From Teachers to Mommies: Extending Learning {Apples Pt. 3}

For our last part of extending learning through apples, we are exploring ways to include apples in art and play at home.

In case you missed the other 2 parts, here they are.
Extending Learning {Apples Pt. 1} - Ways to include apples in Language Arts and Recipes
Extending Learning {Apples Pt. 2} - Ways to include apples in Math and Science

Art

-Draw an apple
Have your student observe an apple and then draw it as carefully as they can.

here are three ways to draw an apple.

-Make a Contour Drawing
Have your student draw the apple as they follow its shape with their eyes, but instruct them not to look at what they are drawing--they must keep their eyes on the apple while they are drawing. Explain that a contour drawing may not look much like the model; it is an exercise in seeing.

here is a video to illustrate how to make a contour drawing of an apple

-Work with Apple Colors
Show examples of many different colored apples. Include a green Granny Smith, a yellow Golden Delicious, a striped Jonathan, or a spotted Red Delicious. Provide paints, water, brushes, paper towels, and sheets of paper. Ask your student to fold his/her paper into fourths and duplicate the colors of each apple in each section of their paper by mixing paints.

here is an example of how they might experiment with mixing colors

-Try to Produce a Still Life Picture
Tell your student that, in painting, a still life is a picture of inanimate objects, such as fruit, flowers, or food. Show them a copy of Cezanne's Apples. Set up an arrangement of apples and have your student use markers, crayons or paints to apply color to their drawing.

Cezanne's Apples

here is an example of works by children

and another example here

-Playdoh Apples
Have your student sculpt an apple from playdoh. Have them add details such as a leaf or a stem.

here is an example, along with a recipe for apple spice scented playdoh

-Make an apple collage
Have your student collect strips of red, green, or yellow scrapbook paper. Then have them collage those pieces together to make an apple.

here is an example with tutorial

-Make an Apple Ad
Help your student to pick out a product made by Apple. Then, help them brainstorm ways to promote that product. Have them get creative and come up with a slogan and poster to promote that product. Make sure they use the Apple logo in their ad.

photo credit here

-Make Tissue Paper Apple Trees
Younger students will enjoy making an apple tree. Have your student draw a tree trunk with a brown crayon on a sheet of paper. Then let them tear several shades of green tissue paper into small 'leaves'. After they glue the leaves above the trunk, give them red tissue paper to glue on for apples.

here is an example along with a tutorial

-Make Apple Sun Catchers
Have your student use tissue paper and contact paper to make a sun catcher for their own window.

here is an example along with a tutorial

-Make Apple Prints
Cut apples in half two ways, from the stem down and across the middle of the apple. Cut one apple into quarters. Provide red, yellow, and green paint along with sheets of colored construction paper, drawing paper, and tissue paper. Have your student dip the cut side of the apple pieces in the paint and make prints on their papers. By using an apple repeatedly until the paint is trasnferred to the paper, your student will get an interesting series of prints that gets lighter and lighter. Or by overlapping colors with separate prints, your student will create interesting new colors and patterns. Encourage your student to experiment.

here is an example

here is another example

and here are some tips to make apple printing more enjoyable

-Make a Dried Apple Sculpture
This is a project for older students because it involves carving with a paring knife. You will need an apple, a paring knife, a bowl of lemon juice, and a length of string. HAve your student peel their apples, leavin ght estem and a circl eof peel around the sem. Have them carve a face in their apple. Their carvings can include a mouth, nose, eyes, chin, cheeks, and ears. Don't let them make any of the cuts too deep. The carved areas will look deeper as the apples dry. After your student is done carving, have them dip their apple in the lemon juice to prevent discoloration. If you want to, you can let the apples soak in the lemon juice for an hour. Next, have your student tie a length of string to their apple and hang it in a warm, dry place. It will take about a month for the apple to dry and shrink. (If your student cannot wait that long, you can speed the process up by drying their apple in a slow oven at 100 degrees for 5 hours, then hang them to dry for about a week.)

go here to see the progression of this man's apple sculptures

Play
*Disclaimer* - Older students will play 'too cool' for games and songs. The only way to get them involved sometimes is to be goofy and play with them! Younger students have no problems getting silly. :) Decide what your child will want to do, and go from there. If all else fails, you can let them play the iPad...that's an apple right? :)

Games

     -Musical Apples
This will need to be played as a group. Everyone sits on the floor in a circle. Give one person a red apple and another person a green or yellow apple. Play a favorite recording. As long as the music plays, everyone passes the apples clockwise around the circle. When the music stops, the two people who are holding the two apples must stand. The one holding the red apple must walk once around the outside of the circle. The one holding the other apple must walk twice around the circle. They then return to the circle to pass the apples around as soon as the music begins again. Other variations include: eliminating the people left holding the apples, or asking whoever is holding the apple to state a fact about apples before continuing.

     -"Red Apple, Stop"
Play this game outside with a group of people. You will need two apples - a red apple and a green apple. Have everyone line up shoulder to shoulder as they would for a race. Choose on person to be the leader, and position him or her a good distance away from the other people, but facing them. Explain that when the leader holds up the green apple, that is a signal to run. When the leader holds up a red apple, that is a signal to stop immediately, to 'put on the brakes.' The leader should call out, "Green apple, go!" when he/she holds up the green apple. He/she should call, "Red apple, stop!" when the red apple is held up. There are no winners in this game, only the fun of participating.

   -"Grow, Apple Seed, Grow"
This is another group game. Have students sit in a circle. Choose one student to be 'it'. They will close their eyes while an apple seed{a brown pom pom} is given to one person in the circle. All students in the circle will then pretend to be holding the seed behind their back. Then 'it' will look around and try to guess who is hiding the apple seed. When they guess they will walk over to that student and pretend to 'water' them while saying 'grow, apple seed, grow.' If that student has the seed they will grow like a tree...if they don't, they will sit still. Give 'it' 3 guesses to find the apple seed.

   -"Who Took the Apple from the Apple Tree"
This is played like 'who took the cookies from the cookie jar.' All players close their eyes and the teacher/parent gives a small apple to one of the players. Once they have hidden it away all players put their hands in their laps and open their eyes. Start by singing, 'who took the apple from the apple tree?', then guess someone singing, 'johnny took the apple from the apple tree', if johnny doesn't have the apple, he holds up his hands and sings, 'who me?...couldn't be.' Then everyone sings, 'then who?' Keep guessing each other until you find the person who has the apple. Then that person will sing, 'Who me?...Yes, me!' revealing the apple.

   -Hidden Apples
Cut out several different apples from construction paper, or use real apples, or manipulatives. Hide the apples in 1 or 2 rooms in the house/classroom. Have your student locate all of the apples. You can use hot/cold clues if they need additional help. For younger students, use large apples, for older students make the apples much smaller.

     -Apple Finger Puppets
Have your student color and cut out the finger puppets from the page below. Glue or staple them so that they will make a loop around your student's fingers. They can then act out songs, books, plays, or be creative in their own way with them.