Apple Unit

We just completed an apple unit this fall and I thought I’d share some of the activities I had put together for M2. I had planned to invite him to try a new activity each day, but it all depended on our schedule of running errands, tumble gym, etc. Some times it was every other day, or every two days, and then there was a day where he didn’t want to do anything new at all - which was fine too. All activities were placed on his work shelves so they were easily accessible to him and he could choose to revisit them any time he wanted to. It was interesting to see what he was drawn to and what held his interest.

Our ASL sign for this unit was “apple,” which he was familiar with but hadn’t used regularly. I chose three books from my substantial (but never enough!) library of children’s books I had accumulated while teaching - Ten Apples Up On Top by Dr. Seuss, Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins, and Johnny Appleseed by Jodie Shepherd . Both apple books are rhythmic and fun and activities can easily be created for the books on varying learning levels. Johnny Appleseed is cute, but I did not think it would hold M2’s attention for very long at 20 months old. Turns out I was wrong as he sat through it all, and then on another day chose that book for my husband to read to him while he sat through it all again. Lesson learned - I can’t assume what my child may or may not find interesting! 

Book Activities: 

   Ten Red Apples and Ten Apples Up on Top - printed 10 red apples, laminated them, and glued felt to the backs to make them ready for our flannel board. I googled an image of a character from the Dr. Seuss book, printed and laminated it, and we spent time placed one apple at a time on his head on the flannel board. I had intentions to make a tree for Ten Red Apples and make that flannel board activity one where he would get to take away an apple after each page I read in the story, but didn’t get around to it! M2 can choose to play with his “apple” flannel pieces at any time as they’re now in an envelope by his board. 

   Johnny Appleseed - we observed the pot Johnny wore on his head in the story and while I prepared dinner that evening, M2 sat in the kitchen banging on a similar pot with a wooden spoon. Too heavy to actually sit on his head, but I did hold it there while we pretended. He enjoyed making “music” and pretending to stir something in his pot, while it gave me some time to cook! 

Vocabulary Jar:

   I found this glass apple jar at WalMart for $5.88 and thought it would be perfect for holding items I could find from around the house beginning with “Aa.” Since M2 can already identify the name and sound for “Aa” my objective wasn’t to introduce him to a new letter, but rather build his vocabulary. Astronaut, ace, and angel were new words for him (he referred to some children’s chalk people drawings we walked by the other week as “a-uh-nots” and sure enough, they really did look like astronauts!). I found most items in the house, and cut out the angel and astronaut from a magazine. The glass jar sat on one of M2’s bottom shelves as it was a bit heavy, but he was able to practice carrying things “very carefully.” 

Matching: 

   I googled some apple photos and made a table with the images. Printed it out, laminated it, and then printed and laminated a second set of matching images for this activity. The photo cards were stored in a cute little tin pail I had purchased for less than $2 and together the pail and laminated chart went on the shelf. M2 was to take one image from the pail and place it under the matching image. I liked doing the chart this way because it was a different take on the usual side-by-side matching activities we’ve done before. He wasn’t interested in this very much at all, so I thought it was a flop, until about a week later when he decided to take it off the shelf again…and again…and again. He’d purposefully match them wrong, look at me and say, “no,” then correct himself. I don’t tell him no most times if he is incorrect but rather redirect him, so the saying “no” was all his own doing. He found himself silly :) Maybe I should try a more challenging matching activity next time. 

Other: 

~printed off different apple themed coloring sheets for him to choose from

  ~we made apple & avocado smoothies together

  ~apple painting: cut an apple in half, dip in paint and stamp on paper. This was a bit more difficult for him to hold than I expected, so he ended up “painting” with the apple instead. Totally fine and he enjoyed sharing his art with some family that came by!

  ~we made red, apple scented play dough: I couldn’t find apple flavoring in the stores, so I bought a box of apple jello and mixed a bit of the powder into my play dough recipe. We used small sticks from the yard as “stems” for our little apple balls

  ~letter “A” stamping: I have a set of alphabet stamps with large knobs, perfect for little hands that I used to use in my classroom. Bought a red stamp pad at Walmart that was actually apple scented, and let him stamp away

  ~applesauce: a sweet neighbor brought me over 2 dozen organic apples they had gathered from another neighbor’s yard. Perfect timing! I made applesauce in the crockpot the next day

    There are many more books and activities you can do involving apples. One of my goals is to continually observe how M2 interacts, plays, learns and grows with each activity and modify them to his interests. Each child is uniquely different. I try to keep it as low cost as possible as well, using what resources I already have. Simple and interesting… doesn’t take much more than that. Hopefully these ideas will get your creativity flowing as you spend some meaningful time with your own little one! 

    Still looking for more apple inspired activities? Search Pinterest… you’re sure to find something there! Ten Apples Up On Top

Toddler Friendly Areas

Anyone with a toddler has surely experienced their small, but strong will of independence. In our home, when M2 began to crawl, we made a point to put things at his level for him to explore and play with on his own. A basket with rattles and wooden noise maker toys over here on the floor, favorite books in his lowest cubby, a basket in the bottom kitchen cabinet with kitchen gadgets (spoons, measuring cups, funnel…) safe for playing with, etc. Now that he is a toddler, with this ever growing independent spirit, I am finding that I am needing to constantly adapt items and certain areas of our home to make it more accessible for our little guy. 

"Help me to do it alone." ~ Maria Monessori

That above quote rings so true for toddlers. Their life skills and independence are quickly developing right now and as parents we certainly want to foster that growth! I know I’m not the only one who watches in awe when their little one helps themselves or overcomes a challenge with that sweet, determined face. What a learning experience for them! Below are two photos of two recent areas in our home that I have adapted to be more “toddler accessible” on M2’s level. 

The bottom kitchen cabinet (which once held his basket of kitchen gadgets) has evolved into a sort-of self help snack area. He has access to his snack bowls, jars of whatever snack foods I have placed inside, and cups for drinks. M2 does need assistance in unscrewing the jars on the lids, but he is able to make his own choices and practice pouring into his snack bowls. By needing help with the jars, it keeps me aware of how much he is “snacking” and I can have him choose a fresh snack from the fridge to go along with the one he has chosen from the cabinet. For meals, I ask him to get a plate and utensils from under there to go place on the table. The basket in the back holds magnetic letters and another kitchen activity he can busy himself with while I’m cooking if he chooses to do so. M2 has certainly enjoyed this newly adapted space just for him! 

Still working on making this area more visually appealing, for now though, it serves its purpose! 

A second area I recently changed due to M2’s increasing interest in clothes and the need to clean out his dresser to make way for the clothes of his soon-to-be little sister (more on sibling room sharing soon!) was the closet. Our home is small, and over 70 years old, resulting in only three closets of a very small size. M2’s closet had become our “everything” closet with board games, winter coats, baby items, etc and it was not functional at all! In the photo you will see we not only cleaned it out, but made it a closet just for him with labels and all ;) He has bins for socks and underwear, pajamas, and pants. His shirts hang at his level making it easy for him to choose what he’d like to wear (and organizing by color has him learning!). There is a small basket for his dirty clothes and a little mirror on the wall too, because what kid doesn’t like to look at themselves? The bag underneath his shirts holds all toys with wheels, as at the moment I’m not sure where to put them, but at least they have a place! Same with the puzzles… not ideal but it works for right now. The top rack is where I plan to hang coats and “dressier” clothes worn by he and his sister. As M2 learns to dress and undress himself, I know his closet will see even more use. He did let out a little “oooh wow” when he saw it completed for the first time. Simple, cheap, and very toddler accessible! 

What areas in your home have you adapted to meet the needs of your little one? 

Why Mrs. Momma?

    Just browsing through different blogs, seeing photos on Instagram, and reading articles of what other wives and moms are up to can be such an inspiration to me - the purpose of this blog, Mrs Momma, is to add to that world of encouragement by sharing with others some of what my life as a wife and mom look like from this little corner of the internet. I also find that by sharing little bits here and there, or being inspired by others, allows my perspective to stay on what’s important and not get as weighed down by those little things. There are times being a wife and momma are challenging and tiring for sure (I’m not the only one who sometimes wants to climb in bed and catch up on all that missed sleep, right?), yet overall I find such a great joy in pursuing my role to my family and growing as the Lord leads - my role defines me.

    From thoughts about being a wife, to learning activities to create for your little ones, or a simple verse from the Word that speaks volumes to your soul, I hope you are able to be encouraged by what you read here at Mrs Momma.