1-2-3 Come Sing and Learn With Me Do you sing “5 Little Apples In an Apple Tree” during fall? It’s one of my kiddos favorites, and a great way to practice all sorts of math skills! They especially enjoy the fingerplays I've added, and like it so much, we continue to sing 5 Little Apples through November, as we add other songs to our autumn repertoire. I added an extra stanza to the end. I figured if a child ate 5 apples, especially green ones, they'd probably end up with a tummy ache; thus the line: "Did I eat 5 apples without a break? Uh oh! Tummy ache." Besides singing the song, I wanted to do some follow up activities that would also reinforce a variety of standards, so I designed the 5 Little Apples Activities packet. I think you’ll really like the versatility, as it’s appropriate for PK-1st and especially helpful for ESL children. Simply pick & choose what’s right for your group. The packet includes : * An emergent reader, which includes a full-color copy for teachers, as well as a black & white one for your students. Children read the repetitive sentences, trace & write the number & number word, then draw that many apples on their tree. To make this a sweet keepsake, I have my kiddos press their index finger on their choice of a red, yellow or green stamp pad, to make their apples. If you like that idea too, you'll want to include the optional last page: * I've also included a set of Pocket chart cards. As you read the poem-chant with your kiddos, you can take an apple away. Continue reading by simply changing the 2 cards that have a number on them. To reinforce subtraction with my kiddos, I have them hold up a "high five" hand. As apples fall we "fold" one of our fingers down. I say: "5 apples were on the tree. One fell down; that left..." They say and show me 4. * There's also a variety of Games:Memory Match, I Spy, Where's Wiggles? ( which practices ordinal numbers as well as spatial directions), plus I Have-Who Has?; Speed, Kaboom & an Apples on a Roll (dice game). * Some posters, including photographs of real apples. * Math-related worksheets with the 5 Little Apples theme. Pick the level that's appropriate for your kiddos. * My personal favorite, is an apple slider craftivity, with two options: a simple slider with numbers from 1-5 for PK kiddos, as well as one that skip counts by 5s. * The number puzzles are also suitable for different ages and levels. I hope your kiddos enjoy this song-poem as much as mine do. As you can see, it’s a quick, easy and fun way to cover all sorts of standards. Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop to have a look see at this 57-pager that's chock full of fun, and only $3.50: 5 Little Apples Activities The featured FREEBIE today, is a quick, easy and fun way to learn more about your students, as they practice their address, which I think is extremely important, and fits right in with our Fire Safety activities this month. Click on the link for the "My Home" writing prompt craftivity. Completed projects make an adorable "Our Classroom Neighborhood" bulletin board too. Well that's it for today. I'm anxious to start designing other fire safety stuff, plus pumpkin and scarecrow activities! Be sure and pop back tomorrow to see what I got accomplished. For now, it's time for a computer break to decorate my house for fall, before Halloween has come and gone! Wishing you a weekend filled with super-fun autumn activities. "Let your life lightly dance on the edges of time, like dew on the tip of a leaf." - Rabindranath Tagore