Johnny Appleseed's birthday is in September. We celebrate with a bushel of apple-related Web sites for students of all ages!
Primary students at New Cumberland, Pennsylvania's Hillside Elementary recognize Johnny's special day with apple stories, apple prints, and apple crafts. Best of all, they enjoy all kinds of apple delicacies like applesauce and apple butter.
What is it about this delectable fruit that makes it so irresistible? Is it the brilliant hues of red, green, and gold, or just its wonderfully crisp taste? No matter what your explanation, there is no mistaking that apples are very popular among children. In fact, the apple is so associated with fall and "back to school," that many teachers incorporate the theme into their September plans. If you already find this topic "a-peeling" or are thinking of adding it to your "basket" of ideas, these Web sites are for you!
How do you like to eat an apple? In a pie, covered in candy or caramel, or just as it is picked from the tree? From the very beginning, many children prefer to have their apples in the form of juice, and why not? This site explains the virtues of processed apples and offers new recipes for the old standby -- apple juice. Apple Juice on the Internet provides the directions for apple juice jigglers and an apple smoothie, but it has more than just recipes. You will also find an arcade of games (some Java-enhanced), online coloring, a crossword puzzle, a wordsearch, and a dot-to-dot activity. Your students may enter a contest and express their five best reasons to drink apple juice. For more online fun, read AJ's list of most frequently asked questions, or send an email card with the characters.
Few curriculum resources are as useful to teachers as Healthy Choices for Kids Online! You may download or print from the screen a storybook for students and corresponding lesson plans. With topics like eating a variety of foods, choosing a healthy and active lifestyle, eating many fruits and vegetables, and making healthy snacks, this site just about has all of the nutritional bases covered. Don't doubt for a minute that apples aren't included in "Granny Smith's" list of good foods for "Little Red Delicious" and your students!
If information about Johnny Appleseed is what you are looking for, hang your cap, or your pan as it may be, at The Johnny Appleseed Home Page. Click on Johnny's Story for a very basic and entertaining tale of his life and accomplishments. Combine this experience with some of the suggestions from Apple Activities on the Alphabet Soup Web site. Stories, songs, recipes, and fingerplays -- early childhood students will bite right into this "good apple"!
- Johnny Appleseed
This activity comes from the Florida Geographic Alliance's lesson plan collection and is designed for kindergartners, but other grades would enjoy it as well. Students read the story of Johnny and track his travels as he spreads seeds across the states, all the while practicing their map skills and reinforcing their knowledge of geography.
- Johnny Appleseed Day in March
This bountiful list of apple activities was created with young children in mind, but primary students will enjoy these suggestions, too. You can view the fingerplays, recipes, and stories from all over the Internet without leaving the site's protective frames. Your "guide" brings the activities to you!
- Johnny Appleseed
This is a seven-day thematic unit for elementary students. While the activities are not fully explained, the brief descriptions may plant seeds in your mind for an apple unit of your own.
- Apples are A…Peeling
This second grade unit includes questions patterned after Bloom's Taxonomy and lots of ideas for involved learning. Ignore the page numbers associated with the activities if you like, and focus on the lessons that you can do with your students.
- Apples
The Schools of California Online Resources (SCORE) Project brings this apple teaching unit to the Web. Written for primary teachers, the unit presents several guiding questions that students will be able to answer as the unit progresses, and it incorporates all subject areas into the theme.
- A World of Kindergartens
As an elementary resource, few Web sites stack up to this one! Click on the letter "A," and the first topic that you will see is "apple." Peruse the list of books, apple cooking ideas, activities, and songs and poems.
- Postharvest Cooling and Handling of Apples
Find out how apples are harvested, preserved, and safely handled until they reach store shelves. What's the best way to store apples? Keep 'em cool!
- Apples General Information and Links
"Leaf" through the many apple links on this page from Food Resource. Click on the names from the list on the left side of this page to view very nice apple images for reports, charts, etc.
- Johnny Appleseed and Westward Expansion
In this activity, students will locate natural barriers to westward expansion, and find the best route and the route taken by Johnny Appleseed. They will also identify things they would need to make the trip and compare it with Johnny Appleseed's baggage.
Article by Cara Bafile
Education World®
Copyright © 2005 Education World
Originally published 09/19/2002
Links last updated 09/12/2005
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