Found An Apple (Activity And Song)

Ages: 4-8

PEEKABOO APPLES
Give each child two small paper plates. Have them paint the backs of their plates red and glue a few apple seeds on the fronts. Allow the plates to dry. Then staple each child's plates together, front sides facing, to make an "apple," leaving a small opening at the top for peeking at the seeds inside. To complete, help the children glue on stem and leaf shapes cut from construction paper.
Then use their apple to sing this cute apple song!

FOUND AN APPLE



Tune: "Clementine"

Found an apple, found an apple,


Found an apple big and round.


It was red and oh, so juicy


When I found it on the ground.


Found an apple, found an apple,


Found it growing on a tree.


Now I'll pick it and I'll share it,


Half for you and half for me.

Make Scented Pumpkins

Engage children's senses with this autumn art project. They will create a paper pumpkin along with some scented, textured paint to add an element of sensory fun. Children will love touching, smelling, and, of course, looking at their seasonal masterpiece.

What You Need:


•Orange and green construction paper

•Scissors

•White glue

•Water


•Pumpkin pie spice


•Paintbrush


What You Do:


1. First, help the children cut out the pumpkin. Have them cut a large circle from the orange construction paper. If they need help cutting out the right shape, you can have them trace a plate, or you can sketch out the shape and have them cut along the lines. Talk about the shape and color as he cuts. What other fruits and vegetables are shaped like a circle or are orange in color?


2. Have them cut a small rectangle from the green construction paper. This will be the stem. Have them glue the green rectangle to the orange circle to create his pumpkin.


3.Now it’s time to make your scented paint! Help them measure equal parts white glue and water. Encourage them to stir the two ingredients together until the mixture is smooth.


4. Next, help them open the container of pumpkin pie spice. Encourage them to sniff it. What do they smell? Allow them to liberally sprinkle the spice over the glue and water mixture and stir again.


5.Now give them a paintbrush and encourage them to cover every inch of the paper pumpkin with the scented paint. When the paint dries, it'll be shiny and have a delightfully grainy texture from the added spice. And it'll even smell like pumpkin pie!


A great outing to go with this activity is a visit to your local pumpkin farm where children can observe the pumpkin life cycle in action. Talk about the process: pumpkins start off as one little seed. The seed sprouts into a seedling. The seedling grows into a vine. Flowers blossom along the vine and each flower becomes a little green pumpkin. As each pumpkin ripens, it becomes bigger and turns orange. While you're at the pumpkin farm, pick up a pumpkin of your own!

Rhymers Are Readers

Nursery Rhymes are not just for fun! They have enormous educational value. Research shows listening comprehension precedes reading comprehension. In order for a child to understand what they are reading, they have to be able to hear the language first. This week we focus on the importance in rhymes and early reading skills.
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Language Development

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When children hear nursery rhymes, they hear the sounds vowels and consonants make. They learn how to put these sounds together to make words. They also practice pitch, volume, and voice In nursery rhymes, children hear new words that they would not hear in everyday language. Nursery rhymes are short and easy to repeat, so they become some of a child's first sentences.

Cognitive Development

Since nursery rhymes are patterns, they help children learn easy recall and memorization. Nursery rhymes

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usually tell a story with a beginning, a middle, and an end. This teaches children that events happen in sequence, and they begin to learn how to understand stories and follow along. Nursery rhymes use patterns and sequence, so children begin to learn simple math skills as they recite them. Many rhymes also use numbers, counting, and other math words that children need to learn, such as size and weight.

Physical Development

Children develop their mouth and tongue muscles by using the different sounds in the rhyme. Rhymes that

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involve movement help with coordination. In dramatic play, children use their whole bodies to act out the nursery rhymes they hear. 

Social/Emotional Development

Sharing nursery rhymes provides a safe and secure bond between parents and children. Positive physical touch between a parent and a child or between children, for example, during clapping rhymes, is important for

social development. Funny nursery rhymes allow children to develop a sense of humor. Nursery rhyme characters experience many different emotions. This can help children identify their own emotions and understand the real emotions of others. When children act out the nursery rhyme stories they hear, they learn to imagine, be creative, and express themselves.