Giving Tree Apples and a BIG Back to School Sale on TpT

Don't forget to head over to TpT August 18th and 19th for their big "Back to School" Sale. All of my products will be 20% off and TpT is adding another 10% off (be sure to enter the "BTS13" code). This represents great savings for the beginning of the school year!

Click here to head over to my sale!

Giving Tree Apple Craft:

Step 1:  Take all your red "scrap paper" (this includes wrapping paper, junk mail, scrapbook paper, etc.) and draw lines on the back side of the paper.  Let your students practice their cutting skills by cutting along the lines to make paper strips.  

Step 2:  Instruct your students to take random strips of paper and glue them diagonally onto red construction paper.  Don't worry of they miss a spot or two, combine strips of paper on the same line, or do something entirely unexpected... they all turn out looking great. 
 

  Step 3: Once the construction paper is full of colored strips, flip it onto the backside, and trace 3-4 apple images onto the blank side of the paper. 

Step 4:  Cut out the apples.  The slant of the stripes will vary depending on how the apples were traced onto the construction paper.   Each one turns out unique, cute, and very autumn-ish.  Let the students add "stitch marks" using a marker.  This helps add definition to each apple. 

 

Now. what to do with the apples?  Here are some ideas:

• Read The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.  Discuss acts of kindness.  Make a classroom "giving tree".  Each time you see a child engaging in an act of kindness allow him/her to add an apple to the tree.  The classroom goal is to fill the tree with acts of kindness apples.  
• Add a small label to each apple and use them as parent name tags for "Meet the Teacher" night.
• Add a small label to each apple and put a classroom wishlist item on each apple.  Invite your parents to pick an apple from the tree and donate the wishlist item. 
• Put a picture of each child onto an apple.  Create a "You're the Apple of My Eye" bulletin board. 

Have a great weekend!
Granny (Cindy)