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
