If your kids love dried apple crafts, they’ll love this fun fall shrunken head apple activity. Add this hands-on craft to my fall unit apple study or to my BEST Westward Ho Unit Study and Lapbook.
Fall immediately turns my mind to cooler temps, pumpkins, and of course apples.
It is a great time of year to talk about harvest.
You can ask your kids what fruit is in season during the fall season, where it’s grown and even gather a list of uses for it.
Today it’s apples. They’re yummy to eat but also great for a wide variety of crafts like this fun shrunken apple head.
Do you remember making shrunken heads as a child? It’s such a fun activity to do and you don’t have to necessarily set aside a few weeks to do one.
Also, you can use this dried apple craft to supplement a Johnny Appleseed, Pioneer study or a Colonial study.
In addition, you can turn it into a cute mini scarecrow.
Provide your child some yarn, fur, fabric, and other craft items.
Then encourage them to make period appropriate clothes for whatever topic you choose. Give them total free rein to create.
Other Ways to Use the Dried Shrunken Apple Head
Our shrunken apple head is a replica of Johnny Appleseed wearing the tin pot hat.
He is often depicted as wearing a tin pot hat.
We made a quick hat with some tin foil out of the pantry.
Here is one fun fact about Johnny Appleseed.
He didn’t wear a pot on his head. Look at the book Who Was Johnny Appleseed?
But he did prefer a tin hat believed to look like a baseball cap with a very long front brim to protect his eyes while working which likely doubled as his cookpot.
Also, we made a Daniel Boone apple head complete with a fur hat made with some scrap craft fur we had.
And here is a fun fact about Daniel Boone. He is also often pictured wearing a hat which he didn’t actually wear.
Although Daniel Boone is shown in a furry raccoon hat, he preferred a wide brimmed beaver hat Quaker-style.
How to Make a Shrunken Apple Head
Now, make your own fun apple head craft.
Look at these materials you’ll need:
- Apples
- Apple peeler
- Paring or other small knife
- Assorted craft items for decorating
First, fill a bowl with cold water, add several tablespoons of lemon juice and a tablespoon of salt. Stir well.
Peel your apples right up to the stem and then cut out the stem.
Pop the apples into the water mixture and let them sit until you are ready to carve.
Take a small knife and carve out your features.
I found it easier to outline everything with a shallow groove.
And then begin in the middle at the nose and work my way outward to get a face shape, thinning out cheeks, forehead, etc. as I went.
You don’t have to spend too much time on the details as the shrinking will take most of the detail away.
Just give it a noticeable nose, eyes, and mouth.
For younger children you can give them a plastic knife or even a spoon to carve safely
You may even outline the features for them and let them scoop it out.
Once you are done place your apple head back in the water bath and allow it to sit for 10 minutes.
There are a couple of ways you can dry your apple head.
First, let it air dry by placing them in a dry area.
Too much humidity will cause them to mold. This method takes the longest- 3 to 4 weeks to fully dry out.
Second, the oven dry method is easier. This method is much quicker and lessens the chances of mold if dried all the way through.
But it requires you to run the oven all day, it may take a full 24 hours to dry it out.
Preheat oven to 200℉. Place your apples on a shallow baking pan with a rack.
This allows the air to circulate all the way around, drying it faster and more evenly.
Other Fall and Apple Unit Study Ideas
Next, look at these other resources and crafts for a fall unit study or apple unit study.
- How to Make a Kids Fun Stained Glass Fall Leaves Craft
- Geronimo Stilton Field Trip to Niagara Falls Summary And Fun Corn Craft
- Easy Fall Crafts for Middle School: DIY String Pumpkin Art
- Kids Fun Glue and Watercolor Fall Pumpkin Unit Study
- Kids Fun Hands-on Apple Unit Make Dried Apple Slices
Continue on with your craft.
Once fully dry, it will have shrunk to less than half its original size.
You can add a bit more character with paint, markers, fabric, yarn, or other craft items.
Set out a bunch of craft items and let your child go crazy with their imagination.
You can decorate just the head or add some sticks and wire to form a body. I love the character that the shriveled little faces have.
To make a tin foil hat I just wrapped a piece around the end of the roll to form it and then adjusted it when I added it to the apple, twisting one corner into a handle.
We also made a redheaded lady with a little bit of yarn. Who do you think she is? Lucille Ball? Queen Elizabeth?
What will you use your shrunken apple head craft to create? A famous hero from history? A scary scarecrow?
Share yours with me. I’d love to see what your kids create.
