Fun Fall Centers Using Recycled Soda Bottle Apples

Remember these amazing recycled soda bottle apples from Country Woman? Not only are they cute and decorative, we think they'd also make some great classroom centers for back-to-school, fall, and/or Johnny Appleseed day!

Number Sequencing & Counting

Create ten or more soda bottle apples, using a black permanent marker (or another method) to label each with a different numeral. Set out with card stock apple cutouts, apple erasers, dried black bean "apple seeds", apple buttons, or other apple themed manipulatives, invite your kiddos to first place the numbered apples in order, then fill each apple with the appropriate number of manipulatives.

Beginning Letter Sound Sort

Select four or five focus beginning letter sounds and label a soda bottle apple with each letter. Provide students with small picture cards and invite them to sort each card into the apple with the correct beginning letter sound.

Letter Sort

Select four or five focus letters and label a soda bottle apple with each letter. Provided with letter cards that include both upper and lower case letters typed in different fonts, invite students to sort the letter cards into the appropriate apple.

Color Sort

Create soda bottle apples and use spray paint to paint each a different color of the rainbow. Provided with a container of colored craft pom poms and tweezers, invite students to sort the pom poms into the apple of the same color. [NOTE: At the end of the exercise, you could extend the center with a graphing activity - i.e. invite students to count and record the number of each color pom pom, identifying which color they have the most of and which color they have the least of.]

These are just a few suggestions, but we are certain there are tons of other activities you can do with these amazing apples! While they make take a bit more work to create, we know your preschoolers will have a blast with them!