Children will love using apples in a novel way with the apple art for kids during a preschool apple theme. This apple art project is full of so many early childhood education concepts, from the five senses to early literacy skills. And, not to mention, it’s a ton of fun!
School will be starting soon, which means I’m in full teacher planning mode! Our first preschool theme is going to be “An Apple for the Teacher”. It’s going to focus on getting to know each other, as well as a variety of apple activities. I wanted to try out some kids apple art today, with a bit of a twist. Luckily for me, Engineer and Captain America were happy to help me out with it!
In the past, I’ve done apple print-making with my students and Engineer. It’s always fun for the kids to paint with non-traditional items! Plus, it’s an extension of the apple exploration the kids enjoy. This time, I wanted to try something a little different. Since we do a lot with names in preschool, I thought it might be fun to turn the apple art into first initials. My name is Mary Catherine, so I decided to make an “M” using apple prints.
Materials for the Kids’ Apple Art
You don’t need much at all for this project. Aside from the apples, everything I needed was already in the classroom!
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- Apples
- Tempera paint
- Paintbrush
- Lollipop sticks
- White copy paper or cardstock
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Allspice
Creating the Apple Art
I cut an apple in half horizontally, as that’s the best way to reveal the star of seeds in the middle of the apple. I grabbed some red tempera paint, a paint brush, and a couple of lollipop sticks I randomly had in the craft closet. I stuck a lollipop stick into each half of the apple, then added the paint to the fleshy part of the apple. From there, I set about creating my first initial with the apple.
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About every other print, I added more paint to the apple. Before the paint was dried, I added a sprinkling of ground cloves. I thought the addition of spices would add a different element to the apple art. The scent of cloves always makes me think of fall and apple pie. Cinnamon would work well, too, I’m sure!
Engineer and Captain America got in on the fun, too! They both started to make their initials, but then decided to just focus on the process art instead. It didn’t bother me one bit, and I had a blast watching them! The boys took turns painting the apples, stamping them on paper, and adding spicy scents. All of our pieces of art smelled delicious — both while we were creating them and after they were dried!
I think this art would work well for the kiddos in my preschool class next month. I might try it out both ways — once as process art and once with the literacy twist. Maybe we’ll even make an apple alphabet for the classroom!!
Have you done any apple art with your children/students? Do you think they’d enjoy this “spicy” apple art for kids?
Shared at The Sunday Showcase, Kids in the Kitchen, After School Link Up, Tuesday Tots, The Kids Co-Op
Done-for-You Preschool Resources
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Lorie says
Bet it smells great!
Mary Catherine says
Yes, the artwork smells delicious! My back porch smells yummy as well, thanks to the enthusiasm of two little boys. 🙂 Thanks, Lorie!
Courtney says
This looks like lots of fun! 🙂
Mary Catherine says
Thanks, Courtney, it really was a lot of fun for the boys and me.
Allison says
This is just so much fun! I’ll be featuring it on The Sunday Showcase this weekend. Thank you for linking up!
Mary Catherine says
Thanks so much, Allison! It really was a lot of fun. 🙂
Amie says
There are so many possibilities with this activity, it is fantastic! I wonder if you would still get the scent of cloves if the spice was mixed into the paint? Thanks for linking up to The Weekly Kid’s Co-Op. I am featuring this post on my Kid’s Co-Op post this week at Triple T Mum!
Mary Catherine says
Thanks, Amie! I’m going to try mixing the spices in the paint next time. I bet you’d still smell the cloves! Thank you for featuring me!