fingerplays

Apple Crafts and Activities for Preschoolers

It is apple picking season in many parts of the country, and that makes it the perfect time to do an apple themed unit with your preschool or toddlers.  From books about apples, to apple crafts, to apple songs and fingerplays, and recipes with apples, there are so many great ways to learn about apples with kids. After a recent trip to the farmer's market, we made these paper plate apples:

 

 

This is a great craft to do with very young children, or a group with mixed ages.  Even our youngest crafters had fun fingerpainting their apples:

 

 

Here's what you need to make your own paper plate apple:

  • a white paper plate
  • red paint (a marker or crayon would work too)
  • brown construction paper
  • green construction paper
  • glue
  • scissors

1. Paint your back of your paper plate red.

2. While paint is drying, cut out a rectangle out of brown construction paper for the apple's stem, and a leaf shape out of green construction paper.

3. Once paint is dry, glue the brown stem to the top center of your apple, and glue the leaf to one side of the stem.

 

OPTIONAL: You can also turn this craft into a great bulletin board display or gift for a parent or grandparent by having kids glue pictures of themselves to the centre of the apples, and writing the words "You're the apple of my eye" onto the front of the apple with a black marker, or "Our Students are the Pick of the Crop" to a header above the bulletin board.

 

 

Need ideas for apple songs and fingerplays to go along with your craft? Here are two of our favourites:

 

Here We Go Round the Apple Tree

(Sung to the tune of "Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush")

Here we go round the apple tree,
The apple tree, the apple tree,
Here we go round the apple tree,
On an autumn morning.

Following verses:

2. This is the way we shake the tree...
3. This is the way we climb the ladder...
4. This is the way we pick the apples...
5. This is the way we eat the apples...

~anonymous

 

Five Red Apples


5 Red apples, hanging on the tree (hold up your hand showing 5 fingers)
Boy oh boy, they look good to me (place your hand on your forehead as if you were shading your eyes to look up)
So I picked one off and munch, munch, munch (pretend you're eating an apple)
I ate that apple for my lunch! (rub your stumach)

Continue counting down. After you've eaten the last apple, chant the following verse:

No red apples hanging on the tree
I ate them all for lunch you see
But the little green apples will soon be red
And I’ll eat them for my lunch instead!

~ C. Reid

Posted by momstown Teach on 09/13/2012 - 21:43
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Fire Truck Songs and Fingerplays

Whether you are working on a firefighter, fire trucks, or community helper unit with your class of preschoolers, or you simply have a child who loves fire trucks and dreams of being a fireman one day, these firefighter and fire truck songs and fingerplays are sure to be popular with your group of kids!

 

Fingerplays:

Five Little Firefighters

Five little firefighters sleeping in their bed
The first one said, "Put your helmet on your head!"
The second one said, "Down the pole we'll slide."
The third one said, "Get ready to ride!"
The fourth one said, "Put your gas mask on your nose."
The fifth one said, "I'll grab the hose!"
Then Woooo went the siren and out went the fire
And the five little firemen could finally retire!

 

5 Great Big Fire Trucks

5 great big fire trucks, waiting at the hall
One goes out to answer a call
With siring sounds and lights on bright
Off he goes, there’s a fire to fight

No little fire trucks waiting at the hall
But here they come back to their stalls
With sirens quiet and all made right
5 great big fire trucks say good night

 

Five Little Firefighters

Five little firefighters
(show five fingers)
Sleeping in a row.
(rest cheeks on hands & close eyes)
Ring goes the bell-
Down the pole they go.
(Pretend to slide down pole)
They jump on the engine
(Jump up)
And put out the fire.
(Pretend to squirt with a hose)
Now they're back home-
My, but they are tired.
(Stretch and yawn.)

 

Songs:

The Wheels on the Fire Truck
(Tune: The Wheels on the Bus)

The wheels on the firetruck go round and round
Round and round
Round and round
The wheels on the firetruck go round and round, all through the town

The engine on the truck goes vroom, vroom, vroom
Vroom, vroom, vroom
Vroom, vroom, vroom
The engine on the truck goes vroom, vroom, vroom, all through the town

The siren on the truck goes whoo, whoo, whoo
Whoo whoo, whoo, whoo
The siren on the truck goes whoo, whoo, whoo, all through the town

The seatbelts on the truck go click, click,
Click, click, click
Click, click, click
The seatbelts on the bus goes click, click, click, all through the town

The ladder on the truck goes up and down
Up and down
Up and down
The ladder on the truck goes up and down, all through the town

The dog on the truck goes woof, woof, woof
Woof, woof, woof
Woof, woof, woof
The dog on the truck goes woof, woof, woof, all through the town

The hose on the truck goes spray, spray, spray
Spray, spray, spray
Spray, spray, spray
The hose on the truck goes spray, spray, spray, all through the town

The people on the truck go "We'll help out"
"We'll help out, We'll help out"
The people on the truck go "we'll help out", all through the town

 

Stop, Drop, and Roll!
(Tune:  "Farmer in the Dell")

Stop, Drop, and Roll
Stop, Drop, and Roll
If your clothes should catch on fire,
Stop, Drop, and Roll

I'm a Great Big Fire Truck
(Tune: I'm a Little Teapot)

Version 1
I’m a big red fire truck long and loud
Here on my side my hose is found
If there is a fire, I’ll rush to help
Listen up, you’ll hear my sound

Version 2
I’m a tall long fire truck, red and bright
Here is my ladder, here is my light
If there is a fire I’ll rush there
And spray on water to make it right

Fire Fighter Chant

Fire Fighter, Fire Fighter
Hear the alarm
Save the building
From any harm.
Fire fighter, Firefighter
No time to rest
Wake up, Wake up
Do your Best!

(actions: have kids lie on floor and pretend to sleep.  On wake up, have everyone jump up)

 

Wake Up Fire Fighter
(Tune: 10 Little Indians)

Wake up firefighters hear the bell
Wake up firefigthers hear the bell
Wake up firefighters hear the bell
Ring, ring, ring, ring ring

Hurry, hurry, get your gear on
Hurry, hurry, get your gear on
Hurry, hurry, get your gear on
Click, click, click, click click

Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck,
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck,
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck, Err Err Err Err Err Err

Hurry, hurry, sound the siren
Hurry, hurry, sound the siren
Hurry, hurry, sound the siren Whoo, Whoo, Whoo

Hurry, hurry climb the ladder
Hurry, hurry climb the ladder
Hurry, hurry climb the ladder, Climb, Climb, Climb

Hurry, hurry, spray the hose
Hurry, hurry, spray the hose
Hurry, hurry, spray the hose, Splash, Splash, Splash, Splash

Fire’s out now, take a rest
Fire’s out now, take a rest
Fire’s out now, take a rest, zzz, zzz, zzz, zzz, zzz

Posted by momstown Teach on 08/14/2012 - 23:08
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Put on a Halloween puppet show

momstown made popsicle stick puppets to 'play out' this Halloween song. It's a great Halloween activity for toddlers, preschoolers, and school-agers, at a playgroup or with the family.

 

halloween puppets

 

What you need:

  • Popsicle sticks
  • Cardstock or foam in orange, green, black, yellow, white and grey
  • Googly eyes
  • Scissors
  • Glue

 

With the above materials, you need to make:

  • 5 ghosts
  • 1 skeleton
  • 1 monster
  • 1 spider
  • 1 ugly witch
  • 1 fat black cat


Cut out the shapes, create each puppet (see above)  and glue onto a popsicle stick.

halloween puppets

Now you're ready to put on a Halloween Puppet Show with this fun rhyme:

Five little ghosts in a haunted house at play,
Along came a funny skeleton and chased one ghost away.

Four little ghosts in a haunted house at play,
Along came a giant monster and chased one ghost away.

Three little ghosts in a haunted house at play,
Along came a tiny spider and chased one ghost away.

Two little ghosts in a haunted house at play,
Along came an ugly witch and chased one ghost away.

One little ghost in a haunted house at play,
Along came a big fat cat and chased the ghost away.

Can you find the ghosts and say:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ghosts come back and play!

 

It's great if you can get a few kids to participate together, and 'play' the different characters. Then they can take turns with the puppets and do it all over again!

Posted by Teacher Mom on 10/27/2011 - 19:26
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Make your own five little bats puppets

Here's a great Halloween activity including a craft and fingerplay! momstown Burlington mamas made these to take home and share with their kids!

 

five little bats

What you need:

  • Black felt
  • Glue gun
  • Googly eyes
  • Scissors

Cut black felt into strips long enough to form circles around little fingers - they should fit yours, too! Cut out bat wings from felt and glue on back. Glue on googly eyes.

 

Five Little Bats fingerplay

 
Five little bats came flying in the door,
One flew away and that left only four.
Four little bats hiding in a tree,
One flew away and that left three.
Three little bats looking down at you,
One flew away and that left two.
Two little bats hiding from the sun,
One flew away and that left just one.
One little bat hanging all alone,
He flew away and then there were none.

 

Use the bat finger puppets to 'act out' the story. Then have your child try it - you can sing the fingerplay song together!

Inspiration from Frugal Family Fun Blog

Posted by Teacher Mom on 10/20/2011 - 21:03
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How to turn a handprint into a ghost craft this Halloween

It started as a five little ghosts puppet craft... and turned into a momstown baby's 'baby and mama' ghost activity!

baby handprint ghost

What you need:

  • Popsicle sticks
  • White cardstock
  • Black marker
  • Glue

baby handprint ghostHere's the fun mom and baby part: trace your child's hand and your hand (separately) onto the cardstock. Cut out and turn upsidedown - these are your ghosts! One big, one small.

 

 

baby handprint ghost

Draw eyes and a mouth with pencil or marker, and then glue onto a popsicle stick so they can become puppets.

 

baby handprint ghostMeggie says "boo!"

 

Here's a fun fingerplay and poem to learn with this craft (if you can make 5 ghost puppets, all the better!)

Five little ghosts dressed all in white
Were scaring each other on Halloween night.
"Boo!" said the first one, "I'll catch you." (Hold up pointer finger.)
"Wooo," said the second, "I don't care if you do!" (Hold up middle finger.)
The third ghost said, "You can't run away from me." (Hold up ring finger.)
And the fourth one said, "I'll scare everyone I see!" (Hold up little finger)
Then, the last one said, "It's time to disappear." (Hold up thumb.)
"See you at Halloween time next year!"

Posted by momstown mama on 10/20/2011 - 20:59
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This Little Piggy water bottle pig

Inspired by This Little Piggy nursery rhyme, momstown figured out a way to make a pig using everyday items from the recycling bin!

This little piggy went to market,
This little piggy stayed at home,
This little piggy had roast beef,
This little piggy had none.
And this little piggy went...
"Wee wee wee" all the way home...


Supplies:
- 500ml plastic water bottle
- 1 paper towel roll or 2 toliet paper rolls
- clear tape, scissors, markers
- pink construction paper

This is a fun craft but your child will need some help if they are under 5.

 

three little pigs craft

 

Roll the water bottle along the paper to measure a piece to cover the whole wide part of the bottle. Tape or glue it into place.

Cut the toilet paper rolls into three, 3 inch high rounds -  for 2 legs and 1 snout. Cover each roll with construction paper & secure.

Tape the two legs to the body (water bottle). Make sure they are pretty even so the pig can stand on its own (it'll need to be able to 
run from the wolf!!).

Trace the end of the 3rd roll on the paper and cut out the circle to cover on end. Use markers to draw the snout and tape it in place. Put the open end of the third roll over the spout of the bottle and tape it to the bottle.

 

three little pigs craft

 

All that's left is to decorate and add some features. Cut a long piece of paper for the tail and fold it back & forth for a "curly" tail. Cut little triangular ears and glue/ tape on. Draw on eyes.

If you're feeling adventurous or have an over-flowing recycling bin, you could make all 5 piggys!!!

To carry the pig theme on even further - try our momstown Three Little Pigs House craft - straw, stick & brick homes just right for preschoolers!

 

Posted by momstown mama on 02/19/2011 - 16:49
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