Yep, it's applesauce season! We asked parents to send apples to school and they delivered! We had a whole box of apples and all three kindergarten classes were apple to cook up a yummy treat. The book called Applesauce Season is one of my favorites. I love that the characters in the book go to the farmers' market and buy a variety of different apples. They use a food mill, which is what we use in the classroom. One of my favorite things is when books we read connect to real life experiences.
We got to slice up the apples with plastic knives, as part of our "small motor" stations in the morning. It's not easy to cut through an apple with a plastic knife, but the kids really worked the muscles in their hands and got the job done.
Once the apples were sliced and the cores were thrown away, we put the apples into the crockpot. We filled it about half way with water and added a little cinnamon. The apples cooked all day, on high, and we stirred them throughout the day. The kids loved coming into the classroom after recess and smelling their snack cooking!
We used a slotted spoon to take the apples out, leaving water behind, and put them into the food mill. The apples were hot and smelled amazing!
I called each over, during our Center Time, to smoosh the apples in the food mill. The peels are left behind in the food mill and the apple sauce comes out of the little holes.
I think all of the kids would agree that the best part of making applesauce is EATING! Most of the kids said it was the best applesauce they had ever eaten. Only a few said they didn't care for it. I told the kids that I will never force them to eat something we make in class. We also talked about polite ways to say, "No thank you."
This was such a good experience for the kids. If you are interested in purchasing a food mill, so you can make your own applesauce at home, I purchased mine at Walmart and I know they are also available on Amazon. I hope I've inspired you to give it a try! Your kids are experts now!
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