Apple Theme Crafts for Kids
Instead of giving an apple to a teacher, let the apples do some of the teaching. Children can make crafts featuring an apple theme that will keep them busy as well as teach them about a variety of subjects including agriculture, the seasons and more. Whether using real apples to make a craft or making things that look like real apples, kids are likely to enjoy these activities based on a very popular snack.
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Fingerprint Apple Tree
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Tell children they can create a painting of an apple tree in five minutes without using a brush and you may get funny looks, but just about anyone can do this simple fingerprint tree craft. Three finger paints are required for the craft project. Brown, green and red are required to paint the tree. The pan holding the brown paint should be wide enough for a child to fit his hand into.
Kids make the tree trunk by dipping the side of their hand (pinky side) into the brown paint and pressing the outside of the hand down onto a piece of white or light-colored construction paper. The shape will make an irregular trunk shape.
Leaves are painted by using the index finger dipped in the green paint. Using the index finger as a stamp, children form the leaves easily by dotting them all around the top of the trunk. The apples are made in a similar way, using the pinky finger dipped in red paint. Adding a few red dots will complete the apple tree.
Apple Pencil Holder
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The apple pencil holder is a paper mache craft that will look almost good enough to eat when it's finished and sitting on a desk. This is a nice gift for a teacher or another student that is simple to make. Kids will need a round balloon, paper mache paste made from a half-and-half mixture of flour and water, newspaper, white typing paper, red tempera paint and green felt.
Kids cover a 5-inch-round balloon with three layers of newspaper strips dipped in the paste and allow it to dry for a day. The part of the balloon where the knot is should be left uncovered. This will make the hole in the top where the pencils go. Adding plain white paper to the outside using the paper mache method will make it an even-colored surface for painting with the red tempera. A piece of green felt is used to make the stem. Once the balloon inside is popped and removed, the pencil holder is ready to use.
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Apple Printing
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Apple printing is a simple craft for children of all ages. The kids can save half of an apple for a snack while using the other half for printing.
The printing is done by simply slicing an apple in half either horizontally or vertically, dipping the cut end into paint, and stamping it on paper. Older kids may want to use this as a basic guide and outline the apple shape in red, add the seeds to the painting or create patterns with the core. Apples will create a star-shaped pattern when the core is used as a stamp. Kids can experiment with the individual shape of their apple's stamp to create lots of abstract designs.
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References
- Photo Credit apple image by cherie from Fotolia.com
