Saturday, September 19, 2009

September Fun Day: Apples

Apple Day First Half 046Today, I REALLY went back to my first grade teacher roots! I ventured up in the attic and pulled out the apple file and books…and planned a super fun little apple day for my guy! I actually had VERY little to buy for this day…except for LOTS of apples! …15, I think! :) Apple Day First Half 001 The morning started with a Big Book Apple intro. I had the bowl of apples on the floor and Quinn did this little matching activity with no prompting from mom! I hadn’t even thought of it! :) Good idea!!!…Apple Day First Half 003 Then we sorted! We had four groups: red, red & yellow, yellow and green!…Apple Day First Half 004 Then it was breakfast time! I made us both these YUMMY apple “pizzas!” Here’s the recipe on my recipe blog. It’s SUPER good!!!…Apple Day First Half 011

After we ate, Q did a little digging…for seeds! He used a popsicle stick and 4 apple halves and dug and dug! He would get so excited when he would find another one…

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Then, I showed him how this little apple was to be put together, scrambled it up, and then let him do it! He did such a good job! Then he added his seeds to the core! ….

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   Before the morning got away from us, we had to get started on our homemade applesauce. I made this every year with my first graders and LOVED how it would make the whole hall smell like fall! Q put the peeled apples in the crock pot, and added the water, sugar, and apple pie spice. Then, we waited for the yumminess to begin…Apple Day First Half 013 Apple Day First Half 015 After that, I took the tree from the dining room into the play room and “hid” 4 apples in the leaves. Then, I read this little poem while Quinn helped me act it out…

Four red apples on the tree,
One fell down, then there were three.

Three red apples, shinny and new,
One fell down, now there are two.

Two red apples, under the sun,
One fell down, now there is one.

One red apple, now I see.
When it falls down, no more apples on the tree!

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Before bathtime, we did a little apple print painting. Quinn loved this and his pictures turned out beautifully!!!…Apple Day First Half 022 Apple Day First Half 024 Apple Day First Half 025

Since we were on our way to the bath anyway, I had fun stamping with apples on the apple of MY eye!!!…He thought it was hilarious and danced in front of the mirror for a good while before getting in the tub.

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After bath, we had a yummy snack of apple chips! Quinn was a HUGE fan! I’ll be getting more of these for sure! I think they were 80 cents for the little package. …. Then, it was into the playroom to take an apple break and watch this apple picking Caillou episode on YouTube. … Then, lunch…a fun Apple themed Muffin Tin Munchies! … 

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After filling our bellies, we had to check on the applesauce. It needed some “squishing” with the potato masher. Quinn was very insistent on doing this ALL by himself. And, he did a great job…Apple Day First Half 039 Look at that little hiney in those PRECIOUS “wear wear!” Sadly, this was our second pair for the day and this pair wasn’t clean for much longer. *sigh* Potty training is NOT fun!!!…Apple Day First Half 040 Apple Day First Half 041 This book was a hit…and so was the folder game that followed. I had 10 apples with the numbers 1 to 10 on them and then put Quinn’s picture at the bottom of a file folder. I scattered the numbers around and would tell him to find 1, then 2, etc. Sometimes, he would have the next number in his hand before I could tell him what to find next! He stacked them “up on top” of his head so wonderfully! I was proud of him! ….

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After a GOOD nap, Q woke up to a fun snack that I prepared while he was sleeping. This is another idea I got from Parents magazine. And, Quinn ATE. IT. UP. Literally! He ate about 5 of them!!! … And, Mommy might have eaten a few too! :) …

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To make them, use a melon baller to make apples into ball shapes. Place on popsicle stick. Dip in Nutella. Add sprinkles! EAT! …YUM!…Apple Day Part 2 007 Apple Day Part 2 008 After belly aches, we sat down to read this. It was definitely over Q’s head, but he liked the pictures and the animals! It was always such a cute book with my first graders…51M5H4CP2GL__SL500_AA240_ We played a little sequencing game and made an apple puppet…Apple Day Part 2 009 Then, it was time to check on this yummy goodness one more time. Quinn stirred and loved sniffing it. He’d say, “it smells good!” And, it did! Our whole house smelled SO yum! …Apple Day Part 2 013

After dinner, I served Quinn his own bowl of vanilla ice cream with applesauce on top and he threw a fit! He JUST wanted ice cream. He didn’t even want to try it!!!…But, let’s be honest…I did…and, then I got some more! It was delish! …(Finally, I got Q to taste mine and he wanted more for about three more bites…then he preferred his plain kind. And, sadly, Matt didn’t eat any either…he’s not a big “apple pie” kinda guy…crazy, if you ask me!!!) Apple Day Part 2 012 Overall, apple day was a HUGE success. Fun and Yummy! …And, we have the fridge to prove it! :) …fridge

4 comments:

The Leonard Four said...

i totally used to make applesauce with my first graders every year TOO! i love the way it smells...and i haven't done it since. i think i'll do that with my girls this fall! :)

love all of your other ideas too! looks like you and quinn had a great day!

The Rodriguez Crew said...

i'm telling you, i wait for these b/c they are so much fun to read and see your ideas. my favorite was the stacking apples on Quinn's picture... i am definitely using this one with Jagger!

Just a suggestion/favor :) ... I wonder if you would mind sticking a link to these "fun days" on your sidebar? I want to start doing these b/c I think Jagger is to the age. No sweat if you don't feel like it, I just know how many people LOVE these on your blog! Great job!

Kate said...

You are so adorable!
I love it!

Finally an Abrigg..... said...

This makes me tired. :) poe pre-school. Enrolling in a few years. What's the tuition?