Apple Overload

Reader Alert! Heavily loaded with pictures. :)

What a fun week (just a bit over) it has been learning about apples.  We have a couple more activities to do to finish up with our apple theme, but with having a field trip last Friday, Applicious Day this past Tuesday, and only have some of my kinder lovelies for half a day, we need the next few days to finish up.

Our week started out like any other...by writing in our Monday Journals about our weekend.  I love as through the year, you can see how each child grows and becomes a better writer, no matter where he or she started.  I have already seen so much growth in just our 39 days together.  I always talk about adding detail (right now emphasis on adding detail to pictures) by using multiple colors and eventually adding a setting so that our pictures aren't floating (like a house or a dog).  Here are a few examples:

We always begin by writing the date and "This weekend I..." some students choose to do their picture first, while others write first, and some write the beginning part, draw their picture and then finish their writing.  I am so proud of my kiddos when someone tries to have someone else spell for them, and they tell them nicely they won't tell them, but then proceed to help them stretch it out; my little teachers.

BOY are we having a blast learning about apples.  Monday we did an apple investigation.  We predicted (tough thing for a kinder to do!) and then we measured and documented what we found.

Tuesday was Applicious Day in Kindergarten. Oh. My. Word. What a whirlwind of a morning it was.  Applicious Day came about last year when our little orchard we go to ran out of apples... Yes. It happens...who knew?!  So we came up with Applicious Day to do something special with our little friends.  This year we decided it would be fun to do both!  So each of the four kinder teachers has an apple activity to do with each of the four classes.

Each child was in front of this for a picture.  Some of my teammates do a memory book for each child, I do a slideshow and share the photos I take.

 In my room, we began by painting a red, green, and yellow apple.  Then students went into the hallway with my fabulous mom helpers and painted trees on big butcher paper.  We will hang all of the trees in the hallway and then students will cut out their apples and glue them to the trees.  Once this happens our hallway is transformed into an apple orchard and such a cool sight to see. (Once all is hung, I will post pictures).

By the time all 4 classes were done, there was a narrow pathway to walk down our hallway.

SO messy but such a blast!

The next rotation, students stamped with apples, made windsocks and a few other activities.  I hung the windsocks in our room, and it just brightens it up! (*pictures to come*)

In the third rotation, students made and labeled an apple.

The last rotation, they made apples to hang from a twine string.  The apples are strung across our hallway and look so cute!

You can see mine and my neighbor's.

Today, we had our apple taste test.  The resources we used were not mine, but at the moment I cannot remember who they belong to.  Once I figure it out, I will link it up and give credit where credit is due.

Students predict what will be their favorite and then color the bottom apples according to "favorite, second favorite and least favorite."

We took a bite (one of my kiddos bit right out of the top as his bite, made me giggle), and then colored an apple our favorite color and added it to our class graph.  We discussed our graph and came up with a title (I must be off today because I thought I took a picture, but did not).  Then we at the other pieces of our apples and as they ate, they called our descriptive words and I wrote them on index cards.  Once they were finished we met on the carpet to sort our words by which of the five senses we used to get to that word. (got the idea from the fabulous Cara Carroll over at The First Grade Parade).

We have a few more things to finish up and then we are done with apples.  Next stop is parent teacher conferences and my favorite... FALL BREAK!  Time to watch some TV and hit the hay.