Apples, apples, everywhere!

We had a blast with a recent science unit that was all about apples! We studied the various parts of an apple, discussed their different colors, and learned about how fruit grows from seed to blossom to harvest. But we saved the two best activities for last -- we held a taste test and then made apple volcanoes!

Red, green, and yellow ... which do we like best?

We observed visual differences between the various colors, even measuring them to see which was biggest, and we noted these observations on a Venn diagram. Then it was time to taste!! Each student got a small wedge of each flavor.

Not everyone liked the apples, but many students asked for seconds!

Once we'd tasted all three, the students voted on which color they liked the best. We incorporated a lesson in graphing to determine which variety was the most popular.

It was a tie! We liked reds and greens equally!

We used leftover apple cores to do a little apple stamping and painting. The next day, our awesome substitute showed us how to make apple volcanoes. This is basically the vinegar/baking soda chemical reaction, but doing it inside a core-less apple made it more fun. The students loved getting to pour their own ingredients into the apple, and they learned if they poured a little at a time, they had enough liquid to repeat the experiment multiple times! Self-control pays off! 😁

Who's hungry after seeing all of these yummy apple activities?!? 😉

Hands-on learning

Most of the learning we do can't be brought home; we do lots of hands-on activities that make learning fun. Here's a look at just a few of them ...

These number lines are simple -- just a bead strung along a pipe cleaner taped to a colorful number line -- but they help students begin to achieve "number sense," a better understanding of numbers' connections to each other and ways to apply this knowledge. We partnered up and had fun moving the bead from number to number and noting which numbers came before or after the assigned figure. This particular activity also addresses multiple learning styles, primarily visual and kinesthetic learners.

Mrs. Shepard and Mrs. Viall both have a lot of homemade learning games, including these which asked the students to match upper- and lowercase letters or beginning sounds.

Working with clothespins also helps strengthen fine motor skills!

This simple letter treasure hunt was fun too, and you can easily duplicate it at home. We wrote upper and lowercase letters onto a large poster, but you could use paper. Call out a random letter and have your child locate it. They can cover it with a small object (we used decorative erasers) or circle it with a pencil or marker.

 

Even our substitute teachers excel at hands-on learning ... check out these fun activities Mrs. Shepard's sub brought in last week!

This key activity was the students' favorite! They had to find the corresponding lowercase letter, the key attached to which would open the lock! How cool is that? Anyone want to donate a bunch of padlocks and keys to K5? 😉