Provide an apple for each child in your preschool classroom. Go around to each child and cut the fruits in half. Have your class smell and touch the apple. Tell the children that apples come from apple trees. Show a picture of an apple tree to your students. Ask them to draw a picture of the apple cut in half. Point out the seeds and remind them to draw them in their picture. Now, cut each child's apple in quarters. Tell the children to count the quarters. Reinforce that there are four pieces on their desk. Allow the children to eat the apples.
Similarly, study the pumpkin. Bring a large pumpkin to class. Have your students tell you the color of the pumpkin. Instruct them to draw a picture of the pumpkin and to color it orange. As they color, cut off the stem of the pumpkin and discard. Place small amounts of pumpkin meat and juice in a cup for each child. Have them separate the pumpkin seeds from the meat. Save the seeds for use in a later project. Offer the children brown sugar and cinnamon to taste, and provide them with spoons. Encourage them to taste the sweetened pumpkin meat.
Several holidays feature pumpkins and apples prominently, so use those times to bake an apple or pumpkin pie. When you study America, include an apple pie in your lesson. Children can make mini apple pies, using pre-cut apples and mixing the butter, cinnamon, sugar and apples together with their clean bare hands. Provide ice cream for an added treat.
Pumpkin pie is a great accompaniment to Thanksgiving celebrations. Again, mini pie shells allow children to make their own pie, and preschoolers love to work independently. After baking, the children can eat their mini pies with pride. Consider topping with whipped cream.
Apples and pumpkins are easy to plant and preschoolers love to get their hands dirty. Start the apple seedlings in containers made from the cup of an egg carton. With regular watering and adequate sunlight, the plants will soon outgrow their small homes. The children can also help with the repotting into the bottom half of cardboard milk cartons. Pumpkin seeds should be soaked a few hours before planting. Start them out in the bottom part a cardboard milk carton, as they will get big quickly. Prepare extra in case anyone's seedling doesn't take.
Let the children take the plants home. Provide instructions for future care of the plants for parents. Let parents know that these apple seedlings will not produce fruit for several years, if at all. The pumpkins likely will grow pumpkins though, so make that clear to parents as well.
Painting is always a great activity for preschoolers because it allows them to get messy and to create bright, colorful pieces of art. Provide each child with paints, a brush and a glass of water to wash his brush. Separate the paints for each child by providing the paint in the cups of an egg carton. Discuss color mixing and primary colors. You can give the children a suggestion as to what to paint or allow them free reign to make whatever they desire.
Allow the painted pumpkins to dry and send home the work of art to appreciative parents.