Mommy School Week 2: A is for Apples

First off, I just have to say THANK YOU so much for the kind comments on my Mommy Week post last week!  I honestly didn't realize that so many of you would be interested in seeing learning ideas for your toddlers!  It really made my whole week... as I was working with Little Man, I felt a collaborative effort!  It motivated me just a bit more.  So thanks!  Keep up the comments and questions.

This week's theme was a bit selfish!!  Every year I taught first grade, I did an entire Apples theme during the second week of September.  I really wanted to continue the tradition with Little Man!  We had a busy apple-filled week!

I definitely don't think up all these ideas by myself!!  There are so many geniuses out there already planning amazing activities, so I am linking up where I found quite a few ideas.  Here is the picture peek of our A week:

Letter of the Week:  A

Target Vocabulary Words:  Apple, airplane, ambulance, ant, abacus, alligator, animal crackers

Theme:  Apples

Numbers:  Introduction to numerals

Color/Shape:  Introduction to shapes

Nursery Rhyme:  Hickory Dickory Dock

Theme Activities:

* We made apple-pie scented playdough.  We played with animal crackers in our playdough.

* A is for Apples art.  We used an apple stamp to decorate a letter A.  (See #10 above)
* We made an apple smile snack with apple slicks, peanut butter, marshmallows, and chocolate chips.  (See #9 above)

* We painted an apple tree by stamping the end of a wrapping paper tube in red paint to create apples.  (See #4 above)

* We painted with apple halves.

* We made apple muffins.  Scrumptious!  (See #3 above)

* I made several apples of different sizes and Little Man put them in order by size.  (See #5 above)

* We told and re-told the flannel board story of "Five Little Apples."  (See #8 above)

* We made crockpot applesauce!  Little Man helped me put all the apples into the crockpot, and we stirred it together all day as it cooked.

* Every day, we would play a little apple game.  I had a basket of paper apples, and we would act out this song (sung to the tune of "London Bridge is Falling Down):

See the apples falling down, 

Falling down, falling down

See the apples falling down

Down to the ground.

Throw the apples up in the air

Up in the air, up in the air

Throw the apples up in the air

Up to the sky.

Numeral Activities:

* We read Ten Apples Up On Top and created a picture of Little Man with ten apples on his head.  I helped him trace the numerals on the apples.

* All week long, he played with apple magnets with numerals on them.  He would drive his matchbox cars to a specific number.

* We read The Ants Go Marching and sang "The Ants Go Marching" and marched around with the appropriate numerals.  (We marched with a poster of a "!" when we sang "The Ants Go Marching one by one...)

* We did some M&M counting.

* We played a fun "Worms in my Apple" game.  Little Man had to count the number of holes in the paper apple ,and thread a green pipe cleaner (caterpillar) through the apple for each hole.  (See #6 above)

* We read Chicka, Chicka 1, 2, 3 and retold the story using magnet numbers on a cookie sheet.  See here for more.  

Field Trips:

* We went shopping to pick out our apples for making applesauce!

* We went on a walk, playing with our play airplane, and looking for airplanes.  (See #7 above)

* We went on a field trip to a local airport!  (Mr. Oopsey Daisy is a pilot, so this was a fun family outing!)

Shape Activities:

* We read Mouse Shapes by Ellen Stoll Walsh.

* We used shape mats while playing with our apple-pie scented playdough.  (See #1 above)

* We played with pattern blocks.

* We found different shapes that I drew inside an apple.

* We did the shape hokey pokey.

Other A-themed activities:

* Little Man's name starts with an A.  We created a special picture book spelling out his name.

* A is for Alligator.  We read Snip Snap, What's That? (by Mara Bergman) and created an alligator out of a letter A.  (See #2 above)
* We also sang the "Five Little Monkeys" song and acted it out.  Little Man LOVED that I was the alligator and would chase him and catch him!

* We created an airplane out of a wrapping paper tube and cardboard.

* We acted out being airplanes and flew around the house!

* We created an airplane snack using string cheese, apple slices, and chocolate chips.  (See #11 above)

* We counted bead on our abacus.

* I also created this adorable Ants at a Picnic file folder game, although it's a bit over Little Man's head right now.

Whew!  Busy, busy!  I had even more activities planned, but we ran out of time!  Here are a few more picture highlights that I wanted you to see--with BIG pictures.

This is the "Ten Apples Up On Top" activity we did.  This is one of my favorites!!  In first grade, I would have the students draw a picture of themselves doing something (riding a bike, doing karate, etc.) with 10 apples on their heads.  For Little Man, I just pasted a picture of him on there!  We traced the numerals and glued them on together.

I was really tickled with how our airplane craft turned out!  We used a wrapping paper tube, cut slits in the sides, and slid in a large piece of cardboard.  We trimmed up those wings and added some tin foil for the windows!  It was a family effort... Little Man loved it!

Here is our A-themed Muffin Tin Meal!  The "apple trees" were especially a hit!!

Enjoy your weekend!!

 

You can find more fun apple ideas at Delicious Ambiguity, Mommy's Little Helper, The Crafty Crow, and more from The Crafty Crow.