Littles Learning Link Up: Apple Fun Round Up- 70+ Apple Themed Ideas

Welcome to Littles Learning Link Up. Each month you will find:

• A seasonal round-up (at the beginning of the month)
• A guest post featuring crafts, activities, tips, snack ideas or other early childhood topics. (toward the end of the month)
• Posts where I share what I have been up to with my preschoolers and/or early elementary children.

Each week, I will host a link up, where you can share either what you have been up to recently, or old posts that may go with the theme.  Feel free to link up more than one post.

Each week I will continue to feature a couple of posts from those that have been linked up. 

I hope you will continue to share your wonderful posts, and I hope you will find something new to try with your child.

I don't know about your neck of the woods, but around here there has been a definite nip in the air. I can't believe autumn is right around the corner. Time to bring out the warmer clothes, turn on the furnace, and start thinking about fall crafts (of course). I decided that Apples would be an appropriate theme for this month's round up. Apples tend to be associated with Back to School and Fall. When I asked my fellow bloggers to share their apple ideas, I was overwhelmed with the response. There are so many good ideas out there, from crafts and activities to recipes. So, if you are looking for apple-themed ideas, you have stopped by the right place.

Apple Fun Round Up

Let's start with Apple Crafts, shall we.

1- Up, Up, Up! It's Apple Picking Time- Yarn Apples from 3 Dinosaurs

2- Wormy Apples: an apple craft for toddlers and preschoolers from Danya Banya

3- Apple Craft For Kids: make an apple wall hanging from Moms and Crafters

4- Apple Footprint Craft from Raising Little Superheroes

5- Sew an Apple Fall Craft from The Jenny Evolution

6- Fall Craft for Kids: Stuffed Paper Apples from Buggy and Buddy

7- Apple Spin Art from Teaching 2 & 3 Year Olds

8- Crab Apple Print Making from Kitchen Floor Crafts 

9- Easy Toilet Paper Roll Apple Stamping from Just Another Mom

10-Apple Crafts For Preschool: aaack ants on the apple! from Kidz Activities 

11-Pumpkin and Apple Tissue Paper Suncatchers from In the Playroom

12-A is For Apple Crafts (and other activities) here at Tots and Me...Growing Up Together

Now, let's move on to Apple Tree Crafts.

13-Yarn Apple Tree from 3 Dinosaurs

14-Life Cycle of an Apple Tree: Torn Paper Apple Trees from 3 Dinosaurs 

15-Pom Pom Apple Tree Painting from School Time Snippets

16-Handprint and Pom Pom Apple Tree from Just Another Mom

17-School Time With My Father's World: Fruit of the Spirit Apple Orchard Using the Children's Arms and Hands (Part of a Week in Review post with lots of apple activity ideas) here at Tots and Me...Growing Up Together

18-Apple Tree Art here at Tots and Me...Growing Up Together

Time for some great Literacy Activities using the Apple Theme. 

Ideas range from learning letters to phonics fun!

19-Alphabet Learning: Apple Stamping from Growing Book by Book

20-Apple Tree Alphabet Game from Pre-K Pages 

21-Apple-Bet Match: A Lowercase and Upper Case Letter Recognition Game from Tiny Tots Adventures

22-Apple-Themed CVC Word Game from There's Just One Mommy

23-Apple Tree Word Family Literacy Game from Learn~Play~Imagine

Let's move on to Apple Math Activities!

24-Apple Counting Book from Pre-K Pages

25-Hands On Learning: Apple Counting from 3 Dinosaurs 

26-Apple-Themed Activities Using Pom-Poms from There's Just One Mommy

27-Apple-Themed Skip Counting Activity from There's Just One Mommy

28-Sorting & Counting Apples on the Light Table from And Next Comes L

29-Math Patterns Using Apple Prints from Buggy and Buddy

30-Apple Math Tray from And Next Comes L

31-Apple Patterns from The Kindergarten Connection

Fine Motor and Sensory Apple Learning Activities

32-Apple Sensory Bin from 3 Dinosaurs

33-Apple Scented Play Dough from Danya Banya

34-Apple Hedgehogs: Fine Motor Activity from Pre-K Pages

35-Apple Tree Quiet Book Activity from Teach Me Mommy

36-Fall Farm Sensory Bin from The Jenny Evolution

37-Apple Puzzle Making from Play& Learn Everyday

38-Apple Stacking Game For Preschoolers and Tots from Simple. Home. Blessings.

39-Fall Apple Sensory Bin from Teaching 2 & 3 Year Olds

40-Apple Cinnamon Sensory Tray from Learn~Play~Imagine

41-Apple Sensory Soup {Water Sensory Play} from And Next Comes L

42-Apple Puzzle from A Mom With a Lesson Plan

43-Simple Apple Weaving from P is for Preschooler

44-Apple Sensory Bin from Life Over C's

Gross Motor Apple Activities 

45-Apple Tree Apple Tree: Circle Game from Let's Play Music

46-Gross Motor Skip Counting Activity from Learn~Play~Imagine

47-Apple Toss-Gross Motor Game from Pink Oatmeal

48-10 Apples Up On Top! Relay Race from Home Grown Friends

Free Apple-Themed Printables

49-Free Apple Activities Pack from 3 Dinosaurs

50-Free Apple Printables and Montessori-Inspired Apple Activities from Living Montessori Now

51-Free Phonics Worksheet- Apple Picking Edition from Sight and Sound Reading

52-Apple Science for Kids: Exploring the Inside of an Apple from Buggy and Buddy

53-"Apples, Apples.." Color Chant & Free Printable from School Time Snippets

54-Apple Orchard: Free Play Dough Set from Life Over C's

55-Apple Puzzle Activities: 4 Ways to Play {Free Printable} from Paradise Praises

Apple Recipes

56-Apple Pizza Snack Activity from Pre-K Pages

57-DIY Apple Honey Dish from Moms & Crafters

58-Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Snacks from Moms & Crafters 

59-Hazelnut White Chocolate Chip Apple Rings from Grown Ups Mag

60-Red Apple Rice Krispie Treats from The Jenny Evolution

61-Cinnamon Apple Peels from Mama Smiles

62-Orange-Flavored Apple Sauce from Mama Smiles

63-Easy Recipe for Applesauce from Teaching 2 & 3 Year Olds

64-Caramel Apple Delight from Sunshine and Hurricanes

65-Apple Oatmeal Pancakes from Home Grown Friends

66-Muffin Tin Monday- Aa: Apple here at Tots and Me...Growing Up Together

67-Kids and a Mom in the Kitchen: Apple Crisp here at Tots and Me...Growing Up Together

68-Kids and a Mom in the Kitchen: Aa- Applesauce Cake here at Tots and Me...Growing Up Together

69-Muffin Tin Monday: Apples Galore here at Tots and Me... Growing Up Together

70-Kids and a Mom in the Kitchen: Apple Crisp Cookies here at Tots and Me...Growing Up Together

71-Kids and a Mom in the Kitchen: Apple Pie here at Tots and Me...Growing Up Together

Now onto:

Littles Learning Link Up Features

On my last Toddler Idea Tuesday post, there were 12 wonderful posts linked up. I will be picking one randomly selected post to share, plus the top clicked-on posts.  

This week's randomly selected post is:

Jamie from Hands On As We Grow shared Help Your Child Make Friends At Any Age. 

And  here is this week's Most Clicked on Post:

Colors of Our Rainbow shared Learning Math With Popsicle Sticks: Addition of Numbers For Kindergarten.

I would love to have you join in this week! What sort of activities do you do with your young children? Do you have some favorite activities you would like to share? I invite you to link up below. I will be pinning posts on my Toddler Ideas or other relevant board, and I would love to feature some of the activities each week from what is linked up.

Please know I may share a picture from your post and link back to it, along with sharing how we used your idea in our school time, if applicable. By linking up you are giving me permission to use a picture from your post. I will ALWAYS give credit and link back. Additionally, if you choose to try out any of the ideas with your child, please make sure you give credit where credit is due.

Linky will be open through Sunday night, to give me time to check out all the posts and get the Features organized. Please take the time to visit some of the other wonderful posts linked up.

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An InLinkz Link-up

I will be linking up at:

Tuesday's Giveaway Link Up- September 15th, 2015

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Welcome to Tuesday's Giveaway Link Up with your hosts Karen @ Tots and Me, Emily @ Emily Reviews, Shelly @ The Attic Girl, and Rena @ An Ordinary Housewife.

So glad you could join us as we share our giveaways on  Tuesday's Giveaway Link Ups. 

This link up will be posted Monday at 7 PM est. and run all week long! Make sure you stop in as often as you can to list your latest giveaways.

Here is how to use the Giveaway Link Up

1. Post your reviews and/or giveaways, as many as you have, be sure to add the end date (family friendly please)

2. Help spread the word about the giveaway link up by grabbing our button, Tweeting or posting on Facebook. (Not mandatory- but it helps get more exposure to your giveaways as well!)

3. Take a moment to enter any giveaway that strikes an interest to you!

If you would  like to follow the  hostesses, we will gladly follow you back! Simply leave us a message to do so.

Featured Giveaways

A+ Interactive Math Complete 1 Year Curriculum {5 Winners} US only Ends 9/25

$25 Gift Card of Choice US only Ends 9/28

Thank you for linking up with Karen @ Tots and Me, Emily @ Emily Reviews, Shelly @ The Attic Girl, and Rena @ An Ordinary Housewife.

An InLinkz Link-up

Kids and a Mom in the Kitchen #123: Pumpkin Spice No Bake Cookies

Time for Kids and a Mom in the Kitchen

(A weekly linky to share what you and your children have created in the kitchen.)

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The linky is at the bottom.

After a summer break, I am excited to say Kids and a Mom in the Kitchen is back! In my last post I promised it would be back in September, so here it is.

Kids and a Mom in the Kitchen is where I like to post about the time the children and I spend learning in the kitchen and creating yummy foods. Sometimes they go along with our lessons, sometimes they don't. Sometimes they are recipes of my own creation, sometimes they are recipes I have found elsewhere.

I decided to make it a linky party so others can share their great recipes. We love finding new recipes to try, so even if you didn't have children helping you in the kitchen, I would love to see your recipes. If we use your recipe in one of our Kids and a Mom in the Kitchen times, I will link back to your post.

You will find the linky at the bottom of the post. I hope you will join with me in this fun party. Don't forget to check out some of the other great recipes that have linked up, and the featured post.

Pumpkin Spice No Bake Cookies

Yesterday we went to the annual Harvest Dinner for our Koinonia group. The hubby wanted me to take our normal no bake cookies. However, I had this sudden urge to see if there was a way to make pumpkin no bake cookies. Over to Google I went, and I found this great recipe for No Bake Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies at Once A Month Meals. I was thrilled to have all the ingredients so we got right to work making them. I have to say, they don't really taste like pumpkin, more like pumpkin spices, so that is why I changed the name. They are really good, though a bit sweet, so you don't want to eat more than 1 (or maybe 2) at a time. I received quite a few compliments at the dinner too. This recipe has become one of our "Keeper" Recipes. 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter
2/3 cup milk
3 1/3 oz Pumpkin Spice Instant Pudding Mix
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 cups quick oats

The children were excited to have a Kids and a Mom in the Kitchen time again.

First we added the white and brown sugars to the pan.

Next we added the butter and the milk.

We brought it to a boil, stirring to help the sugar to dissolve and the butter to melt.

While some of the children continued stirring, we got the oatmeal measured out.

Once it comes to a boil, we let it boil for 2 minutes. Then we turned the fire off and added the pudding mix. We stirred that in well.

We then added the pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and the oats.

We stirred it well, and let it sit for 5 minutes.

Finally we dropped it onto the wax paper. After cooling for a few minutes, we put it in the refrigerator, as I had read some of the comments and was concerned it would firm up fast enough to take to the dinner. They firmed up perfectly.

Directions:

1- Combine Sugars, Butter, and Milk.

2- Bring to a boil.

3- Boil for 2 minutes.

4- Remove from heat. Add pudding mix and stir well.

5- Add Pumpkin Spice, Vanilla, and Oats

6- Stir to combine. Let stand 5 minutes.

7- Drop by tablespoon measure (approx, depends how big you want them), onto wax paper.

8- Cool. You may need to put them in the refrigerator to get them to firm up.

9- Enjoy! 

Do you have your children help you in the kitchen?  What lessons do they learn? Do you have any kid friendly recipes to share?

I'd love to see your posts, whether you have done something this week or some time in the past. Just link up below. This is a weekly linky.

I am linking up to:

 
 

Melt in Your Mouth Monday
Try a New Recipe Tuesday at Home to Four Kiddos
The Gathering Spot at Mamal Diane
Friday Food Frenzy at Close to Home
Fantastic Thursday at Five Little Chefs
Foodie Friends Friday at Robyn'sView
Family Fun Friday at Happy and Blessed Home

And here is my Kids and a Mom in the Kitchen linky

An InLinkz Link-up

21 Lessons in 20th Century American Music Appreciation {A Review}

I had the wonderful opportunity to review a new music appreciation course from Gena Mayo of I Choose Joy. She is a fellow blogger and homeschooling mom of eight children. When I asked about doing a review of her music curriculum, I didn't realize what an impressive background Gena has in music. Not only has she taught her own children, but she has both a Bachelors degree in Music Education and a Master of Music in Vocal Pedagogy. Additionally, she has a lot of experience teaching music to children. This curriculum was originally created for a homeschool co-op and was used with children in from grades K-12. 

Up to this point in our homeschool journey, our musical learning has been quite informal and not very focused. When the children were younger we played a lot of music. We danced around to kids songs. We listened to classical music, focusing on a composer whose name started with our letter of the week. We sing tons of children's songs, most of which I learned while working at the Montessori. Homemade musical "instruments" have been enjoyed through the years. We've even spent some time learning to play the piano. However, this year I decided we needed to be more focused about our musical learning. It might have something to do with having to be "official" with the school district this year, I'm not sure. 

We had already planned on learning a new instrument, the recorder. However, when the opportunity arose to check out Gena's music appreciation curriculum, I thought it would be a great addition to our musical learning. 

This curriculum is a downloadable PDF file that contains 21 lessons, each of which include information about the composer or style being studied, links to YouTube videos, and notebooking pages for older students. 

You will get a picture of how music has evolved through the 20th century. The lessons begin with the marches of John Phillip Sousa and make their way through blues, jazz, folk opera, big band music, musical theater (both before and after 1965), rock and roll beginnings, and folk music. Sometimes the lesson will focus on a specific composer, other times you will be learning about a style where the music of different composers is shared. 

It is recommended that you focus on a lesson per week. After reading the information, you would watch the linked videos throughout the week. Younger children can just listen to the music, or perhaps color a picture related to the musical style while they listen. However, you would have to search for coloring sheets on your own, as those haven't been provided. Older children can fill out the notebooking sheets. There are two different sheets provided. The first one focuses on the composer, and the child would fill in the name, country, and dates of birth and death. Several lines are then provided for the child to list Famous Pieces, and Interesting Facts. You would use the information shared in the lesson. The second sheet is titled, "What do you hear in this music?" While listening to a specific piece of music the child would fill in such things as: tempo, mood, rhythm, style, and whether or not it reflected the time period it was written in. 

As my children are on the young side, we have not used any of the notebooking sheets yet. I have kept it very simple. I read some of the information about the composer to the children and we watch the videos. Sometimes they hang around for the entire video, other times they play quietly next to me here in the living room while the music plays. I have not given them any coloring sheets as of yet. Part of that is because I wasn't quite sure what kind of picture to print out. I would have loved some suggestions for what would go well with each composer/style. Music is not my strong point and I guess I need a bit more hand-holding than others would. 

The children and I have enjoyed watching/listening to the videos that Gena has linked to in the curriculum. Even I am learning things about the music of the 20th century that I had never known before. I have to admit, there was some musical information that was a bit over my head, though my husband may have a better understanding. For example, in the lesson on Blues, Gena discusses chord progression and the blues scale, and I admit, I was sort of scratching my head, because I really don't understand what that mean. Fro now I have decided to share the basic information with the children and enjoy listening to the music. As they get older, we can revisit the curriculum and the children will be able to fill out the notebooking sheets. 

This is a simple to use music appreciation curriculum that will introduce your children to the music of the 20th century. I think it would be a wonderful tie-in for those who are studying this period of history, to see what was going on in the country when these musical works were created. For us, it is just a fun exploration of music, but for older students it can be so much more. 

You can purchase Gena Mayo's 21 Lessons in 20th Century American Music Appreciation curriculum for $25. 

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this curriculum in exchange for my honest review. No further compensation was given. This did not in any way influence my review. I only recommend products I use personally and feel will be a good products for my readers. 

A+ Interactive Math: $12 Complete Curriculum {Plus 3 Months Free Offer and Giveaway}

Are you looking for an affordable math curriculum? A+ Interactive Math has an amazing new curriculum that is very affordable. I haven't tried it out yet; however, I have been very happy with the other programs we have used from A+ Interactive Math. I will be trying this new curriculum out with the children and sharing a review later this month, but I didn't want you to miss out on this great offer. Check it out:

FREE 3-months or just $12 for a whole year of Math - A Curriculum for Busy Homeschool Moms - Easy to Teach w/ Automatically Graded Worksheets & Tests!

If you're like me, you are one of those homeschool moms who often find it difficult to homeschool math on a tight budget particularly when you are homeschooling multiple kids. Are you looking for a math resource that can do most of the work for you and save you time? Automatic Grading N Tracking of all the worksheets and tests with step-by-step solution to each problem is a HUGE time saver.

Now you can get this awesome COMPLETE math curriculum FREE for 3-Months or Just $12 for a Whole Year of Math. It includes curriculum eBook (lessons in PDF format) with Worksheets & Tests that are Graded and Tracked by this program automatically. Parents/students can review each completed assignment with step-by-step solution to find mistakes and correct the issues. This is a HUGE TIME SAVER & a BIG WINNER for Busy Homeschool Moms on a tight budget.

Get it FREE for 3-Months!
NO Credit Card Needed!

It creates, assigns, and grades assignments (worksheets and tests) and tracks student progress for you so you don't have to. This will easily save you 2 to 3 hours each week and get rid of all the frustration of checking and tracking student work. You do have to teach, but wait there is help! The curriculum eBook includes fun, colorful and engaging lessons that make teaching math a breeze with easy to follow explanations and lots of visuals.

You may purchase this low cost program for Just $12 for Whole Year of Math - this special 80% OFF promotional offer will end soon!!!

Enter to win! Total 5 Winners – Each Family will win a single grade level your choice.

You get a lot for just $12 for the whole year:

* Curriculum eBook
* Worksheets & Tests - Already generated for you (online or print PDF)
* Parent can generate and assign worksheets & tests (optional)
* Students complete worksheets online or offline (printed PDF)
* Step-by-Step Solution to each problem
* Automatic Grading & Tracking (HUGE Time SAVER)
* Easy to read reports
* Plenty of practice to master math concepts

This will be the BEST $12 you would spend on a Math Curriculum! Guaranteed!

(Enter the giveaway on the Rafflecopter widget at the end of the post.)

A+ Interactive Math wants to help every homeschool family get access to this awesome math curriculum. And yes there are families who can’t afford even $12 for a homeschool math curriculum. If you are or know someone who can’t afford even $12 for this Math curriculum, you may request the complete year curriculum for FREE. Please complete this FREE Curriculum Request Form.

Why this new program and what’s so GREAT about it?

Most homeschool moms spend a minimum of 2 to 3 hours for each child homeschooling Math. Just for $1/month, this program can give you most of that time back with Unlimited worksheets, tests, step-by-step solutions and automatic grading & tracking. The curriculum eBook (PDF Lessons) with fun, engaging and easy to teach lessons makes this a complete and ONLY math curriculum you will need – ALL this for just $12!

MORE Freebies!!!

FREE Math Placement Test – Most comprehensive program with multi-grade level “adaptive” testing to identify student’s current skill level.  It then creates an “individualized” lesson plan to target problem areas with everything included. Individualized lesson plan available for a small fee.


You can follow A+ Interactive Math on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

And now, on to the giveaway!

All you need to do is enter in the Rafflecopter form below. 

There are only 2 simple mandatory entries, with the remainder of the entries being optional. 

Remember, you do not have to do the extra entries, but they will increase your odds of winning. 

This giveaway is open to US residents 18 and over. 

The giveaway runs September 11 through September 25, 2015.

Thanks for stopping by, and good luck!

 By entering the giveaway, you understand and agree that your contact information will be shared with the sponsor.

a Rafflecopter giveaway Disclosure: I was contacted by the company to share this great program with other homeschool parents who have tight budgets. I have not yet used the curriculum with my children, but I have been offered it free for both of my girls. I will be sharing the review later this month. This giveaway is in no way affiliated with the Schoolhouse Review Crew. I was contacted by the company individually and have received no further compensation.