Apples
10 FREE Resources Exploring “Apples”
Apples, apples all around…in the autumn they are found… According to Harvest to Table “The apple is a hardy, deciduous woody perennial tree that grows in all temperate zones. Apples {trees} grow best where there is cold in winter, moderate summer temperatures, and medium to high humidity. Apples can grow from 10 to 30 feet tall and nearly as wide. Apples are moderately fast growing, but growth slows with age. Apple trees can live for 100 years or more. Apple trees bloom in the spring, set fruit, and take from 100 to 200 days to reach harvest depending upon the variety.”
The apple is the next topic in the Farmers’ Market series of exploration. If you have been following this series, you are aware we have researched and gathered a collection of free resources for you to explore with your children. Included are some online books, videos, and some free printables.
Books about Apples
There are so so so so many books about apples. Are there as many books about apples as there are varieties of apples? Probably. According to the University of Illinois there are are over 2,500 kinds grown in the United States and over 7,500 grown throughout the world. That’s a lot of apples! This post is more of a gathering of some resources educators might use as part of lesson planning for young learners. As children get older they can explore more about apples and the 7,500 different varieties. Here are three online readings of some books that are excellent to add to any unit study about apples.
Autumn is for Apples
First is a book called Autumn is for Apples written by Michelle Knudsen. This is a sweet book about a little girl and her family spending the day together and picking apples at the orchard.
I Am an Apple
Next is a book written by Jean Marzollo called I am an Apple. This is a lovely paper cut illustrated book. The book follows the life cycle of an apple form tiny seed to big juicy fruit. It will pair wonderfully with the freebie cut and paste at the end of the post.
Amelia Bedelia’s First Apple Pie
Older kids will understand the humor of Amelia Bedelia, and younger kids will appreciate the story. I have always liked her books and I really like that Herman Parish, the nephew of Peggy Parish has continued writing with Amelia Bedelia as young girl. Her sweet innocence and misinterpretations of English phases always makes me smile. There is a freebie at the end of this post from Primary Playground that is perfect for reinforcement after sharing this book with younger children.
Videos
Adding videos to lesson planning is super beneficial to understanding or reinforcing any topic of study. This is true even for simple topics like the apple. Here are a couple of videos that educators and parents might want to share depending on the interest of the students.
Every apple study would not be complete without the story of Johnny Apple Seed. Kids as well as adults will be entertained by this production of Johnny Appleseed.
“Planting an Apple Tree” is a video from Harry Kindergarten Music. This is more of an apple tree planting documentary. In this particular video Harry introduces children to an arborist and explains he is to a trees what a doctor is to people. Kids will enjoy learning how an apple tree is planted.
The last video has over 150 million views and apparently kids love this goofy guy. He really does a good job at holding attention spans of children. Everybody these days knows Blippi! In this video kids will learn how apples get to the grocery store. Starting with a visit to the orchard and tour inside the apple factory. This is geared towards PreK children, but older children will be interested in watching Blippi, as well.
Additional FREE Resources
The last few resources are from some of my peers at Teacher Pay Teacher. Even is you are not a traditional classroom teacher, any educator or parent can download free and/or purchase these teacher created resources from the TpT website.
Many classroom teachers and parents take their kids to visit apple orchards every year. It is such a wonderful field trip to take as it gets kids out in the fresh air and exposes them to the wonders of nature. This is the perfect accompaniment for apple picking. This comes from Kindergarten Lifestyles, Apples Five Senses. “Fun Freebie with 5 mini-posters and 5 printables. Describe apples using your five senses (hearing, sight, smell, touch, and taste). These posters are great aids for a discussion of using words to describe apples. This is such a fun mini-set for an apple theme.” Excerpt from Kindergarten Lifestyles THANK YOU for sharing Kindergarten Lifestyles.
Check out this excellent math freebie from Differentiation Station. This resource is a hands-on math activity. “An apple themed math center or game. This center is aligned with the common core. It provides students an opportunity to interact with numbers in a concrete way. Students will use apple manipulatives to solve addition sentences, with sums 1-5. This activity can be used in a small group setting or a center. It is appropriate for preschool, kindergarten, and special education instruction. This activity is appropriate for a school or homeschool setting.” – Excerpt form Differentiation Station THANK YOU!!!!
Next, is from the Primary Playground called “Apple Pie.” After reading the story Amelia Bedelia’s First Apple Pie have students complete this sequencing activity. When they are finished they can color the picture. If you like this freebie you might like some of the other cool apple items offered in this TpT store. Thank you, Jeannette wonderful products as always!
Finally, this free resource is from Lacey at Wild About Teaching. The “Life Cycle of an Apple” is perfect for any unit study about apples. This download includes some picture cards in color for making a teacher life cycle resource and a complimentary cut, color and paste for your students. Thank you Lacey for sharing this perfect resource!
If you like these free resources please consider following these teacher creators. They are always developing new and cool things for us to share with young learners. Below is the freebie sample to my Farmers’ Market Poetry Journal packet that goes over a variety of fresh foods found at the market, including apples!
Thank you for taking the time to read and explore this collection of free apple resources. These can be used with my Farmers’ Market Poetry Journal packet. The packet contains 10 original poems and clip art for young learners. There are two versions one with clip art for pasting into a journal and another for a stand alone journal with a space for illustrating.
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