Apples - Up on Top!

When Littlest Page sees an apple in the grocery store, a strange apple-lust takes over her body and turns her into a crazed baby. Heaven and earth couldn't keep her from getting her pudgy hands on one of those shiny apples, never mind that she's strapped to a shopping cart, four feet above the produce shelves. She stretches her little arms out towards the apples, arches her back, and winds up for the ultimate temper tantrum. If I don't move fast to place the sacred fruit in her lap, I'm in for a tempest of tears, screams, and scratches. (Yes, she scratches!) Having received her favorite snack, she smiles sweetly at me, sighs with perfect happiness, and begins to gnaw its flesh with her four little teeth.

In honor of my 1 year-old's passion, I'm devoting this week to all things apple!

The Book - Ten Apples Up on Top by Dr. Suess

How could I not start with the classic Dr. Suess? Believe it or not, I wasn't familiar with this book until Little Page's preschool did a unit on it last year. I'm so glad Mrs. Brenner introduced it to us!

A true Dr. Suess book, it combines simple rhymes and even simpler illustrations to teach reading and counting. In the story, a dog, a lion, and a tiger try to balance increasing numbers of apples on their heads with predictable but entertaining consequences. Containing only 75 unique words, it's a great book for pre- or early readers. The repetition allows for easy memorization of key phrases and the story is fun and engaging for preschoolers.

The Craft - Yarn Apples

I found this craft on Makes and Takes and thought it was too adorable (and easy!) not to share with you.


Makes and Takes provides a detailed tutorial on how to make these, so I'll let you visit those fabulous ladies for the full instructions. Basically, you wrap yarn around 2" x 5" piece of cardboard until it looks thick and fluffy. While the yarn is still on the cardboard, slide a brown pipe cleaner between the yarn and cardboard and twist together, tying off the yarn. Slip out the cardboard and twist the pipe cleaner up and around so it closes on the entire loop of yarn. Now you can fluff out your apple and create your stem. Add a bit of green pipe cleaner for the leaves.


To stack your apples "up on top" simply insert a thin pencil into one apple and continue to add apples to your liking. Now see if you can balance 10 on your head! BTW - I think these would make great pumpkins as well; just use orange yarn instead of red.

Edit: I'm linking up this older post to help celebrate Dr. Suess' Birthday at 123 & ABC Learning!