Letter a, Day 1

Theme: Apples

Sound
a says /ă/

Sample Words
apple, at, alligator, ant

Books
2-3 fiction and non-fiction books about apples, apple trees, how they grow, fall, etc.
We're Going on a Leaf Hunt, by Steve Metzger

Sound/Movement
Choose 2 or 3 Apple Songs and Fingerplays

Craft
Apple Printing

You will need:
red, green and yellow paint
an apple, cut width-wise
white paper
brown and green markers

Cut the apple in half and use the top half, with the stem, for printing since it has someting to hold on to. (This would be a great time to show the star shape the seeds make when you cut it this way.) Make prints of all three colors and let them dry. When dry, come back and draw the stem and leaf with the markers.


Sensory Bin
Apple Picking

You will need:
filler for your bin-ideally this theme is done in the fall, during apple-picking season and when there are still leaves on the trees and on the ground. I would have liked to use leaves as my filler, but in the middle of winter that just wasn't happening so I used paper shreds from our shredder instead.
red, yellow and green pom poms
tongs
plastic container(s)

Have your child sort through the leaves, or other filler, and pick up the different-colored "apples" with the tongs.


Handwriting Practice
Practice writing the letter a. See tips at the top.

Snack/Lunch
Muffin Tin Monday-Apples