I was glad to be able to read another apple story in this Toddler Art program and had fun picking two more apple crafts from the array of ideas available.
After reading the rhyming book Ducking for Apples by Lynne Berry, it was time for our crafts.
We started our craft fun by making a paper plate apple. I cut out brown paper strips for the stem, had leftover paper plate pieces for the worms, and used a leaf die-cut. The kids enjoyed painting their apple red and their worm green. This kept them entertained for awhile.
Next, we moved onto our next craft, apple stamping. I pre-glued a tree trunk die-cut onto white construction paper and the kids had fun stamping their apple halves into paint and filling up their tree with apples. This was extra sensory overload with the apple smells and hard texture of the apple. They all turned out so pretty with the yellow and red paint overlapping on their trees.
Since the apple oobleck was such a hit in Preschool Picasso, I made a fresh batch for Toddler Art. Everytime I incorporate a sensory activity like this, the parents usually ask if it's easy to make and how to make it at home. For this one, all you need is corn starch, apple sauce, and either apple pie spice or cinnamon. It's a great sensory activity that can be a tad messy if not mixed well, but perfect for this type of program.
I think we're ready for some apple pie, apple slices, and apple cider!
After seeing how many apple craft ideas I pinned on Pinterest and getting some inspiration from our first storytime theme coming up, I decided I was going to do an apple theme for both Preschool Picasso and Toddler Art.
We read a book together, The Biggest Apple Ever by Steven Kroll, had two crafts, and had a sensory activity for this apple-themed Preschool Picasso program. I was excited to read a longer book and the group seemed really attentive and liked hearing the story about mice trying to find the biggest apple.
For our first craft, we made an apple core using a paper plate, red paint, and a stem and leaf. It allowed the group to practice painting with q-tips (for the apple seeds) and paint brushes (for the apple skin).
For our second craft, we made taffy apples using homemade brown puffy paint, construction paper, Popsicle sticks, and sprinkles. The paint didn't turn out quite as well as I liked, but the parents and kids were great about working with it anyway.
For an added sensory surprise, I made apple oobleck using corn starch, apple sauce, and apple pie spice. This was an absolute hit with the group and they enjoyed playing with it. I pointed out its coolness, gooeyness, and yummy smell. We all wanted apple pie!
