Planning for Apples Week

When school first starts I don't seem to have much of a theme. I claim it's "back to school" but we're focusing so much on just the routine and transitions that there's isn't much of one at all. Then I like to do colors and before I know it's it's mid October and I'm conflicted between apples and pumpkins.

We usually do themes for 2 weeks at a time. I think we're going to do apples for about 1 week and then go into pumpkins/Halloween/fall. That should let us play catch up with some of the other classrooms in our hall. They have apples and pumpkins posted outside their rooms and we just posted our rainbow craft 😳

I'm planning this weekend for apples this week and thought I would share what resources I'm putting to use.

As part of their arrival routine students have an assigned cookie tray activity to complete. We just started these 2 weeks ago and they've done really well with them. We started out with a mixture of simple tasks and this week will be doing apple themed activities from my Apples Cookie Tray Activities Pack. You can check it out {here}.

 

I have one student who will still be doing simple magnetic dot activities. -- I use these from The Scrappy Penguin. You can grab these {here}.

I use these all throughout the school year so I keep them nearby my cookie tray supplies. I printed out the color version and put them on construction paper before laminating.

Moving along through our routine the next part where we will have some new apple activities during center time. We will have apple themed activities in our play centers and I have some apple themed resources I will use when I pull students to work with me 1:1.

In our dramatic play center we will have lots of fun with an "Apple Pie Bakery"! The space I have for dramatic play is different than in these photos, but this gives you an idea. This was set up about 5 years ago, maybe 6--yikes! BUT I still have all the same signs and materials in great condition.

 

 

You can learn more about how I set it up by reading this blog post {here} and you can purchase the Apple Bakery Dramatic Play Set {here}. as part of my Apples, Apples, Apples Unit.

In the art area when we aren't doing an apple theme craft we will having these playdoh mats available with red playdoh. Students practice counting and 1:1 correspondence by adding the correct number of apples to each mat.

 

These are a FREEBIE in my TpT store that you can download {here}. 

As students are playing at free choice centers I will call them to work with me 1:1 so we can practice on academic tasks. I will use themed resources when appropriate and for students who are practicing those skills. I have counting books for numbers 1-10, and 11-20, and shape sorting cards too.

 

These are also great to assign to students in work boxes as independent tasks if you are looking to reinforce already mastered skills.

Here's more information on them all: 1-10 counting book, 11-20 counting book, shape sorting cards.

Following center time we have recess and then large group time. At large group time we typically read a book, or complete an adapted book as a class. Following our book we check out a follow-up song/video on the smartboard or I introduce a new song to the students.

I love to have any type of manipulative I can when I'm introducing new activities. This 5 Little Apples Song is great because I created counting cards that we can use as we count down our apples.

 

I can also take the song page and place it in our song book if the students want to do it again at a later date. If you are interested in these cards you can grab them {here}.

For our adapted books, most of the ones I use are from File Folder Heaven and Adventures in the ATC

That pretty much wraps up my apple planning and resources that I'll use. I know most of my links are for my own products, but my intentions were not to force sell my own stuff. I truly create materials that I am using in my classroom for my own use. I don't just create products to sell them. I felt that walking you through my planning and showing you the items I use would help to illustrate that!

-- not to mention I found some new resources I'm going to use this week while planning! We haven't opened our sensory table yet so I don't have anything to share for that. Whats your go-to sensory table item for an apple themed week?