Storytime and Craft: Apple Countdown

In preparation for the beginning of school next week (EEK!),  I did a Storytime and Craft with Madison  using “Apple Countdown” by Joan Holub.  I bought this book for my daughter last fall through the Scholastic Book program.  I really love the program and I hope her new school offers it.  My daughter has mastered counting 1-10 but still has difficulty with 11-20.  This book covers 1-20 which I think will help her progress.

 

 

After reading the book, we made Apple Prints

 

 

You will need:

Apples

Knife

Paper

Tempera Paint (washable!)

Paintbrush

 

I cut the apples two ways: vertically and horizontally.  With a vertical cut, you get the entire apple shape for the stamp.  With a horizontal cut, you get a star pattern.

 

{apple cut vertically}

 

We then experimented with different amounts of paint on the apples.  I found that you do not need a lot of paint to make a decent print.  The less paint the better. If you use too much, the apple sticks to the paper and is hard to get off, leaving a gloppy mess. We got the best prints by brushing the paint on with a paint brush and then stamping the paper. 

 

 

Push down on all sides of the apple to get the best print.  We were not able to get a “full” apple print but did get some decent stars and apple outlines.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.  True art never is, is it?

 

 

This kept her busy for a decent amount of time.  You can even use this as wrapping paper for a back-to-school teacher gift.

 

 

Sharing this craft at:

Come Together Kids
Sun Scholars
Skip to My Lou
Keeping it Simple
Tip Junkie
Creative Blog
Sugar Bee Crafts