their ripped paper apple:

The ripping paper helped with some fine motor work too!

Combined, they made a great display of our apple learning:

From there we read Jean Marzollo's I Am An Apple to learn more about apples, where they come from, an apple lifecycle and what apples are used for!

We started this interactive writing list of things Apples Can Be...

and I also used Ten Apples Up On Top (see more on how I used this book below) to generate a few more ideas!

The children then each added a page to our class book about apples and I noticed a few things:

they used language from the book (orchard) in their dictations

remembered what apples can be used for

showed diagrams like they saw in the books (apple with an arrow showing it is in the pie!)

mimiced images they saw from the books (how apples bunch together and hang when they are ready to be picked)

recalled facts about where apples grow

used details to explain their ideas

I have found they are 'reading' this class book a lot and I hear them using 'informational book language' to explain the pictures!

On the 10th day of school we celebrated by reading 10 Apples Up On Top and then made these projects:

Each child got a strip with 10 apple stickers and had to place them 'up on top' of a picture of themselves!

No apple unit kick-off would be complete without apple tasting!  After they tasted an 1/8 of each color (I used an apple slicer/corer to cut the apples for distribution) they picked the color rectangle they liked best from the table and brought it to me to add to the graph.

It's a tie- the sweetest and sourest!

So what is in store for us for next week?

We will find the 'little red house with no windows, no door, a chimney on top and the star in the middle' using our flannel board! (You can find a version of the story for free here)

This ALWAYS amazes them!  My version is about a bear- and I have flannel board pieces to tell the story.  It is a amazing how quiet and intrigued they are by this story and the pieces!

I will use this book:

and we will make applesauce (it's like Little Red Hen but about making applesauce!)

We will make apple playdoh- I used to add apple pie spice to get the smell, but a friend clued me into this trick that they use in their classroom to get the most amazing apple smell...add apple candy flavoring:

I can't WAIT to try it (find at craft/candy making supply stores).

I plan on using 2 informational texts, Amazing Apples and A Day At the Apple Orchard, so that we can add more information to our apple facts chart.

We will also learn about and label the parts of an apple using interactive writing and then make this project and label on our own:

Here is the 'How To' for the project!  It is SUPER easy!

Each child will need:

(1) large white paper plate

(2) approx 2x4 inch red, yellow or green rectangles (for 'skin')

(1) approx 1.5x8 inch strip of brown paper (stem/seeds)

(1) approx 2x3 inch green rectangle (leaf)

labels

You can also have them use 'fancy' scissors to cut the core if you want it to look like it was bit!

Here are the labels I used.  You can also have students write the labels on pieces of paper to add if you want them to practice writing them.

This sheet has enough for 8 students.

In addition we will be learning about Johnny Appleseed!  

We won't be in school on his birthday, September 26th, but will 'sing' to him as we eat our applesauce on Wednesday (we have a short week due to Jewish holidays our school is closed for).

Looking for some more apple resources?  Here are a few from my TpT Store:

   

 

Be sure to check back for more about next week's apple fun!

You can also find some great apple books/activities on this linky:

Until next post,

Meet the Teacher Night!

This past Tuesday was my 'Meet the Teacher' night...

I can stand in front of a room and kinders and 'put on my show' day in and day out, but when it comes to a room of adults, my nerves take over!

So I try to prep everything ahead of time so I am super prepared!

This year, instead of my traditional packet, I went for a 'flip book' style handout.  It did not take long to prep and was very easy for parents to follow along during my presentation!

I minimized handouts I always give out to put on the backs of some of the pages to help save paper and keep everything neatly contained!

I had taken pictures of each of my kids on the first day of school holding a sign that stated: 'First Day of Kindergarten,' the date and the year they graduate!

So I printed/glued each picture to the front of a clothespin and glued a magnet to the back of the clothespin.

I typed up and printed this little 'poem'

and put it in each clothespin.

I told parents they can use the clothespin magnets to hold the informational flipbook and/or work that comes home throughout the year!

Another parent 'gift' was this M&M poem I created:

These were a hit!

So when each parent came in, this is what they found at their child's seat (which was easy to find because of the picture magnets!):

That morning, for morning work, I had my kinders color the bear printable and draw mom/dad a picture.  It reads: 'It 'mint' a whole lot to me and my teachers that you came tonight!' and I taped a starburst mint to each paw!

New this year were my contact list, parent/teacher conference sign up and parent volunteer sign up boards:

In the past I had parents fill out a contact slip and I would then compile them.  This year I had them sign up (if they wanted) and will copy/send home the list they filled out as the contact list- no compiling/typing for me!

I also had parents indicated a time frame that works best for conferences to minimize rescheduling!

Since we don't have teaching assistants this year (they were cut due to budget cuts) I also asked for parents who are willing to come in 1x/week to assist with centers.

To 'thank' them for coming/volunteering I had a raffle and some candy!

After signing in, they filled out a raffle ticket to try and win a gift certificate...

 ...and grabbed a sweet treat!

I usually do a 'giving tree' but for some reason it is always overlooked and I have parents mention days later that they forgot to pick something!

So this year I came up with something that was sure to grab their attention:

And it worked!  I had so many superheroes removed that night!

You can find the sign, programmed tags and editable tags HERE!

You can find the magnet poem, M&M poem and bear printable for FREE HERE!

I wish you a successful night and hope the goodies help make a very stressful night less stressful!

I know I rambled and I forgot many things I wanted to mention, but overall it was a successful night!

Until next post,