We kicked off homeschool preschool this fall learning all about apples! It was such a joy to watch my preschooler get excited to learn all about the letter “A” through hands-on activities, reading, and even a field trip to an apple orchard. Hopefully, this sneak peek into our week will give you some inspiration into what you can do with your preschooler/kindergartner! Enjoy this look at our “A is for Apple” week.
Monday: Learning All About “A”
We kicked off the week by reinforcing recognition of the letter “A” (my son was already somewhat familiar from all of our reading!). I utilized this amazing resource which contains a bunch of simple worksheets for learning all about “A” and apples!
First, we got creative! Using a large letter “A” that we printed from the learning pack, my son used some washable paints to decorate the “A” with apple-themed colors like red, green, and yellow. Later, we painted apples onto some paper, too! He had a blast dipping his brush into the paint and creating his own masterpiece.
My son loved painting his letter A with washable paint
He also enjoyed doing several worksheets that had both the uppercase and lowercase “A” with dotted lines for tracing. My little one loved practicing with a chunky pencil, and I worked on my encouragement skills while he drew letters that were much too large for the given outlines. :)
The hand print apples that we painted
To add a sensory element, we used a tray filled with sand to “write” the letter with our fingers!
Tuesday: Counting Apples
The next day, we brought in some counting activities using—you guessed it—apples!
We read Ten Apples Up On Top by Dr. Seuss, and took turns counting the apples on each characters head. Then I found a coloring sheet for my son to color the characters from the book along with a bunch of apples to cut out (fine motor skill practice!). Then, we used a felt board and practiced stacking and counting apples, just like the characters in the book! There is nothing like seeing a book come to life for your child.
He asked for worksheets (every mother’s dream!) and so we did some more things from our packet that involved counting and identifying numbers.
Then I added a little twist by removing apples and asking, “How many do we have now?” It was a great hands-on way to reinforce early math skills. Then, we enjoyed a snack of apples to end our learning time!
My preschooler loved these interactive worksheets
Wednesday: Apple Worms and Good Fruit
On Wednesday, we did some science!
We talked about the life cycle of an apple, from seed to sapling to tree to blossom to fruit. He colored and made a fun accordion visual from our learning pack.
Then, we dissected apples from our friend's apple tree and ended up finding apple worms! Did you know that apple worms eat the fruit from the inside out?! As I should have expected, my son was absolutely fascinated with the bugs and couldn’t get enough.
Apple worms that we found in an apple from our friend's tree
Finding the apple worms gave us the perfect opportunity to talk about good fruit and bad fruit. No one wants to eat a fruit with worms in it! This was the perfect illustration for a young child about what type of fruit we want to produce in our lives with our actions. Should we choose to listen to mom and dad? Is it good fruit to make our bed? Is it good fruit to hit our brother? These yucky worms were a great object lesson that I didn’t know was coming!
Thursday: Apple Orchard Field Trip
For a change of pace on Thursday, we went on a field trip to a local apple orchard! We got to ride a wagon pulled by a tractor into the orchard. The fresh air, rows of apple trees, and the chance to pick apples right from the branches were all a big hit.
My preschooler picking apples at the orchard
My preschooler was thrilled to find bright red apples and place them in our basket. It was a wonderful way to connect our lessons to real life—and we came home with plenty of apples and apple cider to enjoy.
Friday: Reading How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World and Baking an Apple Pie
Our grand finale was reading the delightful book How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman. This charming story takes children on an adventure around the globe to gather ingredients for an apple pie, making it a fun introduction to geography too!
After reading, we headed into the kitchen to make our own apple pie. My preschooler helped mix the dough, peel apples, and sprinkle cinnamon sugar. It was messy, but so worth it. The smell of the pie baking in the oven filled the house, and sharing a warm slice together (along with some hot chocolate per his special request) made the perfect end to our apple-filled week.
This week was not only fun but also packed with learning. By the end of the week, my preschooler could recognize the letter “A,” count apples confidently, and even knew a little about where ingredients come from! If you're looking for a hands-on, engaging way to teach your child the letter “A,” consider giving this apple-themed week a try.
Happy homeschooling! 🍎