I must not be alone because activities with apples can be found in almost every preschool and elementary school classroom at the start of the school year.

Whether you are looking for something to do in a classroom or just a fun fall activity for the kids at home, this collection of the best apple activities for kids is sure to inspire you this fall. 

These activities with apples would be perfect to go with an apple unit in the classroom or homeschool.  They’d also be a fun addition if you are looking for farm unit ideas. 

You could also use them to celebrate Johnny Appleseed’s birthday on September 26.  

Affiiate links have been provided below.  For more details see my full disclosure. 

Apple Activities for Kids

There are so many awesome apple-themed activities to experience this fall.  

I’ve grouped all the activities below to help you find the perfect activity for your kids.

Apple Math Activities

Apple-Themed Skip Counting  —  Recycle plastic lids into the perfect math manipulatives for an apple unit.  Then use them to work on skip counting skills. 

Apple Sorting  —  Sorting is an important skill for little ones to master.  This apple activity for toddlers and preschoolers is a fun way to work on sorting this fall.  

Pom-Pom Apple Math Activities  —  Pom-poms are perfect for working on sorting, counting, working on patterns, and so much more.  

Fine Motor One-to-One Correspondence — This free printable is perfect for working on counting with toddlers and preschoolers. 

Apple Bowling and Counting Game—  Get your child up and moving with this fun counting activity. 

Addition Apple Math File Folder Game—  This file folder game is perfect for a math center in the classroom or to use in your homeschool.  

Roll & Color Apple Worksheet — Kids love to roll dice.  This fun activity will have kids recognizing shapes and following directions. 

Measure an Apple’s Circumference — Kids will have fun estimating the circumference of different apples and then work on measuring skills to see how close their estimate was.  Which delicious apple will be the biggest?  

Apple Graphing — There are so many fun things you could graph about apples.  This free printable pairs perfectly with a fun fall-themed book.  

Telling Time with Apples—  Make working on telling time more fun with this apple printable! 

Greater Than/Less Than Apple Tree Math— This could be called part craft and part math activity.  It would be fun in a math center. 

Fractions with Apples — Elementary kids will have fun working on fraction skills using these printable apple worksheets. 

STEM Activities with Apples

Apple Wrecking Ball — Kids of all ages will have fun designing and engineering their own wrecking ball using an apple.  

Browning Apple Experiment —  What liquids can keep a cut apple from browning?  Kids will have fun making a hypothesis and testing their ideas in this experiment. 

Apple Volcanoes — Kids love to make things explode and bubble!  This is a fun take on a classic kids science activity. 

Bubbling Apples — This one would be fun to do as a preschool apple unit activity.  

Make Apple Seeds Jump— Can you make apples seeds jump and dance?  Find out how in this simple preschool science activity. 

Growing Germs —  Here’s a fun experiment to show just how germy our hands really can be.  What germs will your apple grow? 

Crystal Apples—  This one is part science and part art  — making it a fun apple STEAM project for kids. 

Apple Reading Activities 

Apple-Themed Sight Word/CVC Word Game— Your child will love this scavenger hunt and reading the words on the apples they collect.  

Bottle Cap Word Sort––  Bottle caps make fun (and inexpensive) manipulatives for this hands-on learning activity.  Kids will take turns sorting the “apples” into the correct basket according to the letter combinations each word starts with.  

Apple Themed Word Bump— If you aren’t familiar with how to play word bump, then you are missing out!  Check out this free printable and fun way to work on spelling and sight words. 

Apple Sight Word Game— Read the word on the apple, then flip it over to see how many points you earn.  How many points can your child get in 1 minute?  Challenge them to beat their score the next time.  So much fun! 

Apple Picking Word Game— Read the word on the paper apple and then you get to “pick it” from the tree.  Perfect for preschool and kindergarten. 

Activities for Ten Apples up on Top —  Ten Apples up on Top is a popular Dr. Seuss book for fall.  Check out these fun  Dr. Seuss book activities to go with the book.

Apple Emergent Reader— Preschoolers and kindergartners will love coloring their very own reader. 

Apple Books 

Apples by Gail Gibbons  — Learn all about this fantastic fruit and how people use it in this brightly-illustrated picture book.

Bad Apple: A Tale of Friendship by Edward Hemingway — What happens when an apple becomes friends with a worm?  Poor Mac the apple gets called names, but learns to stand up to the bullies when he decides he’d rather be a “rotten apple” with his friend than a lonely apple.

Ten Apples up on Top! by Dr. Seuss  — Just how many apples can you balance on your head? Kids of all ages will find themselves laughing at this classic book.  

Curious George Apple Harvest by H.A. Rey  —  As usual, George’s curiosity gets the best of him in this fun book.  Will George be able to collect all the apple cider and stop the machine,  or will he find himself in a sticky situation?

How Do Apples Grow? by Betsy Maestro  —  Have you ever eaten part of a flower? You have if you have eaten an apple! Find out how an apple grows from bud to flower to fruit–ready for you to pick!

Johnny Appleseed by Steven Kellogg  —  Find out all about one of America’s legends in this colorful and beautifully illustrated book.  

Apple Sensory Activities

Apple-Scented Bubble Dough  —  Find out how 2 simple ingredients can make the most amazing, super soft playdough you’ve ever seen.  Plus, it smells great!

Apple-Scented Cloud Dough—  Here’s another fun, and super simple homemade playdough that smells like apples. 

Apple-Scented Water Beads— Water beads are fun to squish and play with.  Find out how you can make them scented for fall. 

Apple Tasting— When it comes to apple sensory activities, don’t forget the easiest and most delicious one!  

Apple Sensory Bin— This brightly colored sensory bin will inspire you to create your very own. 

Apple Crafts

Apple Stamping Craft— Make art with apples!  This is a classic apple craft for toddlers and preschoolers.  

Apple Suncatcher— Sun catchers are always a fun craft for kids.  This one looks so pretty in the window.

Torn Paper Craft—  Ripping paper is a fun way for kids to strengthen hand muscles.  Use those torn bits to make this fun apple craft for preschoolers. 

Tissue Paper Apple— Here’s another fun way to use torn paper for a kids craft.

Sew a Paper Apple— Work on early sewing skills with this simple paper craft. 

Cereal Apple Tree— Check out how your child can use their favorite cereal to make this apple tree craft.

Pine Cone Apple— This is the most adorable kindergarten apple craft!  It’s one the kids will be proud of. 

Felt Apple Pie— Kids will have so much fun building their own apple pies using this DIY pretend play kit using felt. 

Apple Snacks Kids Can Make

Apple Cars —  These adorable cars made from apple slices are perfect for kids to build and eat. 

Homemade Applesauce—  Making applesauce with the kids is an easy and fun way to enjoy this tasty fruit. 

Homemade Apple Pie—  No apple unit is complete without making apple pie.  

Crunchy Apple Chips—  Make healthy and delicious apple chips with the kids to munch on while reading some of your favorite books. 

These apple activities for kids are perfect for creating your own apple unit this fall.

You may also want to check out:

• 20 Crafts and Activities with Real Leaves
• 30+ Hands-On STEM Activities 
• Halloween Party Ideas 

Originally published August 5, 2016.

The post The BEST Apple Activities for Kids first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Like so many young girls, she loves all things fairy.  

These fairy crafts are the perfect combination of whimsy and magic to inspire any little girl’s imagination.  

They’d be fun kids crafts for girls that love fairies. 

If you know a little girl that loves fairies, I promise she will love these cute crafts.   

And, if she likes mermaids, too, you’ll want to check out these fun mermaid gift for girls.

Fairy Crafts

From miniature fairy houses and gardens to homemade wands, there are so many magical craft ideas to choose from.

I’ve organized them by type so you can find the perfect craft to inspire dreams of tiny winged creatures fluttering around the flower beds.

Miniature Fairy Dolls

Flying Craft Stick Fairies — Turn simple craft sticks into fairies that can really fly. (pictured)

Simple Clothespin Fairies — A simple clothespin becomes a fairy when you add pipe cleaner wings.   

Flower Fairies — These beautiful fairies would be fun for kids to play with.  

Sugar Plum Fairy Peg Doll — This would be fun to play with or to hang as a decoration.  

Paper Fairy Puppet —  Discover how you can turn your photo into a stick puppet. 

Tinkerbell Clothes Pin Doll — Kids will have fun making the most famous fairy of them all with this simple idea. 

Winter Fairy Peg Doll — These cute little fairies are perfect for pretend play. (pictured)

Clothes Peg Fairies — Girls will love making these simple flower fairies. 

Fairy Spoon Doll —  Turn a spoon into an adorable fairy.  

Lego Mini Figure Fairy Hack — Make your own wings and turn your mini figures into fairies. (pictured)

Gorgeous Stick Fairies  — A stick with wings made of leaves is a fun nature craft that inspires imagination. (pictured)

Fairy Wand Crafts

Sparkly Fairy Wand Party Invitations — Planning a fairy birthday party?  This would be a super cute invitation idea! 

Rainbow Ribbon Fairy Wand — With it’s rainbow of ribbons, this wand will be a huge hit with any little girl. (pictured)

Shimmering Nature Wand — Your child will have fun using a bit of nature to make this sparkling wand.  

Garden Fairy Butterfly Wands —  Why stick to ordinary wands?  This one looks like tiny butterflies have landed on that wand.  So cute!

Twirling Ribbon Sticks — Every girl will love these wands with long, curling ribbons.   (pictured)

Felt Fairy Wand — Use felt to personalize that wand in her favorite colors.  

Fairy House Craft Ideas

DIY Toy Tree House — This multi-storied tree house is sure to inspire hours of pretend play with some homemade fairy dolls. (pictured)

Alice the Fairy Natural Play Area — A little dirt, some rocks, and miniature toys are all you need for this idea.  

Fairy Garden Small World Play — Turn an old dresser drawer into a miniature play land. 

Portable Small World Fairy Garden — Kids will love having their own play set they can take with them.  

Play Dough Fairy Garden —  Colorful play dough and small trinkets are perfect for inspiring play. (pictured)

Recycled Fairy House —  Discover how your kids can turn trash into a cute fairy house.  

Egg Carton Fairy Houses — You can make a whole village of tiny houses using a recycled egg carton.

Fairy Garden Crafts

Succulent Fairy Garden —  Succulents are perfect for using in a miniature fairy garden. (pictured)

How to Make a Miniature Fairy Garden —  Find the perfect plants to create your own world in a flower pot. 

Painted Fairy Houses — Turn flower pots into cute houses that are perfect for the garden.  

Fairy Garden Mason Jar Terrarium — This mason jar idea would make a cute decoration for a child’s room or the kitchen table. (pictured)

How to Make a Fairy Garden — Here’s another simple way to create your own fairy world in a flower pot.  

Seashell Fairy House for the Garden — Use all those shells from your last vacation to make the perfect summer home for fairies. (pictured)

Fairy Door Craft —  Is that a tiny door at the base of that tree?  You’ll love this whimsical idea.  

Craft Stick Fairy Door — Here’s another fun way to create that tiny door, using craft sticks.  

Beautiful Fairy Door — Where will you place your fairy door?  On a flower pot?  On a tree?  Wherever you put it, it will be magical. (pictured)

More Fairy Crafts for Kids

Fairy Lanterns from Mason Jars —  Wouldn’t your child love to catch a fairy?  These whimsical jars are perfect as night lights and look like a fairy has been caught in the jar.  Tweens and teens would have fun with this one.  Or, make it as a gift for your younger child. (pictured)

Plastic Bottle Fairy House Nightlights —  Recycle a plastic bottle into an adorable nightlight.  

Fairy House Luminaries — This is a simpler version of a light up fairy house that younger crafters will have fun with. (pictured)

DIY Homemade Fairy Wings —  Toddlers and preschoolers will have fun decorating their very own fairy wings to wear. 

DIY Fairy Wings —  Create beautiful wings for your child to wear.  Perfect for pretend play.  (pictured)

Bottled Fairy Dust Necklace —  Tweens will love making this necklace full of magical fairy dust.  

Fairy Sensory Play

Fairy Soup Sensory Play —  Young children will have fun using real flower petals to create their own version of fairy soup. (pictured)

Fairy Play Dough Recipe —  This sparkling play dough is super soft. 

Fairy Mud Sensory Play —  Imagination will soar when kids start mixing up this fairy mud.  This is perfect for outdoor play.  

Fizzing Fairy Potions — No child can resist this fizzing science fun.  (pictured)

Sensory Writing in Fairy Dust —  Encourage early writers to work on fine motor skills and letter creation with this idea. (pictured)

If you like these kids fairy crafts you’ll also like:

• Gorgeous Flower Petal Suncatcher
• Sea Animal Crafts
• Mini Garden Activity 

Originally published April 19, 2017.

The post The BEST Fairy Crafts for Kids first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Hands-on math activities are one way to do that.  

This hands-on measuring volume activity is guaranteed to be a huge hit, and it is super easy to set up.

Measuring Volume Activity 

Materials Needed:

• Dry Rice or Beans
• Measuring Cups
• Plastic Containers of Different Shapes and Sizes
• Measuring Spoons (optional)
• Large Shallow Container (optional)

The multi-colored rainbow rice we have for sensory bin filler was perfect for this activity.  

To create an invitation to explore measurement, I poured the rice into a large, shallow container and added our measuring cups, spoons, and several small plastic containers of various sizes.  

Don’t have a large enough container?  Just pour the rice into a container wide enough to scoop from.  

Setting it up on a tablecloth will help with clean-up.

Measuring Cup Activities

We used our measuring volume math station for several days.

Day 1:  

• The first day we used this math bin, I allowed the kids to freely explore the containers, pouring rice from one to the next.  
• I listened in as they commented about how many of the smaller containers they thought it would take to fill a larger one.  
• Eventually a few small toys were added to the bin, all part of the learning through play experience.

Day 2:  

• The next day I set the math station up a bit differently, placing all the rice into a smaller container that the kids could scoop out of.  The other containers and measuring cups were placed nearby.  
• To introduce the idea of measuring volume, I asked them to figure out which of the containers could hold the most rice.  
• Then I asked them to compare different pairs of containers to figure out which one would hold the most.  
• They were surprised to discover several differently shaped containers that held the same amount.  
• I allowed them to continue to explore on their own.

Day 3:

• On the third day of our measuring activity we focused on fractions.
• This time around we looked at the measuring cups and talked about which one held the most.  
• Then I asked them to figure out how many 1/4 cup measuring cups it would take to fill the 1 cup measuring cup.  
• After they saw it took 4, I asked them to use that knowledge to guess how many 1/2 cup and 1/3 cup measuring cups it would take to fill the 1 cup measuring cup.  
• Then we tested their theories.  It was a great hands-on way for them to see just what those fractions mean.

More Measurement Activities for Kids

• Allow the kids to use colored water to explore measurements.  This is great to do outside on a warm day, or take the activity to the bathtub.
• Try other units of measurement.  How many cups does it take to fill a pint container?  What about a quart or a gallon?
• Take the measuring to a new level and add in weights.  Use a digital scale to find out how much a quart of rice weighs.  Does a quart of water weigh the same?

This simple hands-on measuring volume activity is a fun way to help kids visualize measurements and fractions.   

For more fun hands-on learning ideas, check out our ABCs & 123s ebook.

You may also like these fun hands-on math activities:

• Subtraction Squish!
• Homemade Base 10 Manipulatives — Perfect for explaining carrying and borrowing in double digit math.
• Math Fact Races — Great for kinesthetic learners.
• Nerf Gun Math
• Have a Ball with Math Facts 

The post Measuring Volume: Hands-On Math Activity first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

So far we’ve had fun making colorful crayon-drip pumpkins and even turned one into a pumpkin volcano.

This week we got out hammers and nails for a fun fall fine motor activity. We had lots of fun hammering nails in pumpkins!

Affiliate links have been used below.  Click here for my full disclosure.

We have had fun with hammering nails into Styrofoam in the past.  With so many pumpkins on our porch, I thought it would be a fun to decorate our pumpkins in a new way.

Hammering nails is a great activity for hand-eye coordination, and it provides proprioceptive sensory input, too!

Hammering Nails in Pumpkins — Fine Motor Activity

This activity doesn’t require much prep, and the list of materials needed is pretty short.  You just need pumpkins, nails, and hammers.  If you do the activity inside, you may want a plastic table cloth to contain the mess.

My kids were super excited when they saw the container of nails shining in the sunlight, sitting next to the bright orange pumpkins and wood mallet.  I bet your kids will be excited, too!

Originally I had out a small, metal hammer and a toy wood mallet, but we soon discovered that the plastic hammer from my son’s toy workbench worked wonderfully when it came to hammering nails into the pumpkins.  (And, because the head on the toy hammer is a bit wider than the little metal hammer, it was easier for my son to hit the nails.)

They had fun hammering until every nail was used, and when they finished we had a pretty funky-looking pumpkin to display.

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Tips for This Pumpkin Activity:

• It helps to have a hammer for each child.  Who wants to wait to have a turn with the hammer?  Toy hammers will work if you don’t want them to use the real one.
• Don’t have a bunch of pumpkins on hand?  Let the kids paint them now, and then once the holiday is past, bring out the hammers and nails and let them go to town!
• Plan on carving the pumpkins?  You can always do a bit of hammering once the pumpkins start to get a bit moldy.
• Want to turn it into an even more educational activity?  Check out how we turned it into a math activity!

Other fun pumpkin activities from this site:

• Pumpkin Sink or Float
• Make a Pumpkin Volcano
• 15 Fun No-Carve Ways to Decorate Pumpkins

The post Pumpkin Activity: Hammering Nails in Pumpkins first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Are you ready to get messy?

This week our Nature Study Series had us exploring natural clay!

To find our clay, we headed for the local creek.

The kids soon found the hard, grey rock-like lumps we were seeking.

While they were interested in the fact that they could break the “rocks,” they really were looking forward to building with the clay.

Once we brought our clay home, we got out trays and containers of water to help soften it up.

I let each of my scientists decided how they would work the clay.

After getting its surface wet, and finding how slippery the clay became, my son decided to wash off his hands and head to the sandbox.

My daughter on the other hand, really got into it!

She left her clay in the water, breaking it up and squishing it as it softened until it was pudding consistency.

She loved it!

She spent a good hour squishing the clay between her fingers, drawing pictures in it on the tray, and pouring it into different containers.

And, since we were outside, cleanup was a breeze!

Want to take it a step further?

We talked about the fact that clay is made of super fine particles, much smaller than potting soil or regular “dirt.”

Before getting the clay wet, have your scientists predict what will happen when water is added.  Observe how the clay changes once it is wet.  (Does it change color?  Texture?)

Discuss how natural clay has been used in the past.  Then use your clay to build something!  We plan on letting ours dry out a bit and making a small pinch pot.

***

Like this post?

Check out the rest of our posts in this summer’s Nature Study Series!

Having trouble finding natural creek clay?

This one is similar:

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What do you do when you have five energetic kids stuck in the house?

Get out the shaving cream and let them go crazy with some basic shaving cream sensory play!

My kids have played with shaving cream a number of times.  It is ALWAYS a hit!

My daughter loved last summer’s whole body shaving cream experience and the Frozen-inspired sensory table… And when we had company over this week and she spotted the can of shaving cream I had stashed on the counter?

Well, I couldn’t resist introducing a whole new batch of kids to shaving cream sensory fun!

I started off by just squirting a little bit in front of each child.

They had fun squishing it and smearing it on the table, drawing pictures with their fingers, writing their names, and then smearing it to start all over again.

When they decided to work together to cover the whole table (this was a first here!), I got out miniature cars so they could see the tire marks each car left behind.

And just when our company was starting to think I was crazy for letting the kids cover the dining table in shaving cream…  I got out the food coloring.

Just a drop or two of food coloring gives the kids a whole new shaving cream experience!

They had fun mixing the colors and creating more shaving cream pictures.

And then I got a bit crazier….and sprinkled a bit of baking soda on the whole mess.

With a few sprays from my “magic squirt bottle”  (which was filled with vinegar and water), the colorful art work started to foam!

Of course the added liquid made it all a bit more slippery (a whole new sensory experience).

I bet by now you are wondering how clean up went.

Shaving cream is really pretty easy to clean up.

I usually wipe up as much as I can of it with dry paper towels before using a wet wash cloth.  As for the kids, I filled the sink with a bit of water and had them each walk to it with their hands in the air.  A quick dip in the water and a bit of rubbing and the shaving cream came right off, leaving the kids ready for whatever fun they’d find next.

(I’ll give you a secret:  If it’s just your own kids, let them play with the shaving cream in the bathtub!  All you need to do then is rinse the shaving cream down the drain and the kids are already in a convenient location for their own clean up, too!)

Have you ever let the kids play in shaving cream?

I’d love to hear how you’ve gotten creative with it in the comments!

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