Apple-onia - El Fin (The End)

We awoke this morning to a wonderful surprise!

Thank you Apple-onia and thank YOU boys and girls who helped us along the way!

We hope you had as much fun as we did!  :)

P.S. I will be posting some other apple activities we worked on sometime next week!)

Apple-onia Revealed!

We did it!  We solved the combination puzzle and opened the suitcase, and you'll never guess what was inside!

We always knew Apple-onia was a special apple, but we didn't realize how special.  Inside her suitcase, we found papers telling us that she is a magical apple from the Sweets-N-Treats Orchard run by Fairy Appletart.  When she is planted she will grow into a surprise by the following day!

As soon as she saw the papers, the rest of Apple-onia's memory returned.  She said she had been on a truck traveling from place to place in search of just the right spot to plant herself.  We supposed she would now want to continue on her journey...BUT - what a surprise!  She told us she had found the perfect place to grow, and it was right here with us!

Wow!  Isn't that wonderful?  We certainly were happy to hear that!  :)  So tonight we will follow the directions we found in her suitcase and plant her before bedtime.  Real apples take a long time to grow, but apparently magical apples can change overnight!  What do you think she will become?  We are excited to find out!  Are you?

Apple-onia: The Suitcase...

Guest what!  Apple-onia remembered how she ended up at our door!

Although we discussed many different possibilities of what could have happened to her, including the banana idea suggested by some detective friends (see the comment section in an earlier post), none of our speculation seemed to trigger her memory.  

We were about to give up when she suddenly fell off the toy truck she had been playing on.  Don't worry!  She wasn't hurt.  But the fall did help her remember that she had been riding on a truck with some other apples and had fallen out, hitting her head, when the truck went over a very large bump!  Fortunately, she landed right in front of our driveway and that was how she came into our home (and hearts, we might add).

Apple-onia was so happy to finally remember what had happened to her that she danced a funny little apple dance.  We were so thrilled for her that we felt like dancing too!

When she finally stopped spinning, we asked her if she also remembered everything else about her life.  She thought very hard for a moment and then said she still could not remember where she had come from.  

Then we remembered her suitcase!  Perhaps we could find some clues about where she had come from by looking inside of it.  Did she remember the combination?

No, she did not.  HOWEVER, she did have one recollection of taping a piece of paper to the bottom of the suitcase with some clues on it to help her remember which lock buttons to press.   We checked it and...

YES!  It was still there!

Will you help us figure out the combination?

Apple-onia: One Mystery Solved!

Hooray!  We were able to figure out what kind of apple our new friend is, and it seems you agree!  Apple-onia is a beautiful Gala apple!

We did a little more sleuthing to see if we could find out where she might be from.  Her sticker said she came from the United States of America (USA) so we tried to figure out what states grow Gala apples.  Then we colored those states on a map!   She could have come from Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, Michigan, or some of the other states we found as well.  What states do you think you could find?

Apple-onia is so pleased to finally know what kind of apple she is and to learn some of the states she might have come from.  It sure is fun to help our friends!  We just wish we could help Apple-onia figure out what happened to her head and her memory.  We removed her band-aid today and as you can see, her bruise is still there, AND it still hurts a bit.

We asked her if she had any enemies that might want to hurt her, but she didn't know.  How about you? Do you know if apples have any enemies?  Could someone or something have done this to her on purpose?

How do you get bruises?  Do you think apples can get hurt in the same way?  Could this just have been a terrible accident?

Will you brainstorm with us and tell us what you think might have happened?  Perhaps something we think of will help Apple-onia remember what happened to her.

Calling All Little Detectives: Will You Help Apple-onia?!

Apple-onia is feeling much better today, thanks to some of your wonderful suggestions yesterday as well as some TLC on our part!  Just take a look at some of the things we did below.

We gave her a band-aid to cover her bruise.

We also made her a nice bed in a basket and wrapped her up in a soft blanket.  We think the rest was good for her!

Here she is receiving a warm, happy hug!  :)  Hugs are pretty important for making us feel good!

We gave her a present to cheer her up as well.  We all love presents!  Don't you?  Do you know what was inside?

A new hairbow!!!  She tried it on right away.  Doesn't she look lovely?

Someone suggested a caramel bath - wouldn't that be wonderful?  However, we did not have caramel so we decided to give her a Nutella facial mask instead.  She seemed to think that was a real treat!

Who doesn't love a good story and snuggle?  Apple-onia is no exception!  My daughter read her a book about apples that she had made last year.  Apple-onia enjoyed looking at the pictures.

We have so enjoyed helping Apple-onia to recover!  It is a wonderful thing to help those in need, AND we like having a new friend.

My, she is such a curious fruit!  Why just this afternoon we were showing her pictures of different kinds of apples and she wondered what type of apple she might be.  Then we had a wonderful, amazing idea!  We told her that some apples in stores have stickers on them that say where they came from and what kind of apple they are.  Did she have a sticker?

Why, yes!  We checked and found one on her back, BUT part of it is missing!  Still, there is enough of it left that we think we might be able to figure out what kind of apple she is by looking at her coloring and the sticker.   Would you like to help us?  Here is a picture of the sticker (that little letter in the peach colored part is a "G"):

Linking to:  

www.mushkiloves.blogspot.com
www.gingersnapcrafts.com
www.abcand123learning.com
www.sweetpeasandbb.blogspot.com
www.tipjunkie.com
www.lilluna.com
www.yesterdayontuesday.com
www.somewhatsimple.com
www.houseofhepworths.com
www.bearrabbitbear.blogspot.com

A Surprise Visitor!

Oh my!  Did we ever have a surprise this afternoon!
We heard a knock and opened our front door to find this poor apple sitting right outside!

Looking very sad and very tired, she showed us a big bruise on her head - OUCH!  She told us she could not remember what happened to her or where she came from.  She could only remember her name - Apple-onia - and could we please help her?

Of course we invited her in to our home.   She had a pink suitcase with her but said she could not remember the code to open it.  We told her that it did not matter right now, that she had a lovely name, and that we would help her in any way we could.

We thought that other boys and girls might like to help as well.  Would you?  We certainly hope so!

Poor Apple-onia!  Her head hurts so much, and she seems so sad and tired right now.  What do you think we could do to help her feel better?  What do YOU do when you feel sad or tired or get hurt?

Linking to:
www.whipperberry.com
www.fingerprintsonthefridge.com

Moms - Meet Apple-onia!!!

Dear Moms,
Meet Apple-onia, an extraordinary apple who is about to have an amazing adventure.  Would you and your children like to join in?  See the details below the picture.  :)

Background:
We are going to be concentrating on the theme of Autumn and Apples in our homeschool this week.  Apple-onia is a character that I concocted to go along with that theme.  I thought a little drama (of which my daughter often seems to be the queen) might spice the week up a bit!  Then I thought - why keep Apple-onia all to ourselves?  Other homeschooling moms and their younger children might enjoy brainstorming, writing and sleuthing along with us!
Note:  If you are a mom who likes surprises, don't read further - just check the blog regularly this week to see what Apple-onia is up to.  If you are a mom who likes to plan ahead and know what is going on, see my tentative weekly plan below.  :)

My Week's Plan:

MONDAY (THIS afternoon):  We will hear a knock and open the door to find a dismayed apple outside - Apple-onia Apple to be exact.  She has a bruise on her head and all she can remember is her name.  She has a suitcase in her possession but it is locked and she cannot remember the keypad code (yes, her suitcase is THAT fancy).  She needs our help to find out more about herself and her predicament.  But for the moment, she needs to rest.
 Do the children have any suggestions or advice for her recovery?  Encourage your children to think of things she might do to regain her energy and strength.  If you wish, they may submit their ideas in the comment form section (if they are too young to type, they could dictate their responses to you) or send them to me via my e-mail address michelle.natureofgrace@gmail.com.

TUESDAY:  Well rested (especially after following some of the children's suggestions from the day before), Apple-onia is ready to figure out more about who she is.  She would love to know what kind of apple she is and where she comes from.  She points out that she has a sticker on her side.  Part of it is missing.  Here is where some sleuthing enters the picture: using the sticker and Apple-onia's picture (coloring, markings, etc,), let your children try to figure out what type of apple she might be and even what states she might have come from.

WEDNESDAY:  Apple-onia wakes up glad that she now knows a little more about herself, but also notices her bruise is very sore today.  Ouch!  She wonders what could have happened to make her lose her memory and feel so poorly in the first place.  Did someone or something cause this to happen to her?  Do apples have any enemies?  Would the children brainstorm again and help her figure out what happened?  Perhaps something they suggest would jog her memory.
Encourage your child to think of what might have happened to Apple-onia.  What could cause a bruise on an apple (How do children get bruises?  Do they think the same thing could happen to an apple? etc.).  Do apples have enemies - a pest that could have caused poor Apple-onia to get hurt?  If your child would like to suggest an idea, please feel free to submit it in the comment form section once again.

THURSDAY:  Apple-onia is feeling much better now but very curious about her suitcase and what it might contain.  The suitcase is locked and can only be opened by pressing the right buttons in the right order on the suitcase lock keypad.  However, poor Apple-onia cannot remember the right combination.  However, she DOES recollect that she taped a small piece of paper to the bottom of her suitcase containing some clues to help her remember the right code in case she forgot what it was.  Would the children help her solve each clue?  Again, please feel free to submit your child's answer in the comment form.
Later in the day, I will plan to post again stating she was able to open the suitcase (with the help of her friends - YOU ALL, of course) and found documents inside showing that she is indeed from --------, but from a very special orchard owned by a fairy.  All the apples inside the orchard are magical.  When planted, they grow into something very special indeed!   Apple-onia will suddenly regain her memories of her home, and how - when the time was right - she had left the orchard in search of just the right place where she might plant herself.  She will also recall the mishap which prevented her from doing just that and which also brought her to our doorstep.  We of course will miss her!
But then Apple-onia surprises us!  She has decided she cannot think of a more perfect place to stay than with our family.   So we will plant her in a little pot that night.  Let your children brainstorm and write down or draw a picture of what she might grow into by the following morning!

FRIDAY:  We will wake up to the surprise of finding a caramel (or chocolate) apple has "grown"overnight in the place where we planted the apple!   What yummy joy and a fun conclusion to our Apple-onia saga!  :)
Side note:  my daughter is old enough to realize this is pretend and caramel apples do not "grow" from real apples - that this is just a fun conclusion to a fun week.  However, if your child is too young to understand this, you might either want to skip Thursday and Friday's post, change the outcome of the story yourself to make it more realistic, or have a mini-lesson on pretend versus real.

Note:  We will be spending the week completing many different apple activities with Apple-onia's help.  At some point, I might try to post some of these as well.  :)

Linking to: 
http://www.skiptomylou.org/
http://www.thegirlcreative.com/
http://www.makingtheworldcuter.com/
www.runwithglitter.blogspot.com
http://www.craftskeepmesane.blogspot.com/
http://www.sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com/
www.gigglesglitzandglam.blogspot.com
www.craftyconfessions.com