“Apple Farmer Annie” by Monica Wellington is a new addition to my OMazing Kids collection of “Fall Faves”.

The vivid fall colors, cute illustrations & large text make this a fun read. In the fall, Annie picks her apples, and sorts and organizes them. Some she turns into applesauce, apple muffins, apple pie, apple cake, and cider. The best she saves to sell at the market. Happily, she sells everything and returns home to rest, read, and, of course, eat an apple. I bought my copy on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Farmer-Annie-Monica-Wellington/dp/0142401242. I also purchased a used copy of the bilingual edition: Ana Cultiva Manzanas / Apple Farmer Annie: A Bilingual Edition in Spanish and English.

 

The book has the following opportunities for yoga poses & breathing:

• sun breath & stretch (http://wp.me/p1t7TU-1T , includes link to a video clip & free sun printables)
• seed (child’s pose)
• apple tree
• orchard of trees partner pose
• apple blossoms (flower pose)
• buzzing bee breath
• apple picking stretch (crescent moon, ask kids what color apples they want to pick)
• basket ( cobbler’s pose)
• sort the apples (toe-ga game with red, green & yellow pom-poms. pick up with toes & sort into small baskets – for more about “toe-ga” see this great post on Yoga in My School: http://yogainmyschool.com/2012/09/04/toe-ga-kids-yoga-sorting-game/)
• slice the apples (woodchopper pose)
• pour the apple cider (triangle pose)
• stir-the-pot
• cookbook (cobbler’s pose, then open & close legs like turning pages in a cookbook)
• roll out the pie dough (lay on belly & kids choose if they want their arms, legs or back rolled out with a pool noodle “rolling pin” or a real rolling pin – be mindful of kid’s sensory needs and always ask their permission before touching. Some kids may prefer to roll out their own arms or legs with the pool noodle)
• pie (seated angle pose)
• oven (seated forward fold, legs are the oven rack & lean forward towards toes as you “close the oven door”)
• tick-tock-toes timer (point-flex feet while saying “tick tock” as the pie “cooks” on your oven)
• smell & “mmm” breath
• load the truck (seated twist to pass the apple basket)
• drive the truck (use pool noodle “steering wheel” for added fun – see pic in this Facebook album: http://tinyurl.com/9897x7h)
• bridge
• boat
• table (have an empty aluminum pie tin to place on the kids “table” for added fun & to encourage holding the pose steady)
• crescent moon
• yawn & stretch
• reclined belly breathing with small apple basket on belly
• star savasana

See some pics from our Inclusive Kids Yoga Class in this album on the OMazing Kids Facebook page:

Playlist: Please be mindful of kids individual sensory needs when using music in a group setting (http://omazingkidsyoga.com/music/) 🙂

• The Amazing Apple by Bobbie Lancaster (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001RWY8F8/ref=dm_dp_trk5)
• Apple Tree by Justin Roberts (http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Tree/dp/B0017HYH8G; listen on this Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwg9tog1gDM)
• Apple Tree by Octopretzel (http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Tree/dp/B001RWT7AO)
• Apple Tree by Barbara Belzil (http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Tree/dp/B004WYMSIW)
• Little Seed by Elizabeth Mitchell (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008I5P75W/ref=dm_mu_dp_trk13)
• Making Pie by Kira Willey (http://www.amazon.com/Making-Pie/dp/B0012PCDCK, also a great Yoga Tack version: http://www.amazon.com/Making-Pie-Yoga-Track/dp/B0012PG826 )
• One Small Seed by Nu Myth Band (http://www.amazon.com/One-Small-Seed/dp/B0016IRN2I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347900859&s=dmusic&sr=1-1)
• Leaves Falling by Bill & Tammy’s Children’s World Music Express (http://www.amazon.com/Leaves-Falling/dp/B0017KQ2S6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1349304582&s=dmusic&sr=1-1)
• To Be a Tree by The Flannery Brothers (http://flannerybrothers.com/track/to-be-a-tree)

Update 9/16/13: check out this fun Apple Tree action song from The George Center for Music Therapy, Inc.: http://youtu.be/U2ztJjUcqSA

Update 9/16/13: Add a mindful tasting activity with the awesome book “No Ordinary Apple: A Story About Eating Mindfully” by Sara Marlowe (Note: it’s important to know about any food allergies or dietary restrictions before using food in kids yoga).

See book trailer at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqxrEoLi2xY

It would also be fun to incorporate a mindfulness activity with my vintage Fisher Price Happy Apple chime toy! One idea would be shake it and listen for the chime to stop (similar to the chime bar activity). If I have a group of kids that are pretty calm and I feel I can trust not to throw it, I may even do a walking mindfulness walking activity (walking carefully with the intent of not making it chime). Even just as an apple “story prop”, my beloved Happy Apple is definitely coming along when I read this book (it makes me smile just to look at it & the chime sound is beautiful…… wish they still made this toy 🙂 ). If you are curious about what is inside a “Happy Apple”, check out this post: http://carolynkephart.blogspot.com/2011/09/at-core-of-happy-apple.html.

http://soundcloud.com/omazing-kids-yoga/happy-apple-vintage-fisher

Free printable Apple Farmer Annie: Seed to Farmers’ Market Kids Yoga Sequence (5 poses with small pics to color for each):

Apple Farmer Annie – seed to farmers market kids yoga sequence by OMazing Kids – 1 page PDF.

(The cute stick figure yoga pose pics are available on: http://media.freeola.com/other/6271/freeyogaasanastickfigures.pdf. 🙂 )

See the entire book on this Youtube video from ChildcareLand: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwDo_70HbPc

This SLP website has a great free adapted Apple Farmer Annie interactive book that includes symbols, an adapted picture recipe, apple bingo game boards & more: http://www.4gaslps.com/AppleAnnie.doc . Lots of other great adapted fall items: http://www.4gaslps.com/Autumn_page.html 

Looking for more fall activities & ideas? Check out this updated blog post. I have added several new things for 2012: https://omazingkidsllc.com/2011/09/24/happy-fall-fun-fall-books-activities/

Join in on a discussion about fun fall kids yoga ideas on the OMazing Kids Facebook page:

Extend the apple theme with “10 Apples Up on Top” by Dr. Seuss. See this blog for free printable story props:

http://chapelhillsnippets.blogspot.com/2012/08/10-apples-up-on-top-printables.html

Even more apple stuff on this website: http://web.archive.org/web/20050113090219/http://home.att.net/~elteach/appleseed.html

A cool apple tree life cycle animation video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chNwmpqSa78

UPDATE – 9/3/13: Fun construction paper apple craft: http://hubpages.com/hub/Fall-Preschool-Apple-Craft-Ideas#PhotoSwipe137780056

Love how each child’s apple ended up being unique! (from our Inpatient Adapted Yoga Class at the JD McCarty Center on 9/3/13)

UPDATE 9/16/13: Fun apple fingerplay action songs (see page 1 of this PDF: http://www.ylpl.lib.ca.us/teach/fingerplays.pdf)

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, IAYT, RCYP-2

Speech-Language Pathologist at the JD McCarty Center in Norman, Oklahoma (http://www.jdmc.org/)

Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities

Radiant Child Yoga Certified – Levels 1 & 2

E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com

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