#FlannelFriday That Apple is Mine!

Apple mania continues! This week is a two-fer as I find more ideas to create into flannel stories for my September Apple program.

First up is That Apple is Mine retold by Katya Arnold.

This Russian folktale finds a group of animals fighting over rights to the last apple of the season. The issue is resolved when Bear suggests they share the apple. I had heard this story and actually told it several times using puppets but had never seen a print version. A shout out to my twitter friends who helped me locate the actual title.

Once the new friends eat their share along comes a worm and says… “Hey! That apple was mine!”

Second is a variation on the B-I-N-G-O song, similar to the K-I-T-T-Y flannel I posted a few weeks ago. This new one of course is A-P-P-L-E.

A-P-P-L-E
(sung to the tune of BINGO, remove the first letter of the word
and clap in its place, repeat until no letters remain)
I know a fruit that grows on trees,
An apple is its name, oh!
A-P-P-L-E
A-P-P-L-E
A-P-P-L-E
An apple is its name, oh!

Yesterday I ordered 12 Melissa & Doug apples for the program so the kids could try to stack the apples up on top. I have so many activity ideas it is getting difficult to narrow it down!

#FlannelFriday Way Up High in the Apple Tree

I am deep into the planning stages for an Apple themed program for next month. In preparation I created a flannel apple tree attached to a craft stick to accompany the rhyme Way Up High in the Apple Tree. I also made two very happy little apples to smile down at me! The tree is attached to a piece of poster board to provide support and outlined with fabric paint. On the back I attached a copy of the rhyme just incase someone else uses the flannel or I have a major mental block.

Way Up High in the Apple Tree
Way up high in the apple tree
Two little apples smiled at me
I shook that tree as hard as I could
Down came the apples
Mmmmmm… good!

With the flannel attached to the stick I can easily shake the stick to make the apples fall to the floor. This is also a fun one to bring up a child to give the tree a shake. There will surely be more apple posts over the next few weeks. Next on my radar is creating a flannel for the Russian folktale That Apple is Mine retold by  Katya Arnold.

Building Letter Knowledge: Apple Tree Letter Match

The family reading corner at our branch continues to evolve. A few months ago we added a large flannel board. We have provided a variety of loose felt shapes and letters for the children to use. Going into the Fall/Back to School season I wanted to try something different.

Inspired by Miss Kindergarten’s File Folder Alphabet Matching Activity I created a large felt tree with 26 attached apples marked with uppercase letters. The tree and a sign defining Letter Knowledge with instructions for the activity are stapled to the board.

26 apple shapes with the lowercase letters are housed in a basket underneath the board for the children to match onto the tree. I am thrilled with how this turned out and am already thinking about additional activities to put up on the board.

Now onto the giant bulletin board…

Everything I Need to Know Before I’m Five

Everything I Need to Know Before I'm Five by Valorie Fisher

Concept books excite me especially when they are quality concept books. Valorie Fisher’s offering is exactly what parent’s should be looking for when introducing or refreshing concepts with their children. Everything I Need to Know Before I’m Five dedicates a few pages to each of the following concepts – numbers, opposites, shapes, colors including mixing, season/weather and the alphabet. Fisher does not overwhelm the reader with information. She simply provides a taste of each concept for further exploration.

The illustrations are colorful, graphic and interesting. Many pages lend themselves to impromptu games of I Spy. The retro feel of the toys photographed within the pages is appealing and lends a sense of comfort.

Everything I Need to Know Before I’m Five  is a shining example of how to teach concepts!