Apples are the Stars of Fall

Many Kinds of Apples

  Apples can help teach children to observe, use their senses, make choices and predict. All are skills used in STEAM (science, technology, engineering art, and math). Then discussing food costs is a beginning of teaching economic principles.

Apple Shopping

   At the grocery help children pick out four different kinds of apples. Note their names, farm location and weigh the apples. Which one weighs the most? At the checkout look at the prices to see which apple costs the most. Talk about why some apples might cost more. At home look up where apples are grown and find the places on a map.

Select Apples

  Before working with the apples, teach children to wash apples and hands. Carefully cut the different colored apples in half from the stem through the core. Discuss halves as two equal pieces. Have children predict the apple they think will taste the best.  Then taste pieces of each color. After they decide which apple they like best, discuss words like sweet, sour, and crunchy. Match the words to the different apples.

Use a Cider Press - Make Apple Cider

  Cut the extra apple so the stem is at the top of the first half.  Children are always excited to see the seeds in the center in the shape of a five pointed star.

 Then cut a thin slice from each. Use red, yellow and green poster paint to paint each thin slice and press the painted slices carefully on paper to make star apple prints.

Apple Snacks

  Making cider is a wonderful family activity as you can see from these photos. Don't have a press? Visit a cider mill in your area. 
Apples make a nutritious snacks and Halloween monsters.  Cut very thin wedges and add a little cinnamon for something different. Peel, slice, sprinkle with cinnamon and place in the microwave for a few minutes. Cover with whipped cream.

Add Apples & Grind

  For apples monsters, cut an apple in half then cut a wedge out of the half so as one looks at the half it looks like a mouth. Stuff the mouth with peanut butter or cream cheese. Place a half strawberry for a tongue sticking out. Poke holes for two two eyes and a nose and stick chocolate points or pretzel sticks in the holes.  Pretzels and seeds can also be teeth. Whipped cream can be frothy hair.

Cider is the Juice of Crushed Apples! Enjoy!!!

 Baked apples in a microwave are easy and quick. Children can wash and use a table knife to core a two apples. In a bowl mix two

 tablespoons brown sugar and one teaspoon cinnamon and stuff the center of the apples. Place a teaspoon of butter on top of that mixture. Then adults can microwave cook in a safe dish for about 3 minutes until tender. Cool and test before giving to children. While eating you can tell the Johnny Appleseed story. 

photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

For more science and math STEM adventures go to -  grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons live Tuesdays at 4:30pm and Saturdays at 8:30 am and pod casts archived on the site.