Whenever I can, I like to bring all of my children together for homeschool projects. Even projects from the preschool curriculum can be made into something all of them enjoy. {Read my review of A Year of Playing Skillfully to learn more about this concept!) However, sometimes, certain projects need to be supplemented and tweaked in order to make it work for multiple ages. That’s how our Apples & Cinnamon Unit Study came to be!
It started with The Peaceful Preschool curriculum. The Letter A unit had my little ones learning about apples, sorting cinnamon sticks, and making an apple crisp. Now, most of my kids can read and don’t need a unit on the letter A; however, all of my children love to cook! That’s when I remembered the Sugar & Spice Unit Studies I purchased years ago (which are sadly, no longer available).
One of the units is on Cinnamon, and it is perfect for the older grades! So, between The Peaceful Preschool and the Cinnamon Unit Study, we had the perfect combination for all my kiddos!
Related post: Review of The Peaceful Preschool
As with everything I do, it had to be tweaked to fit our needs, so I’ll share with you exactly what we did to make this a fun activity for everyone! You don’t have to purchase either of these curricula in order to do this study, but both are reasonably priced and worth the consideration.
This is a very simple unit study that can easily be pulled together and done in an afternoon. Just the way I like my projects – EASY!
Are you looking for a way to be intentional about your holiday homeschooling? Check out my Holiday Homeschool Planner Pack for Thanksgiving and Christmas planning! This is how I keep track of everything, plus have a wonderful keepsake to look at year after year!
Items needed:
- Apples (any variety, several different kinds would be preferable)
- Apple Taste Test Worksheet (like THIS ONE)
- Cinnamon Sticks
- Ground Cinnamon (if you can get a average store-bought along with a higher quality Asian cinnamon, you’ll have a much better sampling)
- Ingredients for a simple Apple Crisp (like THIS ONE)
- Information on the origin of cinnamon (Wikipedia will do)
- Letter A template (like THIS ONE)
- Sandpaper
- A book about apples (my favorite is How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World)
(Consider pairing this with a Unit Study on Johnny Appleseed like THIS ONE to maximize educational potential!)
Start by gathering everyone in the kitchen or dining room and have them examine the various apples you’ve purchased. You can have your younger ones sort by color, and have your older ones sort by variety.
Choose one apple of each variety and cut into slices. Pass out the Apple Taste Testing Worksheet, and enjoy tasting and commenting on the different varieties!
Next, bring out the various cinnamons, including the cinnamon sticks. Read about cinnamon and then let them taste the different kinds of cinnamon you have purchased.
Cut out the sandpaper in the shape of a letter A using the template. Rub the cinnamon sticks on the sandpaper A’s (have older children help).
Gather everyone to put together the Apple Crisp. We used a peeler/corer/slicer and the kids loved eating the “apple snakes” and making the apple crisp together!
If you choose to add on a Johnny Appleseed unit study, do it while the apple crisp bakes. This is also a great time to read your apple book or do an apple craft!
Enjoy!
Check out this post for more Apple Themed Ideas for Your Homeschool!
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