What We Read in Preschool [ 3 ]

This past week we talked about the letter Aa, apples, and circles.  We learned our 5 little apples song, our Cindy Circle rhyme and we learned LOTS about apples.  Our speech pathologist comes in on Thursdays to do a whole group activity and she had a flip book that was made by another speech and language pathologist and it was so awesome to watch my kiddos answer her apple vocabulary questions.  Cuz I mean, it's not like we kill and drill in preschool but we spent a week fitting in keywords (stem, flesh, seeds, core, seedling, fruit, orchard etc..) and it was so awesome to watch our kids answer all the questions correctly.  I don't know if it's just me but I get a thrill knowing I DID teach them! ;)  Also, I am quite impressed with their catching on to the sounds A makes.  Phew.

Here are some of the apple links that helped me..

http://www.kidsparkz.com/apples.html

http://www.pre-kpages.com/dramatic-play-apple-orchard/

http://www.imprintsfromtricia.com/2013/09/5-foam-apple-math-activities.html

And on to the books..

Ten Apples Up on Top - Theo LeSieg (aka DR SEUSS!)

Learning to count has never been more fun than in this crazy tale of a dog, a lion and a tiger all showing off how many apples they can balance on their heads as they skip, walk the tightrope and roller skate their way through the book.

When we read it, we counted apples and talked about what number would be next.  Our speech pathologist had a whiteboard that had the characters on the bottom and drew apples on them as they were added in the book.  The kids liked it.  That would be fun with felt pieces as well.

Apples, Apples, Apples - Nancy Elizabeth Wallace

It's a blue sky autumn day and Minna, Pop, Mom, and Dad have decided to go on an outing to Long Hill Orchard. As the bunnies fill their baskets, Farmer Miller teaches them all about apples. This charming story is filled with fun facts, activities, and an applesauce recipe.

We read this the day we made homemade crockpot applesauce.  The kids loved the book and so did I!

Johnny Appleseed - Jodie Shepherd

The beloved story of the apple man!

This beautifully illustrated retelling shows how Johnny Appleseed bloomed from a young boy who loved the outdoors into the legendary man who spread apple trees all across the United States. Showing small acts of generosity and the love of nature can make a big difference, this book is sure to inspire the budding little Johnny Appleseed in every reader.

We have a lot of books on Johnny Appleseed but this is my favorite.  It's preschool age appropriate and perfect for a read aloud as an intro to Johnny Appleseed. Plus, it's fun to talk about the pot on his head ha.

The Apple Pie Tree - Zoe Hall

The changing seasons bring a tasty surprise in this bright picture book from the author/illustrator team of It's Pumpkin Time!. Two young sisters watch in fascination as their apple tree changes, from bare in winter to bursting with pink blossoms in spring, and as robins build a nest. When autumn comes, the small green apples have grown big enough for picking--and for pie! Full color.

Beautiful illustrations.  I love how it covers the tree throughout the whole year and the kids loved it too. 

Chicka Chicka 123 - Bill Martin, Matthew Sampson & Lois Ehlert

1 told 2
and 2 told 3,
"I'll race you to the top
of the apple tree."
One hundred and one numbers climb the apple tree in this bright, rollicking, joyous book for young children. As the numerals pile up and bumblebees threaten, what's the number that saves the day? (Hint: It rhymes with "hero.") Read and count and play and laugh to learn the surprising answer.

Loved this book.  Most of my kids had not heard this one before but LOVE Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.  So they really liked that this had to do with numbers and an apple tree! We also counted to 100 at the end when we were done and they were shocked how long it took to count that high. ;)

A was Once an Apple Pie - Edward Lear and Suse MacDonald

Hand painted cut paper artwork by Caldecott winner Suse MacDonald illustrates this adaptation of Edward Lear's classic ABC rhyme.

Cute alphabet book with silly rhymes that the kids laughed over.  Just another way of sharing letters and rhymes around our apple talk.

Fluffy Goes Apple Picking by Kate McMillan

Fluffy LOVES apples! And in this new adventure, he discovers just how far he'll go to have an apple of his own!

Ms. Day's class is going to an apple orchard, where Fluffy learns there will be hundreds of thousands of delicious apples. He can't wait! But when Kiss sleeps over in his cage the night before the trip, Fluffy has a horrible dream--Kiss is an apple-eating machine! There are no apples left for Fluffy! Luckily, it is just a dream, and the next morning Fluffy arrives at the orchard with a hungry tummy. But he soon realizes apple picking is not as easy as it sounds! Fluffy is not to be outdone, however, and he finds a way to enjoy his favorite fruit.

This is kind of long and not the best read aloud for preschoolers but they liked it.  I would probably not read it again but my assistant loves it and wanted me to read it, so I did. ;) 

We also read a Big Book about apples that I can't seem to find on goodreads (An Apple a Day) and we checked lots of apple books out from the library that we had available to the kids and read a few of them to individual kids.  I love when we study apples.  Oh and making applesauce and apple oatmeal muffins is fun too! ;)

Do you go apple picking? Are there any apple books you like to read? What children's books did you read this week?