Apples Apples Everywhere!

What a fun couple of weeks we've had learning about apples!  The fun part of using a "theme" like this in Kindergarten is that you can incorporate it into everything that you normally teach and learn and do! 

Mrs. Claire, one of our awesome parent volunteers, joined us for center time and worked with the children on identifying and ordering numbers.  I just printed the number on--you guessed it--apples!

Mrs. Claire also "played" an uppercase and lowercase letter sort game with apples on an apple tree! 

I found this idea on Making Learning Fun.

Nathan and Audrey worked hard to match those letters! 



Abby and Chloë are having a blast! 

I also filled my book shelf with Apple Books for the children to explore this week.  They checked some out during reading time and even took some home to share with their families!

So many of these wonderful thematic books I have collected over the years from those inexpensive Scholastic Book Orders.  Thank goodness for Scholastic!

During Center Time, Mrs. Misenheimer starting painting hands and arms.  We wanted to create an Apple Tree!  The arm, hand, and fingers were painted brown to become, on paper, the trunk, limbs, and branches.

After that dried, we did green hand prints all over the branches for the leaves and then red thumbprints for apples!  I am a huge fan of any art project you can make from a hand print! 

We also put our reading skills to good use by sharing in a reading of this apple poem:

Apple, Apple, on the tree,

I know that you are good for me!

You are fun to munch and crunch,

For my snack or for my lunch!

Apple, Apple, on the tree,

I know that you are good for me!

 After reading several times throughout the week, the children get to illustrate around the poem.

September 26th was also the anniversary of Johnny Appleseed's birthday.  We read stories and talked about what it might be like to walk in his shoes--if he ever wore any!



Apple Tastings

I knew my 3 week Apple Unit was coming up soon so last weekend Mr. Lochel and I headed up to Sky Top Apple Orchard for a little inspiration.

We started off with an empty bucket--

We followed the signs to our favorite kinds of apples--

We picked our first apple--

And we knew where there was one--there would be many more!

Mr. Lochel is SUCH a good sport! 

Back in Kindergarten, we had a YUMMY tasting time during centers.  Some of our wonderful moms came to help and brought in some apple treats! 

Audrey loved the apples I brought back from the orchard!



Reese's Mom brought in an apple pie for us to taste!

Jennifer's Mom brought in some apple juice for us to drink! 

Our wonderful intern, Mrs. Miskelly helped pour out some servings of apple juice.

Chloë and Audrey's Mom brought in some homemade applesauce!

Dario loved the applesauce!

Giovanna loved tasting these dried apples!

What a GREAT experience for the children to taste some of the products that can be made from apples!  A big "Thank You" to all my classroom parents that helped by sending in more apple products for us to try and to those that came to help! 

Green and Blue and Purple

It's COLOR theme time in Kindergarten! 

Our entire kindergarten team planned 9 days of COLOR fun.  We all dress up in a certain color each day and encourage the children to do the same.  We all show our excitement and spirit for kindergarten together.

See what fun with had with GREEN and BLUE and PURPLE!

I put out all the green art materials I could find at the art center.  This included paper, paint, glitter, feathers, stickers and pom poms.

We shared in a reading and singing of this poem--

GREEN

(to the tune of Row, Row, Row Your Boat)

G-R-E-E-N, G-R-E-E-N

I know how

to spell green,

G-R-E-E-N

Caterpillars are green.

Grasshoppers are too.

I know how

to spell green,

G-R-E-E-N

Next came BLUE day! 

Art supplies included paint, a stamp pad, stars, pom poms, paper, glitter, craft sticks, feathers and stickers!



I remember learning this BLUE song last year for the first time.  It took me so long to pick up on the tune!  Once you get it though, you just can't stop singing it!

BLUE

(to the tune of The Farmer in the Dell)

B-L-U-E spells blue

B-L-U-E spells blue

Hi-ho, did you know?

B-L-U-E spells blue

The big sky is blue.

The ocean is, too!

Hi-ho, did you know?

B-L-U-E spells blue

 Now, onto PURPLE day!

I had less PURPLE art materials to put out today--but the children were just as creative!  They had paper, paint, pom poms, a stamp pad and purple googly eyes to work with.

And the PURPLE poem we shared in went something like this--

PURPLE

(to the tune of This Old Man)

P-U-R  P-L-E

spells the color purple, you see!

Like the grapes on a vine

or some plums on a tree.

P-U-R  P-L-E

On Monday, one of our awesome parent volunteers, Mrs. Claire, came in during Center time.  She worked with a groups of children on color mixing.  She had a crowd of children waiting in line to play!  This Color Mixing Game is one of the Learning Centers from Lakeshore. 

Abby is mixing red and blue!

The children had to put the two color cards together to find out what they make.  

 Austin is mixing red and yellow!

Another center the children worked at during Center time was a color sort on the Smart Board.  This game was a hit!  Here is the link to the site. 



What a colorful couple of weeks we enjoyed together!

Red and Orange and Yellow

It's COLOR theme time in Kindergarten! 

Our entire kindergarten team planned 9 days of COLOR fun.  We all dress up in a certain color each day and encourage the children to do the same.  We all show our excitement and spirit for kindergarten together.

The first three days this week were RED, ORANGE, and YELLOW.

I put out all the red art supplies that I could find during center time and just let the children be creative!



We sang this great RED song to the tune of "Are You Sleeping?"

R-E-D Red

R-E-D Red

I can spell Red!

I can spell Red!

Firetrucks are red

Stop signs are red, too

R-E-D

R-E-D



Each day I put out corresponding colored table cloths.  The faces of the children are priceless when they first come through the door each day and see the blast of color.  In the morning, the children do some "Wake Up Work" at the tables.  I picked out all the orange manipulatives and put them on this table.

Orange art supplies included paper, paint, pom poms, yarn and glitter.



The ORANGE song was to the tune of "Ten Little Indians"

O-R-A-N-G-E

O-R-A-N-G-E

O-R-A-N-G-E

Orange is what that spells!

Jack-O-Lanterns are always orange.

Carrots are always orange.

Oranges are always orange.

O-R-A-N-G-E

Yellow feathers added some excitement to the art center today! 

And the YELLOW song went to the tune of "If You're Happy And You Know It"

Y-E-L-L-O-W spells yellow! 

Y-E-L-L-O-W spells yellow! 

Like the early morning sun,

when the day has just begun.

Y-E-L-L-O-W spells yellow! 

Like the smiley face that's yellow--

He's such a happy fellow.

Y-E-L-L-O-W spells yellow! 

Six more colors to come--

Five Senses

Five Senses Song

to the tune of "Where is Thumbkin"



Five Senses, Five Senses

We have them, We have them

Seeing, Hearing Touching

Tasting and Smelling

There are five, There are five

What a fun science unit to kick off the year with, and it's probably one of my favorite science units that I'll teach in kindergarten.  Much like any other unit, it's very exploratory and hands on.  But, what makes me smile the most is seeing the children rely on just one sense at a time--and then realizing how very valuable they all are and just how much they work together. 

I've collected quite a few GREAT books over the years to go along with this unit as well.  Here are just a few of my favorites.

Each day we talked about a different sense and then explored various items relying solely on that sense.  We played "Eye Spy" when talking about sight.  Then, brown paper bags where filled with items such as popcorn, peanut butter, and peppermint to smell; a napkin, a marker, and a puppet to feel.

Smelling

Feeling

At the art center, the children painted the body part we use for the sense we explored that day. 

 Painting eyes

Painting noses



Painting hands



I added another center to the rug area this week.  It is a Five Senses Picture Sort I purchased from Lakeshore. 

For shared reading I gave the children each a copy of the Five Senses Poem to read and practice.  They illustrated around it. 

Let me go ahead and apologize if you now can't get the tune of "Where Is Thumbkin" out of your head--I've had it in my head all week!