Theme Thursdays - Apples

A few weeks ago, I wrote up my first Theme Thursday, documenting what we do on our theme days in homeschooling.  Here's the next one in the series.

 

Here on Temporary Insanity, I will be posting Theme Thursdays each week to share what activities we did and what resources we used on our special day. All of the instructions and links will be right here so please feel free to use them. I am including lots of extra ideas as well - no need to do them all, of course! Keep in mind that my activities are tailored to two kindergarteners and one second-grader; you can adjust them to fit your family.

This week, the theme is apples.  You can find previous themes here. 

BOOKS:

1.  The Life and Times of the Apple by Charles Micucci.  This read is full of interesting facts about apples and how they grow.  The hand-drawn illustrations are fascinating!

2.  Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins.  Fun counting book!

3.  How Did That Get in My Lunchbox? The Story of Food by Chris Butterworth.  We just read the part about how apples are made into apple juice and put in juice boxes. 

4.  Apples, Apples, Apples by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace.  This is the book that gave us the idea for our craft project. 

     Here are some other apple reading suggestions:

5.   How Do Apples Grow? by Betsy Maestro

6.  The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons

7.  Apple Fractions by Jerry Pallotta and Rob Bolster

8.  Ten Apples Up on Top by Theo LeSieg     

 I drew up some pages for the kids to make their own apple book.  They colored the cover, and we worked on the pages together.  We reviewed the sound a makes and made a list of words with a in them.  We labeled the parts of an apple on another page and did some apple math problems on the next.  We talked about how the apple tree changes throughout the seasons and colored a page to go along with that discussion.  Just click on the pictures below, save them to your computer, and then print them out for your apple book activity. 

 ART PROJECT: 
     The kids really enjoyed making star stamps with apple cores.  As you can see in the photos above, we cut an apple in half horizontally, cut out the center, removed the seeds, painted the apple stamp with white paint, and then carefully stamped in on colored cardstock.  When the prints dried, the kids folded their paper and made cards for their grandparents.  (handwriting practice!)
Some other apple-themed arts/crafts:
1.  Fingerprint Apple Tree
2.  Paper Plate Apple
3.  Apple Shrunken Heads

 KITCHEN ACTIVITY:
     We decided to make baked apples for our snack.  Simply take your apples (we used Pink Lady apples) and core them almost down to the bottom.  Make a mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon and let the kids fill up their apple with it.  Cut some small pieces of butter to top off the apples.  Put a few inches of water in a pan and place the apples in the water.  Bake for fifteen minutes at 350 degrees. 
Some other apple-themed kitchen activities:
1.  Applesauce
2.  Apple Pie Party Dip
3.  Caramel Apples

HISTORY:
    A natural history study for an apple theme is Johnny Appleseed.  There are lots of printables and other activities on the internet that you can use to learn more about Johnny Appleseed as well as many books available.  The Drama Queen happened to have a story about Johnny Appleseed in her reader that she read aloud to all of us, and then we reenacted his story in the living room. :)

Have fun;  our next theme will be Spiders!

Recent Culinary Adventures

There's just something about fall that gets me much more motivated to produce satisfying and creative meals for my family. Well, it's probably not just the season but also all the wonderful ideas I see on Pinterest. My family benefits from this of course and we have found some new dishes to love.

First, I decided on a whim at the grocery store one day that we all really ought to try couscous. I had seen it many times before on various cooking shows but had never tried it. I had all three kids help me make it (this always seems to make them want to try new foods better) with butter and a little salt. I loved it - so yummy and easy - and was shocked to see my will-only-eat-cereal-or-crackers kid wolf it down.

Then I saw this recipe posted by a friend on Facebook and decided that its Mexican flavors certainly sounded appealing to this preggo lady. These taco chicken bowls simmer in the slow cooker all day and are fantastic. The Nerd raved about it and told me that I would definitely need to make more for the freezer for when baby comes. The kids were a little hesitant to try it, but we will bring them around!

While purchasing my couscous that crazy day at the grocery, I also bought a bottle of 7-up because I had seen the recipe for those 7-up biscuits over and over again. Posters raved that they were the best biscuits they had ever tasted - so I figured they were worth a try. Only a certain hubby of mine and his children decided to drink the 7-up, but I caught them in time to save enough for the biscuits. And oh. my. word. "Best biscuits ever" does not even begin to describe these delectable creations. As the Nerd ate his, his eyes widened and he emphatically stated that this was the only way I was to make biscuits ever again. Yes, they are THAT good.

And finally, the Beast wanted me to make something for his class on Halloween. Normally I would have made adorable cupcakes or cookies, but I had no energy for such creativity. So we made this candy corn bark instead. It's super easy - you just melt a bunch of white candy melts, pour them into a wax-paper-covered pan, and sprinkle the melted candy with candy corn and pretzels. When it hardens, you simply break into pieces and serve. Well, that is, until you get to school and find out that they no longer accept homemade goodies for parties and birthdays. Oh well, we just waited until after class to hand them out.

Now I'm hungry for lunch!

Happy October 31st!

Pumpkins have been carved. The Spud helped make a cute spider while the Beast insisted on carving his own "bat house." The Drama Queen drew out instructions for her pumpkin, and Daddy kindly did the carving for her.

Avast me hearties! These scalliwags had fun at the fall festival last night.

Our future veterinarian paused to pose before insisting that we make her a surgical mask to wear "in case she had to operate on her puppy."

Even Little Sprout got dressed up as the sweet little pumpkin she is! And her momma posed as a pumpkin smuggler.

The Beast's costume got double duty today since he got to wear it to preschool today! It's been a weekend of silly fun and family memories. Despite being homebound today due to the modified bed rest, I am doing my best to make it an exciting day for the kids. They are eating their lunch of ghost toast, carrot jack'o'lanterns, and hairy hotdogs now. . .

and linking up with:

Art Project #4 - String Pumpkins and Gourds

One of my earliest school memories is doing a project in which we wrapped string dipped in glue around a balloon in various patterns. When the glue dried, we popped the balloon and had a hollow string sculpture to display. While exploring Pinterest the other day, I was reminded of this simple project and thought it would be the perfect platform to make some pumpkin and gourd decorations for our home.

Project Title: Pumpkin and Gourd String Art

Materials Needed: orange and yellow cotton yarn or string, school glue, a shallow pan such as a cake pan or pie pan, several balloons, and glitter (optional). For finishing, you may want some green ribbon and decorative silk leaves.

Purpose: To work with the basic premises of sculpture and 3D art; to understand importance of structure to a 3D work of art.

First, gather your supplies. Blow up your balloons until they are a nice round or slightly oval shape, being careful not to make them too big. (If you want ornament-sized pumpkins and gourds, use water balloons.) Blow up a few extra balloons to entertain the 3-year-old.

Next, cut your string. Measure around your balloon with the string, leaving a little extra for overlap and cut. Use that string to cut many more pieces of the same size in both yellow and orange. Then make your glue mixture. The recipe I used called for one part glue to two parts water. I think it certainly could have used more glue - I would do one part glue to one part water next time. If you are a glitter lover like myself, whisk in some sparkly glitter into the mixture. This is a good opportunity for everyone to get a chance to "help."

After covering your work surface abundantly with newspaper or an old tablecloth, begin covering your balloon with string. Dip one string into the glue mixture until the entire string is completely soaked. Wrap the wet string around your balloon, making sure that the ends overlap a little. Continue wrapping soaked strings around the balloon, making sure to cover large spaces so there will be no big holes in the sculpture. I found that my young ones, including my kindergartener, struggled with this. They all wanted to bunch up the yarn or toss it haphazardly across the balloon. This is a good time to explain why it needs to be tightly wrapped and spaced out in order for the structure to survive. It is also a good time to help so that frustration doesn't last. Art is supposed to be fun!

Keep wrapping your balloon until you are satisfied with the coverage. If you are not sure, "overdo" it!

Here is a good example of what your balloon should look like, although I would have covered some of those holes even more. Leave the balloons on the newspaper to dry. When the strings on the top of the balloon feel dry, turn the balloon over so that the underside strings have a chance to dry also. We did ours on a Friday afternoon, and they were completely dry by Saturday morning. Next, carefully pop the balloons and remove the broken balloon from inside your string sculpture. Three of our sculptures didn't make it - they collapsed into a stiff pile of string due to inadequate coverage or too much bunching. Also, I think the glue mixture was a little weak, as I mentioned before.

Tie another piece of string to the top of your gourd or pumpkin sculpture for hanging. We then used a short piece of green ribbon and a decorative silk leaf tied to the top to make them truly look like pumpkins and gourds. I think they would be just as cute with just the green ribbon or perhaps some green felt leaves glued on.

And then be sure to hang up your creations! We are definitely going to revisit this project again at Easter time and make pastel eggs to decorate our home. By the way, if you insert a small wrapped candy or prize inside the balloon before you blow it up, your sculpture will have a fun surprise center!

Art Project #3 - Pointillism Apples in a Bushel

Project Title: Pointillism Apples

Materials Needed: white paper, school glue, glue stick, craft paint, q-tips, sticks/twigs, leaves, brown crayon, scissors

Purpose: To teach students about the art form of pointillism. Also is helpful in cutting and gluing practice.

First, gather all of your materials. For the bushel basket, I printed off this image here and cut it out as shown (minus the apples). For the apples, I printed off this image here and traced it six times on a sheet of white paper. The kids helped me gather small leaves and twigs for the project.

Next, set up the painting station. I used a divided plate for our three colors - red, green, and yellow, and gave each child three q-tips. I should mention that although it is not pictured, I did end up setting everything out on newspaper to protect the table! :) (If you have older kids, you can teach them how to mix red with various amounts of white to make different shades of red for their apples, and so on.)

Demonstrate how to dip the Q-tip into the paint and then make a dot in the apple shape without dragging it around like a paint brush. Have your child fill up the apple shape with as many dots as they can without blending them together. Your child may wish to do two or even three colors on their apple to make it more realistic looking. Explain that pointillism is painting with tiny dots so that they become blended in the viewer's eye. You can even demonstrate that putting a bunch of blue and yellow dots close to each other will make it appear green from a distance.

Once your child finishes painting her apples (or gets tired of it!), set them aside to dry. Have your child glue the bushel basket to the bottom of a blank sheet of white paper and then color it brown.

Next, use the school glue to make thin lines on the bushel basket and attach the twigs. Break the twigs to a smaller size if necessary. Remind your child that this glue does not dry instantly; thus they must be careful not to bump the previously placed twigs on their basket.

When all glue and paint has dried, give your child a safe pair of scissors and instruct them to cut out their apples. This is good practice for following a curved line with scissors. Help them if they get frustrated.

Use the glue stick to glue the apples wherever the child chooses in the bushel basket.

Finally, squeeze large dots of school glue to the top of each apple and gently set the stem of each leaf in the glue dot. Set the whole project in a place where it will not be disturbed until the glue has dried.

My daughter chose to write "A is for Apple" on her project, and we hung all three projects up as pretty fall decor when they finished.

I say "A is for Adorable"! :)

Recess

Blogging during recess. Now there's a new one for me. But it's either that or trying to fit in some blogging in the evening. And although the evening does give me some "free time"(time to fold laundry, clean the kitchen, work on children's church curriculum, work on baby stuff, work on lesson plans, clip coupons, etc), it is fairly safe to say that at this point in the pregnancy, my brain has completely checked out at that time. Completely. So much so that I am not remembering conversations with the Nerd during this time. Unless of course he is making it all up just to torment me.

Anyway. Where has life been leading us lately?

1. The Nerd went away to nerd heaven (aka computer conference) all weekend. He had a fantastic time. I counted the minutes until he returned.

2. There was a big rat on our deck last night. It came right up to the sliding glass door and stared at us. I may or may not have freaked out. The Nerd was an idiot and opened the door. Thankfully the rat had enough sense not to come in. Thanks for all the crazy dreams, rat! (and Nerd!)

3. It is finally fall here in Oregon. The temperatures dropped from 85 to 60 in one day, and the rain has been making us all sleepy.

4. Speaking of sleepy, all three of my children slept in until 8:30 am today. I did find evidence in the kitchen that the Spud had been up earlier for a little cereal snack, but apparently he went back to bed and they all slept soundly until I had to wake them up. Did you hear that people? I HAD TO WAKE THEM UP. Unheard of around here!

5. I am contemplating going to the "no-poo" method for washing my hair. I have read a lot about it and am considering it, not to save money necessarily but to help my hair get a lot healthier. Have any of you tried it? It is supposed to be really great for people with curly frizzy hair (aka me) and people with dandruff issues (aka Nerd).

oh here come the kids. I have to hide the candy corn before they see it. til next recess!

A Kaleidoscope of Fall Color

We had the perfect day to visit the pumpkin patch on Saturday - beautiful, sunny, with just a touch of chill to the weather. The most adorable children featured below enjoyed choosing a pumpkin, petting various animals (the Drama Queen fell in love with the sweet chicks), eating cider donuts and kettle corn, and posing endlessly for Momma's relentless camera. So most of the pictures feature the one and only Spud? Sorry, I can't help the little guy is so cute and more than willing to pose for photos. . .

. . . and what better way to end our annual fall excursion taking a walk with Daddy by the pond? That, and maybe just one more cider donut. . .

A View into the Gallery

It's been difficult to find time to blog lately. Sick kiddies certainly don't help in that arena. And custom orders for The Framed Frog have been taking up a huge chunk of my time. Not that I'm complaining! I started The Framed Frog with the premise that customers would be able to order exactly what they were envisioning in their minds. I wanted them to be able to find the items at The Framed Frog that they would not be able to get anywhere else. There is a certain joy and satisfaction in making something that completely matches the customer's wishes.

So, would you like a peek into my gallery of "What I've Been Up to Lately"?

This is Apple Blossom Cluster in Sepia, custom-made to match a customer's entryway. She actually got two of these paintings as a set. The Apple Blossom Cluster painting is now available in my shop - and can be custom painted in any color palette.

Another customer has this beautiful bench on her front porch decorated with sunflower pillows. She wanted a sign to match her decor that gently reminded guests to remove their shoes before entering the house. I am currently working on another version of this sign that reads "Welcome" for another customer.

This is my favorite fall project so far. Earlier in August, a customer requested their family initial done in an autumn theme to hang in their living room for the fall season. Since then, I've done two more of these letters for other customers and am planning on making one for our home as well. The brightly-colored pumpkins, gourds, and leaves are a lot of fun to paint!

And here is the 2009 Christmas ornament collection from The Framed Frog. These keepsakes are made of paper mache and hand-painted to exactly match your custom needs.

The I'm Dreaming of a Pink Christmas ornament features whimsical green and pink Christmas trees and the year. The flip side is decorated with retro stars and whatever personalization you want.

This is Baby's First Christmas ornament. Custom match the baby's skin color and hair color to your little one's, and personalize the flip side with the baby's name and sweet polka dots.

The Paisley Fields ornament comes in your color choices and personalization.

TJ and Robbie made their Framed Frog debut on this whimsical blue frame, perfect for a little boy's room.

And the orders for my custom keepsake name trains keep chugging in! The airplanes and stars theme seems to be a popular one. Currently I am working on a set of trains for two sisters in a pink ribbon and roses theme.

And here is my latest wall letter order. The yellow damask pattern was custom-painted on the letters to match the nursing chair in Marlowe's nursery. I absolutely love the aqua and yellow in this nursery - totally unexpected for a girl and totally beautiful.

So I'm just a little busy. Meanwhile, have you entered the Fantastic Froggy Fall Craft Contest over at The Scrappy Frog? You could win some of the things you just saw in that contest!

Or you could do a little Christmas shopping at The Framed Frog...