Many students make the tin-pot hat Johnny Appleseed wore, but the bag that he carried serves as an alternative. This craft uses brown grocery bags, cut in half horizontally. The students decorate their bag with pictures of apple trees using crayons; a 24-inch-by-3-inch ribbon, stapled to the bag, creates a shoulder strap. Teachers should adjust the length of the strap to fit each child as needed.
Preschoolers can create a free-standing statue using a template from DLTK's website. Students color the body parts and accessories from the template, cut out the pieces and glue them to a toilet paper roll. When it dries, students can take Johnny home with them.
After reading a book about apples and discussing foods made with apples, children can paint a picture of their favorite food that contains or tastes like apples, such as apple pie, Apple Jacks cereal, apple chips, candy apples and applesauce. Give students construction paper, washable paint and paint brushes to complete this activity. "Applesauce" by Shirley Kurtz, "The Apple Pie" by Zoe Hall and "Apple Picking Time" by Michele B. Slawson have richly colored pictures and intriguing stories that keep young learners interested.