Nothing speaks fall or September more than a fun hands-on apple unit and making dried apples. Add this hands-on activity to my fall unit apple study.
Incorporating cooking into your homeschool is an easy and fun way to include many subjects naturally into the day.
There is so much learning to be had in even the most simple of recipe.
For fall I thought I would share a delicious dried apple ring recipe.
What is so great about teaching kids to cook? First, they learn to read and follow directions.
Also, they get a lesson in fractions.
Cooking is a Life Skill
Too, cooking boosts a child’s confidence and encourages picky eaters to try something new.
Besides, learning how to cook teaches a child about nutrition.
And introduces science through the various reactions that cooking produces and can strengthen family bonds, teaches responsibility and builds attention skills.
Cooking can be done with everyone from toddlers to high schoolers making it a great family or co-op activity.
So aside from those benefits this recipe opens the door to an opportunity to talk and learn about apples.
It makes a great hands-on start up to a mini apple unit.
Add in some great books, a little apple math, and a few other activities and you have yourself a great mini unit study.
Apple Study Resources
Julia Rothmans anatomy books are great for creating your own unit study.
And both of these books, Food Anatomy and Farm Anatomy, have a great little section on apples.
I highly recommend you add them to your library.
Not only are they pretty reference books but great snippets of information.
Who Was books also make a great addition for reading aloud or independent reading.
Who Was Johnny Appleseed is perfect for this study.
Unit Study Ideas for Apples
Then, here more ideas for a unit study besides the ones on my apple unit study page.
Art Apple Idea.
For art create a picture of a cross section of an apple with watercolor or chalk.
Have your child label the parts of the apple. Toddlers and preschoolers can use half an apple to stamp with paint.
Math Apple Idea.
Use fresh apples to weigh, measure, test density, cut them up and work on fractions, compare apple prices in the grocery flier.
Science Apple Idea.
Make a volcano in a cored out apple with baking soda and vinegar.
Test the ability of various liquids to keep apples from turning brown and test your five senses by using them to sample apples.
Geography/History Apple Idea.
Learn about Johnny Appleseed, research where the most apples are grown and mark it on a print out map.
How to Make Easy Dried Apple Slices
Next, let’s make this fun hands-on activity.
If you want to use your dried apple slices for a craft like potpourri, a dried apple garland or wreath instead of eating, simply leave the sugar out of the mixture.
Once dried you can add fragrance or essential oils to them to make the scent stronger.
Choose your favorite variety but some of the best apples for baking are :
- Gala
- Honeycrisp
- Pink Lady
- Fuji
- Red or Green Delicious
You will need:
- 4 medium-large apples
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice ( about 1 lemons worth)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 225℉. First decide if you want your peel on.
If not go ahead and peel your apples. We left ours on for all the additional nutrients.
Slice your apples very thinly.
You can do this with a knife or a mandolin which is a wonderful kitchen gadget to have for slicing fruits and veggies thin and uniform.
The easiest and safest way for kids to core apples is by slicing them then laying them out on a cutting board and using a lid from a water or soda bottle to cut out the center.
Stir together cinnamon, sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice.
Place your apple slices in a gallon ziplock bag and pour the mixture over the top.
Shake the bag and move the apples around gently until they are completely coated in the mixture.
Place apples in a single layer on baking sheets, 4 apples should take up about 2 large baking sheets, maybe 3.
Bake for 2 to 2 ½ hours until the edges curl up and they are lightly browned. You want pretty much all the moisture out of them.
Store in an airtight container. They are good for up to a week on the counter.
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