We turned our dramatic play center into an apple orchard. We decorated the walls with apple trees to go apple picking and learned how to make apple pie. Students learned about how apples grow and taste tested some apples too.
We used the dye cut machine to cut out apples on white paper and then marbled painted apples red and green. We placed velcro on the back to stick to the tree on the wall. This made it easy for kids to pick apples from the tree.
When students choose this center, they transition with their transition card. Then they choose a role to play. They can be the cashier, the apple picker, the worker, or the customer.
When students enter the apple orchard, they receive an admissions ticket and can order a snack from the snack shop using the menu cards. We laminated the cards so students can use dry erase markers to write on them and erase when they are finished.
We hung the menu on the wall for everyone to read and help place their order. We also labeled all of the items in our snack shop to help make clean up time easier.
Students can go apple picking at our orchard. We cut butcher paper into the shape of trees and stuck them to the wall. Then we placed Velcro dots on the tree and stuck red pom poms to the Velcro for pretend red apples. Students could use the basket to place to the apples inside. They could also step on the “ladder” (large wooden blocks) to pick the apples from the top of the tree. This is a great way to sneak in some gross motor skills too. We also marbled painted dye cut apples and stuck them to the tree when we were finished making the craft.
In this area of the dramatic play center, students can make their own apple pie. There are recipe cards on how to make an apple pie. Students follow the picture recipe and make their own apple pie.
Making the Difference 