How to Make an Apple Pie (FIAR)

A little fun with lots of learning-1st try at apple bopping 

So we have finished our first week of homeschool and my first book of Five in a Row: How to Make an Apple Pie and Travel the World by Marjorie Priceman. It is a cute book about a girl who travels the world to get the ingredients to make apple pie. So here is our row:

Math:

Various farm theme math sheets for cheap Grade 1 workbooks 

3 part apple math cards from 1st Grade Parade 

Measuring Trees printable from 2 Teaching Mommies

Odd & Even Apple Trees from 1st Grade Parade

Ripe Math was also a printable from 1st Grade Parade. 

We asked 25 people what their favorite type of fruit pie is and then made a pie graph. We also did a lot of introduction to fractions as well. 

Social Studies:

This idea came from Delightful Learning. We took the manipulatives from our sensory bin (you can see that here) and placed them on our world map.

Paper Plate Globe from Mrs. T's First Grade 

We did all the maps from the How to Make an Apple Pie lapbook from homeschoolshare and the Vermont coloring sheet from Crayola

We love this song on Youtube to teach the names of the continents

We also studied about Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman). What a truly amazing American. Here "A" is writing about how he would throw a party for Johnny Appleseed. He had to know some of his likes to answer the questions. 

We also filled out this Look Who is Famous informational sheet. I think we will use this sheet for all amazing people we learn about. You can find it at homeschool creations.

Literacy:

This is our poetry journal which I will do a complete post about in awhile. He highlights high frequency words and illustrates it. Here is with apple paint prints. 

Our apple picking sight word game. I took the idea of my popcorn game and wrote our high frequency words on apple prints and wrote the word Rot for the word to send the apples back. Check out my popcorn post on how to play.

We had a vocabulary word each day that he wrote on apples and defined: harvest, acquaintance, crop, coax 

I love this KWL chart from 1st Grade Parade

Sequence Cards from Fiarcircle

We did a comparison of the All in Just One Cookie to How to Make an Apple Pie and mapped where the books got their ingredients. 

This isn't the best picture but he had to write an alternate ending to How to Make an Apple Pie. What if he really wanted vanilla ice-cream. What would he need and where would he go. The only thing extra is vanilla which in All for one Cookie we learn he could go to Madagascar if he wanted-s that is what he did.

Science:

He labeled the parts of an apple. This printable is from here 

I got this idea from Mrs. T's First Grade. I love the art component. 

This is a salt evaporation experiment that is in the Five in a Row Volume 1 book. The worksheet is part of the lapbook at HomeschoolShare.

This experiment I read on Pinterest and can't find the owner. Let me know if it is you. Take one clean apple slice and then drop another, rub your hands on it, etc and see which molds fastest. Great way to discuss germs!

Of course we made an apple pie! This is part science and math. We also made homemade applesauce because I love it! 

We also had to do an apple tasting. This is great to do for once for everyone. "A" loved the sour and hated the sweet-me complete opposite!

Art:

We studied still life paintings. Did you know that apples symbolized knowledge and in religious paintings it represented temptation? Here is our set up-we ran out of red apples so we had to imagine.

Here is"A's" finished piece using watercolor pastels. 

Here is my still life. I love how this is something we can learn to do together. We are both students. 

Other Resources we used:

Top 10 "First" Chapter Books

I haven't done a Top 10 book post in awhile. Since "A" is starting to become a more emergent reader the question is what are some of the first chapter books he (or any child) may enjoy. I have compiled a list that is not exhaustive. As I was thinking about which books to include I can think of at least 18 books to include. I have whittled it down by 1)  books that were at the reading level of an emergent/early fluent reader, 2) books that are not only at the appropriate reading level but the content is appropriate for the age range of 6-8, and 3) books that are in a series. The reason I chose books in a series is because if your child finds a book they like they will most definitely keep reading from the series, and at this age we want children to not only get use to reading frequently but love it as well. So hopefully you can find a series that works for you and your child.

1) Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown: This book has been around for 40 years (gasp). The original story is about a boy who gets flattened by his bulletin board and stays flat. He has many adventures (being a kite, stopping robbers, and mailing himself). New books keep being made and there is a whole new series called Flat Stanley Worldwide Adventures.
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Another important note about Flat Stanley books is the Flat Stanley project. Typically in 2nd grade, students read the first book at school and then make a Flat Stanley character. They then mail him off to people around the world, hoping the person returns it with a picture of themselves and the character. It is very common to see our soldiers holding Flat Stanley, and even Presidents of the US. If kiddos are super lucky they get a special care package back with goodies from their Flat Stanley's adventures. My sister recently moved to Okinawa, Japan, where her husband is stationed. She made a book of Flat ("A") and his adventures in Okinawa. Probably the coolest gift she has ever done. Here are some pics from the book:

My sister and brother-in-law with the Flat "A"

Flat "A" holding Japanese Yen

Flat "A" posing with some cool Japanese girls

Flat "A" using a squatty potty

Flat "A" with a Koji statue (I think that is right)

2. Weird School Series by Dan Gutman: This is a funny series about AJ (a boy who hates school) and his friends at Ella Mentry School. This series takes place in 2nd grade and all the grown-ups are weird. It has great titles like Mr Klutz is Nuts and Mrs. Cooney is Looney. The following year in 3rd grade begins the Weird School Daze series. This is a great series for kiddos that are hesitant to read and for boys who aren't interested in books.

3.) Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park: This is another series that takes place mostly at school. We follow a adorable girl through Kindergarten and 1st grade. This is one of the first "big girl" books a girl can read, but I have caught many boys reading them too. Junie B. is just such a likable character, and you won't be able to wait to read of her next antics. One of students favorites is the Batman Smells book in the series.

4.) Clementine by Sara PennyPacker: I can't mention Junie B. without then mentioning Clementine. Clementine is a newer series and very much in the same style of Junie B. She is an eccentric 3rd grader (all though I think she acts a wee younger) who innocently gets into all sorts of mishaps. I think Junie B. was the newer version of Ramona and Clementine is the newer version of Junie B.

5). Alvin Ho books by Lenore Look: This is a newer series and I am in love with them. Alvin Ho is Chinese-American boy who is afraid of everything. This 2nd grader has so much anxiety that he can't even talk at school (at home he is fine). These books are HILARIOUS and you will just fall in love with Alvin and his neurosis. These books are very much like Junie B. Jones books but the protaganist is a BOY (no way!)

6.) Dinosaur Cove series by Rex Stone: This is a great series for those dino lovers out there. It is similar to MagicTree House in that the protagonist are magically transported back into time. Tom & Jamie live on east coast near a lighthouse. On the beach, they find a cave that by walking through they go to Prehistoric times. Each book highlights a different dinosaur. There are a few black and white illustrations. One thing I did was buy a copy to keep and then "A" colored all the illustrations. It was a fun way to make the book his own and keep him engaged. Both the characters are boys so it may be more geared to that sex but if your girl really likes dinosaurs she may love these adventures. Also if your kiddo loves dinos make sure to read my post for all my dino learning picks.

7) A-Z Mysteries by Ron Roy: This is our newest favorite series in our house. I think we are up to letter N in the series. This is a fabulous way to introduce the genre of mysteries. The story is of Josh, Dink, and Rose (three best friends) who solve mysteries in their small town. Each mystery is from a different letter of the alphabet (Absent Author, Bald Bandit, Haunted Hotel, etc). I love the books as a mother because the characters are really good kids. They listen to their mother, help people in the neighborhood out, and are overall do-gooders. In one book they win a large sum of money for solving a crime and they give to a friend for college money. The mysteries aren't overly scary either!

8) Stink series by Meg McDonald: Stink is the smart & funny younger brother to Judy Moody. I love these books and the Meg McDonald's use of language. I actually prefer Judy Moody over Junie B. and Clementine but they are a little higher reading level (why I didn't include them in the list). Stink books are just as funny as Judy Moody (and we still get to hear about her), but these books are about Stink's adventures. He is inventive and proactive. I remember one book where he wrote to the jawbreaker company and complained that it didn't last as long as advertised. When he got gifts from the company in return he wrote to letters of all the toy companies he could think of to get free loot. Pretty clever! Also the Judy Moody (with Stink) movie came out recently on DVD and is live streaming right now on Netflix (just saying)!

9) Rainbow Magic Fairy books by Daisy Meadows: This is a series most likely only for the girl readers. If your daughter loves fairies (and Tinkerbell) this is the series for you. They are easier to read then the Tinkerbell Disney fairy series that came out and there are TONS to choose from. The themes are endless: fairies named after colors, jewels, flowers, weather/seasons, and even some with pets. 

10)  Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne: This is the number one books for beginning chapter readers. They appeal to both boys and girls with a sense of adventure! Jack and Annie find a Magic Tree House in their backyard and realize by opening a book they can wish to go to the setting of the story. The books take them to the rainforest, moon, ice age, Camelot, Revolutionary War, etc. There is a great deal of fantasy and adventure, but it is a great way to introduce history as well. There is a fun computer game to play and a passport book online as well. You can read a blog I wrote about it here.

Well there it is, my choices.  There was a lot more I could include (especially classics) but it's called Top 10 ;0). If you did want more suggestions just ask. Encouraging a love of reading at this stage is so vital to creating a life-long reader. My next Top 10 post will be on Fairy Tale spoofs-can't wait!!!