Apples
We have now begun our science theme for the month- Apples. We will learn about the seasons of an apple tree and how a seed grows into a tree. We will also learn some apple poems and make some apple art. Some of the poems we will read are again from the KinderKorner website. This website has a LOT of great poems to read. Click on it to check it out. Here are some apple poems that we will read:
Apples
Way up high in the apple tree
Two little apples smiled down on me!
I shook that tree
As hard as I could,
Down came the apples
M-M-GOOD!
We have a little booklet that goes with this next poem. We will colour the booklet and add it to our growing collection of indivdual books that we can read. Here it is:
ApplesRed apples.
Green apples.
Yellow apples.
Blue apples?
Red apples. Mmmmm.
Green apples. Mmmmm.
Yellow apples. Mmmmm.
Blue apples. Yuck!
The first book about apples that we read was Ten Apples Up On Top by Theo Le Sieg. The class really enjoyed the rhyming pattern. We then played with words and made up some nonsense words that rhymed with our names.
For the next poem, we brainstormed a list of words to describe apples. We discussed their color, size, shape, taste and appearnce. We then picked four words to use in our poem. Here is the blank poem:
Apples____________apples
____________apples
Apples on the tree.
____________apples
____________apples
Pick an apple
Just for me!
Here is the poem that our class came up with. We think it sounds pretty good!
ApplesRound apples
Shiny apples
Apples on the tree.
Juicy apples
Red apples
Pick an apple
Just for me!
Here is a little apple song that we have in our poetry/song books. It is sung to the tune of "The Itsy Bitsy Spider"
A Little Apple SeedOnce a little apple seed was planted in the ground
Down came the raindrops falling all around.
Out came the big sun bright as bright can be
And that little apple seed grew up to be an apple tree.
Here is yet another Apple song from our poetry/song books. This an easy to read poem which helps build initial reading confidence.
Have You Ever Seen An Apple?Have you ever seen an apple,
An apple, an apple.
Have you ever seen an apple,
That grows on a tree?
A red one, a yellow one
A green one, a golden one,
Have you ever seen an apple,
That grows on a tree?
Apple TastingWe had a taste test of the apples that Mrs. Teague brought in. Here is a list of the apples varieties that we tried:
Sansa
Pink Lady
Royal Gold
Red Delicious
Golden Delicious
Macintosh
Spartan
Granny Smith
Gravenstein
We then made a Venn diagram of the two apples that we tried first- Granny Smith and Red Delicious. 3 students liked Red Delicious apples the best. 11 students like Granny Smith apples the best and 6 students liked both of them equally.
Apple Weighing
We picked out two apples from our basket of apples and discussed how heavy we thought they might be. We used crayons as a reference. First, we concluded that all apples must be heavier than 1 crayon. Next, we estimated how heavy the Royal Gold apple would be in crayon weight. Various students gave guesses and we recorded them on the board. The guesses ranged from the apple being equal to 15 crayons, 30 crayons and 64 crayons. The highest estimate was 168 crayons. Finally, we put the apple on the scale and began adding crayons, one by one. The Royal Gold apple was equal to 31 crayons. Then, we moved onto theRed Delicious apple and repeated the process. The quesses were much closer this time. The Red Delicious apple ended up weighing 58 crayons! It was almost twice as heavy as the Royal Gold!
To wrap up pur apple unit, each student brought in an apple from home. We peeled and cored the apples using a coring /peeling machine. It was fun! Each student took turns doing their apple. We then used the apples to make an apple cake and applesauce. We made the applesauce in a crockpot in the classroom. It smelled great all day! Here is the recipe for the cake:
Apple CakeThis is a gooey sticky cake- like sticky cinnamon buns!
2 cups flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
4 tbsp. butter
2/3 cup milk
5 apples, cored and sliced
3 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and butter. Stir in milk. Press into a greased 9 inch pan.
Place the apples on top of the base.
Combine the butter, cinnamon and brown sugar. Sprinkle over the apple slices.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20-25 minutes or until the apples are tender.
Apple Crisp6 cups sliced apples
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tbsp. lemon juice
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup butter or margarine
Arrange apples in a buttered 2 quart (2 L) ovenproof casserole.
Sprinkle apples with white sugar and lemon juice.
Combine rolled oats, sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over the apples.
Bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for 40 minutes or until appples are tender.
Serve warm. You can top it with whipped cream or ice cream as well.
Apple LinksHere is a direct link to the Kinder Korner Apple section for more ideas:
Here are some links to sites with information about apples:
All About ApplesApples and More
