Additional Learning Resources for our September’s Apples & Peanuts Learning Pack
September's Book List:
The books below are the ones included in the Calendar, but each lesson/topic has more books for you to dive deeper in each week. Find the read aloud links and more below in each lessons section.
The Mermaid's Purse by Patricia Polacco
Wild About Books by Judy Sierra
Look! by Jeff Mack
Miss Books Love Books! by Barbara Bottner
Froggy Goes to the Library by Jonathan London
The Life and Times of the Peanut by Charles Micucci
A Weed Is a Flower: The Life of George Washington Carver by Aliki
Mushroom Rain by Laura K. Zimmerman
The Magic and Mystery of Trees by Jen Green
Children of the Forest by Elsa Beskow
A River by Marc Martin
Johnny Appleseed by Jane Kurtz
The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons
Lesson 1: The Joy of Reading & Literacy Day
We will be reading books about the Joy of Reading from September 1 to 8 to celebrating International Literacy Day on September 7. It was created by UNESCO, or the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 1966 and first commemorated in 1967. The goal of the day is to remind people that literacy is a valuable skill and that good literacy greatly improves an individual's quality of life. Our Read, Paint Cook Calendar for this week and a few days has more Reading spots than cook and paint, but I think you understand why.
Read:
Miss Brooks Loves Books! (And I Don't) by Barbara Bottner, illustrated by Michael Emberley
The Mermaid’s Purse by Patricia Polacco
Watch this video chat with Patricia about her book.
Froggy Goes to the Library by Jonathan London, illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz
The Not So Quiet Library by Zachariah Ohora
Wild About Books by Judy Sierra, illustrated by Marc Brown
Look! by Jeff Mack
Paint:
Flowers & Book Art Appreciation & Sketching Time - Be inspired by this art work and create your own Peanut and mouse drawing.
Still Life Book Nook Painting Art Project - Set up your own still life scene that just screams "reading nook" and draw what you see.
Cook:
Gather your favourite snacks for reading! 10 Snacks to Enjoy While Reading Check List is included + Find more recipes to enjoy in this unit, such as Cookies, Muffins and more.
Also enjoy the extra tracing worksheets that include different art appreciation and quotes.
Lesson 2: Peanuts & George Washington Carver
We will be focusing on Peanuts and George Washington Carver September 10, 11, 12, 13, because September 13th is National Peanut Day, and the peanut harvest starts in September and runs into October. Did you know that George Washington Carver invented more than 300 food, industrial and commercial products from peanuts? *If your child has a food allergy to Peanuts, substitute for WOW Butter, or please kindly skip the handling and eating of peanuts included in this lesson plan, and solely read the books, and paint the pictures.
Read:
The Life and Times of the Peanut by Charles Micucci
From Peanut to Peanut Butter by Robin Nelson
Who Made My Lunch? From Peanuts to Peanut Butter by Bridget Heos
How to Grow the Peanut by George Washington Carver
A Weed Is a Flower: The Life of George Washington Carver by Aliki
Who Was George Washington Carver? by Jim Gigliotti
George Washington Carver: The Peanut Wizard (Smart About History) by Laura Driscoll
A Picture Book of George Washington Carver (Picture Book Biography) by David A. Adler
Watch this video about harvesting peanut crops: Georgia Peanut Harvest
Paint:
Peanut Art Appreciation & Sketching Time - Be inspired by this art work and create your own Peanut and mouse drawing.
Still Life Peanut Painting Art Project - Set up your own still life scene with peanuts and draw what you see.
Cook:
Peanut Butter Imprint Cookies, Recipe included
Also enjoy the extra tracing worksheets that include different art appreciation and quotes.
Lesson 3: Mushrooms & Forests
We will be focusing on Mushrooms and Forests September 18-24th.
National Forest Week is September 18-24.
Read:
Katya's Book of Mushrooms: Fungi, Fauna, Facts & Folklore by Katya Arnold
The Mushroom Fan Club by Elise Gravel
Fungarium: Welcome to the Museum by Ester Gaya (Review and Flip Through)
Mushroom Rain by Laura K. Zimmerman
Children of the Forest by Elsa Beskow
The Boreal Forest: A Year in the World’s Largest Land Biome by L.E. Carmichael (Watch this sneak peek on this book here)
The Magic and Mystery of Trees by Jen Green (Only able to find reviews and Flip throughs)
Mushrooms: How to Identify and Gather Wild Mushrooms and Other Fungi by DK
Additional Reads for Parents & Older Children Really Interested in Mushrooms:
Mushrooms: River Cottage Handbook No.1 by John Wright
Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake
Mushrooms by Roger Phillips
Radical Mycology by Peter McCoy (Deepest Dive into Mushrooms, big as a bible)
The Illustrated Book of Mushrooms and Fungi by Mirko Svrček (Beautiful book filled with illustrations of Mushrooms, perfect for any art inspired lessons on mushrooms for days and days!)
Paint:
Mushroom Still Life Art Appreciation & Sketching Time - Be inspired by this art work and create your own drawing.
Still Life Mushroom Painting Art Project - Set up your own still life scene with mushrooms and draw what you see, inspired by the art by Pyotr Konchalovsky.
Go Forageing for Mushrooms in your area - Use the Art by Ivan Shishkin as inspiration. Use the Seek App from National Geographic to document all the nature you see!
Cook:
Stuffed Mushroom Caps, Recipe included
Also enjoy the extra tracing worksheets that include different art appreciation and quotes.
Lesson 4: Rivers
We will be focusing on Rivers on September 25th to 16th to celebrate World River Day on the 25th. It backs up with our next lesson about Apples, so feel free to loop back to this wonderful mini-unit anytime, or mix it up with the apple unit too. Great to pair up with our 50 USA States Unit Study coming soon!
Read:
A River by Marc Martin
Where the River Begins by Thomas Locker
Raven and River by Nancy White Carlstrom
The Big Rivers: The Missouri, the Mississippi and the Ohio by Bruce Hisock
Rivers: A Visual History from River to Sea by Peter Goes
Minn of the Mississippi by Holding C. Holling
Paint:
River Still Life Art Appreciation & Sketching Time - Be inspired by this art work and create your own drawing.
Landscape Collage Art Project - Color the included River Coloring Page with different bits of coloured paper news paper, and other pieces of coloured material to create a mixed-media art piece. For older students, create a 2 point landscape drawing (find details for this in our Scotland Adventure) and sketch our your own river drawing.
Cook:
Fish in the Fish Snack, Recipe included
Also enjoy the extra tracing worksheets that include different art appreciation and quotes.
Lesson 5: Apples & Johnny Apple Seed
We will be focusing on Apples and Johnny Apple Seed September 24 - 30th because September 26th is Johnny Appleseed Day. Pair this up with our included Crab Apple Adventure!
Read:
The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons
Johnny Appleseed by Jane Kurtz (Pair this up with our Ohio Lesson in our 50 USA State Unit Study coming soon!)
Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak
One Read Apple by Harriet Ziefert
The Apple Pie that Papa Baked by Lauren Thompson
How Do Apples Grow? by Betsy Maestra
Apples by Gail Gibbons
The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall
Paint:
Apple Still Art Appreciation & Sketching Time - Be inspired by this art work and create your own drawing.
Still Life Apple Painting Art Project - Set up your own still life scene with apples and draw what you see. Do you have a cool vase or mug that you could also feature, like the one we are learning about today from Paul Gauguin. (Pair up his artist spotlight found in our Mango Life Cycle)
Cook:
Easy & Healthy Apple Muffins, Recipe included
Also enjoy the extra tracing worksheets that include different art appreciation and quotes.