It's time for a new school year! And it's time to expand my already-huge apple unit. So I've added a lot of free apple printables and activities along with a free apple pack (subscriber freebie at LivingMontessoriNow.com)!
You'll find many activities for preschoolers through first graders throughout the year along with presentation ideas in my previous posts at PreK + K Sharing. You'll also find ideas for using free printables to create activity trays here: How to Use Printables to Create Montessori-Inspired Activities.
At Living Montessori Now, I have a post with resource links of Free Printables for Montessori Homeschools and Preschools.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links (at no cost to you).
Montessori Shelves with Apple-Themed Activities
You’ll find Montessori-inspired apple numbers, letters, and and more (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber)
I always have related books available throughout a unit. On the top shelf, I have How Do Apples Grow? by Betsy Maestro and Apples by Gail Gibbons. How Do Apples Grow? by Betsy Maestro is Montessori-friendly and has fairly in-depth information on the apple life cycle. It's recommended for ages 4-8.
I often have a book by Gail Gibbons as part of our unit. Her apple book is another great Montessori-friendly book for 4-8 year olds with a good amount of understandable information.
On the right side of the shelf (book on a wooden cookbook holder), I have the awesome I Spy: An Alphabet in Art. It has a wide variety of paintings, but I love that the cover photo (the page I have open) is the fascinating Son of Man by the surrealist artist René Magritte! The book is recommended for ages 4-8, but I love to adapt it for even toddlers. I also printed out and included an easel with Paul Cezanne's Still Life with Apples.
You could mix your apple-themed activities among your shelves according to curriculum area. Or you could have a special apple-themed area something like the one pictured. My shelves this month have a mixture of skill levels. Many of the activities can be adapted for a variety of levels. If you’re a homeschooler, just choose the activities that work for your child’s interests and ability levels. If you don’t have room for all the activities you’d like to do, simply rotate them.
Apple Books with Apple Life Cycle Work
Free Printables: Apple Life Cycle Printables (subscriber freebie) from Welcome to Mommyhood
I like to introduce the apple life cycle with a book like How Do Apple Grow? (see above). The materials were very easy to prepare. I display them simply on a Multicraft tray with the added Montessori cards display box (which I love and typically use for all my 3-part cards now).
Manuscript and Cursive Writing and Spelling Materials
It's a personal preference if you like to introduce manuscript or cursive first. Many Montessorians introduce cursive first, and many Montessorians introduce manuscript first. It often depends on what your child will be encountering most. When I was a Montessori teacher, my students went on to traditional schools, so I always introduced print first. I did the same with my now-adult children as a homeschooler. I'm doing the same with my grandchildren, since they're exposed to print so often in books and other areas.I do think that learning cursive is essential so that (at a minimum) children grow up able to read their grandparents' and great-grandparents' handwriting (and the handwriting of others from those generations). When my grandchildren are comfortable writing and reading manuscript print, I focus a lot on cursive. I do focus on it some earlier with the font cards I design to go with each unit. But it isn't a thorough, focused emphasis until they're comfortable with manuscript letter writing and reading.
A is for Apple Sand Writing Tray (Left Side of Middle Shelf in Shelf Photo)
Free Printables: Apple letters for apple sand writing tray (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber)For the sand tray, I used the wooden tray from the Melissa & Doug Lace and Trace Shapes. You can use whatever tray or container work best for you, though. I had gotten some lovely white sand for making kinetic sand and other projects. I love that it was so easy to make a bright color simply by adding gel food coloring and some water. I recommend spreading it on a baking pan to dry overnight. If your sand isn’t already sterilized, you might want to heat it up at a low temperature in your oven to partially dry it.
If you would like help with introducing phonetic sounds, introducing objects with sounds, or beginning phonics in general, check out my DIY Beginning Montessori Phonics with Preschoolers.
National Geographic Kids Apples for Everyone Book with Manuscript and Cursive Movable Alphabet Apple Letters
I often like to place a book with my materials to draw attention to both the book and the activity. I love the photography in National Geographic Kids books, including this Apples for Everyone book. While there aren't in-depth facts in this book, it's lovely to look at and can be used for toddlers through beginning readers.
Matching Cursive Apple Alphabet Cards to Manuscript Apple Alphabet Cards
Free Printable: Apple movable alphabet cards in manuscript and cursive (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber)
My 5½-year-old granddaughter, Zoey, really enjoyed this activity. I introduced it with a cursive tracing board. I got the 2-sided version (with capital letters on one side and lowercase on the other), since capital cursive letters aren't commonly seen on written materials.
After tracing the letters on the tracing board, Zoey placed the manuscript letters in alphabetical order. Then she matched each of the cursive letters to the manuscript letters.
Parts of an Apple Tree Puzzle and Labels
Free Printable: Parts of an Apple Tree (subscriber freebie) from The Natural Homeschool
This was another activity that was super easy to prepare. I simply printed out and cut apart the printable (laminate it if you wish) and placed it in a Montessori Services basket. See bottom shelf in the photo.
This works well for children who can read, but younger children could match the labels to a control puzzle or just put together the puzzle without labels.
Montessori Parts of an Apple 3-Part Cards and Booklet-Making Materials
Free Printables: Parts of the Fruit Nomenclature Cards and Little Book from The Helpful Garden
This is another easy-to-prepare Montessori activity. I have two of these awesome Montessori cards display boxes, so I used the second one for this activity. It even worked to place the picture/word cards and picture cards in the same section of the display box so that I could place the booklet-making pages in the last section.
I keep my booklet-making supplies in a separate location, so this was a perfect way to have activities displayed attractively in a small amount of space!
Greater Than, Less Than Apple Activity
Free Printable: Apple Tree Numbers and Greater Than, Less Than Symbols (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber)
If you'd like some extra-fun ways to introduce greater than, less than, check out my greater than, less than alligator math activities. I typically introduce greater than, less than with those and then use an activity like this to reinforce the symbols. I used acrylic craft apples, but almost any small craft apples will work.
Free Apple Printables for Preschoolers-First Graders (some printables for up to grade 3)
Montessori-Inspired Apple Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).
Free Apple Printables and Montessori-Inspired Apple Activities
Free apple printable for Ten Apples Up On Top activities (a Montessori-inspired instant download).
Free fall playdough math pack with apple printables (a Montessori-inspired instant download). For more free printables for this unit, go to my post at Living Montessori Now with Free Apple Printables and Activities for a Montessori-Inspired Apple Unit.
More Apple Resources
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- Montessori-Inspired Apple Unit
- 30+ Apple Sensory Tubs
- Free Apple Printables and Montessori-Inspired Apple Activities
- 20+ Apple Phonics Activities
- Fall Sensory Bin with Practical Life and Math Activities
- Fun with Montessori Apple Coring, Slicing, Spreading, and Sharing
- Free Apple Printable for Ten Apples Up On Top Activities (Instant Download)
- Ten Apples Up On Top Sensory Bin & Table (Free Printables)
- Ten Apples Up On Top Activities with Spielgaben {Free Printables}
- Free Fall Playdough Math Pack (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Montessori-Inspired Playdough Math Activities for Fall {Free Printables}
- Free Seasons of an Apple Tree Cutting Strips (Montessori-Inspired Instant Download)
- Free Tree Songs and Educational Videos {Learn about Trees, Apple Trees, and Seasons}
- Apple Unit Study Pinterest Board
Have a happy school year!
Deb Chitwood is a certified Montessori teacher with a master’s degree in Early Childhood Studies from Sheffield Hallam University in Sheffield, England. Deb taught in Montessori schools in Iowa and Arizona before becoming owner/director/teacher of her own Montessori school in South Dakota. Later, she homeschooled her two children through high school. Deb is now a Montessori writer who lives in San Diego with her husband of 44 years (and lives in the city where her kids, kids-in-law, and grandkids live). She blogs at Living Montessori Now.
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