Letter A: Hand and Q-tip Apple Tree, Apple Sizes File Folder, Apple Shapes, Apple Theme

1) Read books (we read all the apple themed books today) from the Letter A Booklist. 

2) Hand and Q-tip Apple Tree: I love any type of craft involving my two's hand. This one won me over. You'll need:

• White Paper
• Construction Paper: Green & Brown
• Glue
• Q-tips NOTE: You can also use cotton balls, finger prints or scrunched paper
• Washable Tempera Paint: Red (optional - green & yellow)

1. Trace your toddlers hand on a piece of brown construction paper (or on a piece of white paper and color it brown with a crayon, if you ran out of brown paper like me!)
2. Glue the green leaves and "tree trunk" onto a piece of white paper. 
3. Use a Q-tip dipped in washable, red tempera paint and stamp apples onto your tree.

3) Apple Sizes File Folder from File Folder Fun: I have a little obsession with file folders!  

• Print two copies of apples onto white card stock. 
• Leave the first page as is and cut the apples out on the second page. NOTE: You can laminate this activity and make it into a file folder, or simply match the apples to each other.
• Compare two apples - talk about which one is bigger and which one is small.
• Compare three apples (if ready) - talk about small, medium and big.
• Count how many apples you have total.
• Match the cut out apples to the apples on the page.

4) Apple Shapes Activity: This was a fun way to review shapes this week! Here's what you need:

• Black Marker
• Nine Apples (you can use real apples or print apple clipart)
• Giant Shape Outlines
• Plastic Bag

1. Draw a shape on each apple - square, triangle, hexagon, diamond, octagon, pentagon, rectangle, oval, and heart.
2. Put the apples in a plastic bag
3. Lay the giant shape outlines on the floor.
4. TO PLAY: Have your toddler draw one apple from the bag. Have him/her identify the shape (or teach him/her the shape's name) and have them match it to the shape outline on the floor. Place the apple in the middle of the shape. Continue until the apples are all matched.

(picture to come)

OTHER APPLE THEMED ACTIVITIES:

• Apple Stamping: We tried apple stamping this year with my almost three and one year old. You can read about what really happened here. 

• Visit an apple orchard. Pick and buy apples. Use the apples to play the shape game above, as props to use in our Letter A Songs about apples, to hide around the room for your children to find, to Make Homemade Applesauce (source: Pioneer Woman), or for apple stamping.

• ABC Apple Post-it Game from Preschool Alphabet: Have your child "pick" an apple. Call out a letter and have your child find and cover the letter with the apple. You can use tape with apples cut out of construction paper or these Apple Post-it Notes. Use this idea for numbers or shapes as well. TIP: If you don't have a fence, you can draw a tree with dry erase markers on a window, markers on butcher paper or a cardboard box.