B is for Bones - An Object Lesson

 We decided to study our bones for letter B week. Most kids don't understand what their bones are for. Here is a simple object lesson to teach what our bones are for.

Here's What You Need:

• Cut out of a human body on plain printer paper
• Popsicle sticks or skinny sticks (found by the popsicle sticks)
• Tape

Here's What You Do:

1. Discuss what different parts of our body are for: eyes - to see, ears - to hear, stomach - to hold food, mouth - to talk and eat, etc.

Ask  - What are our bones for?

2. Show the body cut out and ask the kids if it can stand up by itself.

Explain that this is what our body would be like if we didn't have bones. Bones help us have shape. They are like the frame for a house.

3. Tape popsicle sticks to the body cut out  - give it some bones - and then see if it can stand up.

What would we be without our bones? A puddle on the floor!

B is for Balance

 Use painters tape to make some balancing paths on the floor. I put cut out letter B's along the path for her to try to pick up without stepping off the line.

 Lot's of fun and a great large motor skills practice!

B is for alpha Builders

  

We found a great letter learning tool from this blog. She calls them alpha builders which is a very perfect name. You use the different shapes to build letters. This is going to be a new staple in our letter learning curriculum! 

I made one change to her directions, instead of using magnetic laminate, I just laminated and attached magnets to the back. It still worked great and this was an awesome discovery and learning experience!

Thank you so much Erica!

Apple Star & Poem

Most of the time when we cut through an apple, we cut it in half from top to bottom. But, the coolest thing is that if you cut it in half through the middle, there is a star shape inside! 

Anya and I spent some time talking about apples and what colors they come in. We taste tested the different colored apples and we talked about how apples grow. 

Then, we cut the apple in half through the middle and talked about the apple core. The star shape holds the seeds so that new apple trees can grow. It was a fun discovery to look at each part of the star and see if it was holding seeds and then count how many all together. 

After that, we used the apple as a stamp and made a little apple star card. The poem on the left says:

There's a star inside an apple!

It's a miracle indeed,

That this sweet and juicy apple

Was once a tiny seed!

I hope you have fun discovering how cool apples can be!

Mini Apple Cobbler

 

When I think about apples, I think about all the yummy foods you can make with apples and of course apple pie is at the top of that list. I really wanted to make apple pies for letter A week and I got some great inspiration from Our Best Bites for their pie in a jar.

However, I have a confession to make. I, Miss Laura, am afraid of making pie. It's not the filling I am concerned about, but I am terrified of homemade pie crust. I think the large margin for failure makes me a little nervous. Anywho, I decided to play a little with the pie in a jar idea and it turned into cobbler in a jar. It. Was. Delicious!

 

(These instructions are for 4-8 oz short jars, if using a different number or size, you can adjust accordingly.)

You start out with short mason jars. They come in two sizes - 4 oz, straight sided jars like mentioned on Our Best Bites and 8 oz, curvy ones which is what we used.  Surprisingly, I found both sizes at Walmart. Sometimes you find weird stuff there and sometimes you strike out. I really think there is no rhyme or reason to that store except to be big and random. 

First you peel, core and chop 3 apples. If you want to do this ahead of time, you can toss the apples in a little bit of lemon juice and it will keep them from browning. Just be careful not to do too much, just enough to get them a little wet.

After that, measure 1/2 c water and add to the apples. This was a great opportunity to discuss liquids vs. solids as well as different kinds of measuring cups. Cooking is always a great way to talk about math and measurement! 

Sprinkle some cinnamon to taste. If needed, stick your tongue out to the side to get just the right amount. : ) Mix apples, water, and cinnamon. 

 

Evenly spoon the apples into the jars. Distribute any water at the bottom of the bowl evenly into the jars as well. 

 

You might have a few pieces left over depending on how big your apples were. If so, enjoy a prebaking snack!

 

Next up is the crumb topping.  Mix together 1/2 package white cake mix, 1/2 c brown sugar, & 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Then, cut in 1/2 c soft butter with a pastry blender or some forks until mixture is crumbly.

Top apples in jars with crumb mixture.

The great thing about this project is that you can bake it now, or you can save them for later. We wanted to share our creation with the rest of the family so we put the lids on and popped them in the fridge so we could bake them after dinner. If you are making this with a class, you can send it home with them to bake at home. 

When ready to bake, take the lid off and put the jar on a cookie sheet in case of spill over. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes. 

Top with whipped cream and enjoy your hot, fresh, perfectly sized mini apple cobbler!

Mini Apple Cobblers

(Makes enough for 4-8 oz sized mini jars)

Ingredients:

4-8 oz, short mason jars

3 apples - peeled, cored, and diced

1/2 c water

cinnamon

1/2 package white cake mix

1/2 c brown sugar

1/2 c soft butter

Instructions:

Mix apples, water, and cinnamon to taste in a bowl. Divide apples between the jars and distribute any remaining liquid evenly into the jars.

Mix cake mix, brown sugar, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon in another bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or some forks until the mixture is crumbly. Top apples with crumb mixture. 

Put on lid until ready to bake. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove lids and place jars on cookie sheet. Bake for 45-55 minutes.