A is for Apples

Each month I visit two daycares/preschools.  I love visiting these centers and enjoy sharing some songs and stories with them.    This month the storytime theme was Apples.  The visits were several weeks apart this month so I changed a few things for the second visit.  Here are the books, songs, and fingerplays I did at one or both places.

Books:

Up, Up, Up! It's Apple-Picking Time by Jody Fickes Shapiro

Apple Farmer Annie by Monica Wellington

The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall

One Red Apple by Harriet Ziefert

Flannel board/songs/fingerplays:

Star in the Apple
Once upon a time a little boy was tired of playing with his toys.  He whined to his mother, "I'm bored!  There's nothing to do!"  Mother suggested he go outside and find a small red house with no windows and no doors but with a star inside.  The little boy thought that sounded like fun so off he went.  He looked and looked but couldn't find the small red house with no windows and no doors with a star inside.  Soon he came to a dog.  "What are you doing?" asked dog.  "I am looking for a small red house with no windows and no doors with a star inside.  Have you seen one?" the boy replied.  "No, I haven't," said the dog, "but I am curious about this little red house with no windows and no doors with a star inside.  Could I come with you to look?"  "Of course," said the boy.  So together they set off.
Continue the story with the boy meeting several different animals, such as a cat, duck, horse or cow.
Finally the boy and the dog and the... and the... and the ... came to a little old lady.  The boy asked, "We are looking for a small red house with no windows and no doors but with a star inside.  Have you seen it?"  "Why, indeed I have!" answered the old lady.  She reached up and plucked an apple from the apple tree.  "Here is a small red house with no windows and no doors."  "I guess", answered the boy, "but there is no star inside.  I know.  I've eaten an apple before."  Then the old woman carefully cut the apple in half and showed the boy.  "There is a star in the middle of an apple!"

Apple Tree
Way up high in the apple tree,
Four little apples hung over me.
I shook the tree as hard as I could
Down came an apple.  Crunch!
Mmmmmm! It was good!

Ten Red Apples Guessing Game (from prekfun.com)

Ten red apples growing on a tree

Five for you and five for me.

There’s one little worm that you can’t see!

Where, oh where, could that little worm be?

I made ten apples  and one worm  using clipart then printed them on cardstock and numbered them.  I put a magnet on the back of each and used a cookie sheet to play the game.  Both times I hid the worm under number 7 and it was last or second to last to be picked!

ROUND THE APPLE TREE (from alphabet-soup.net)

 (Tune of "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush")

Verse 1:

Here we go round the apple tree,

The apple tree, the apple tree.

Here we go round the apple tree,

So early in the morning.

Verse 2: This is the way we plant the seeds.

Verse 3: This is the way the little seed sprouts.

Verse 4: This is the way it grows to a tree.

Verse 5: This is the way the flowers blossom.

Verse 6: This is the way the apples grow.

Verse 7: This is the way the apples are picked.