On friday Sept. 1, our first day of school, we are going to be focusing on RED and Apples! We have two coloring book sheets that go with our theme that I know Abbi will enjoy. :) If you are following along with us, you dont have to have specific coloring sheets. You can draw an apple for your pre-k'er to color in, or even ask them to draw an apple of their own! be creative!
We also have a song to sing (to the sound of "ring around the rosie"). This is not my original idea. It was borrowed from Perpetual Preschool.
"Ring around the apple tree
all full of apples
shake it!
shake it!
they all fall down!"
~we're going to have apples and peanut butter for snack (and abbi will help spread the peanut butter!)
~After snack, I'm going to cut an apple in half and talk about the RED skin, the WHITE inside, and the BROWN seeds. We'll take the seeds out of the apples, and put them into egg carton planters (science!)
~While we are planting the seeds, I will tell Abbi about the story of Johnny Appleseed! You can find more about this story here: Johnny Appleseed
~Then we're going to take those half apples and stamp them in paint and onto cardstock to make an apple "tree"
~We're going to sort paper apples that I cut beforehand into piles of red, yellow and green. (if your PK'er is able to use scissors to cut, this would be a great activity to hone those skills, under parent supervision!)
~After we sort the paper apples, I will have Abbi throw them on the floor and walk from one apple to another, and then hop!
~After hopping around we're going to make baked apples (abbi will help me with putting butter & seasonings in the core before I put it in the oven for our lunch!). You can find a good recipe for baked apples here: YUMMMMM though I prefer to add some butter, and cinnamon or pumpkin spice to mine!
~Next we are going to make dried apple and cinnamon noodle hangings. the instructions (borrowed from perpetual preschool) are:
have the adult slice apples sideways and let the child help place them in a lemon juice and water mixture for a few minutes. Moisten rigatoni pasta with water and then roll in cinnamon to coat. Using plastic needles and yarn (or any string/twine you have around the house and tape on the end to create a "needle"), have children alternately string the apples and noodles. Add a country fabric bow to the top and dry near a sunny window. They look and smell great! These are also great as gifts. We are making several to dry and give to my daughter's physical therapist and occupational therapist for Christmas presents! You can never prepare too soon!
~We'll end the day with our song again!
The Supply List:
~coloring sheets and crayons
~apples (at least 6 or more)
~peanut butter (if not allergic!)
~construction paper (red, yellow, and green for cutting out apples, and also white or yellow for stamping)
~red and green paint (acrylic or tempera)
~paper plate to put paint in for stamping
~egg carton and dirt for planting
~butter, brown sugar, raisins, cinnamon (for baking)
~lemon juice (for soaking drying apples)
~rigatoni noodles (for hanging)
~yarn & tape (for hanging)Parent Preparation:
(Things that you could do ahead of time to make the day go more smoothly!)
~Get out the egg carton and fill with dirt.
~Cut up red, yellow, and green paper apples if your preschooler doesnt use scissors yet.
~Slice up apples in the morning before school starts for the dried apple and cinnamon noodle hangings.
HAVE FUN! I will update with photos on Friday!
in vintage.
Well, as I've quickly discovered, planning is one of the hardest parts of homeschooling!
While I am not an *expert* - I have worked VERY hard to put together a wide variety of homeschooling activities and plans for my daughter, and I think we have a lot of fun and exciting experiences ahead of us!
So, what I thought I would do is put our plans an experiences on here, so that any who want to can follow along (or even better yet, share your own homeschooling plans regularly, for ANY grade level and we will link you!).
I will be posting the lesson plans for the next week, and a supply checklist. Most of what we will be using is stuff I find around the house, so it shouldnt be too much to have to buy, aside from groceries for snacks and stuff. :)
Here's to a REALLY fun year!
in vintage.