This is the third in a series of Johnny Appleseed lessons. This article focuses on a craft that Johnny Appleseed would approve of. A great big apple tree made out of your students hands and fingers.
Johnny Appleseed is known for planting apple trees across Ohio and in parts of Indiana and Illinois. You can celebrate Johnny Appleseed's life and story by making an apple tree with finger paint. This craft is perfect to use after a Johnny Appleseed history lesson.
You will need the following items:
- Finger painting paper for each student
- Red finger paint
- Green finger paint
- Brown finger paint
- Sink with soap and water
Follow the instructions to make a giant apple tree:
- Use the left hand to paint. Paint the hand down to the pinky finger. Use the brown paint to be make the tree trunk.
- Lay the finger painting paper in front of the student vertically. The tree will be more tall than wide.
- Carefully lay the painted hand and finger on the paper in the middle toward the bottom. This is the trunk. If the tree trunk is not long enough, then reapply the brown paint and press the hand above the line just made, or reapply paint to half of the hand and add that to the top of the line already made.
- Wash the hand and get ready to use another color.
- Paint thumbs green by dipping the thumbs in the paint.
- Use thumbs to make the leaves of the tree. In order for the tree to be big, keep dipping the thumbs into the green paint until enough leaves have been made to make the tree appear big and full.
- Wash the green paint off and get ready to use the red paint.
- Dip fingers in the red paint to add apples.
- Press fingers onto the tree where you want an apple to appear. Make as many apples as you want, but make sure that the green leaves can be seen.
- Set the giant apple tree aside to dry. This should take an hour or two.
Students should add the words, "Apple Tree", or the title, "Johnny Appleseed Planted Apple Trees," to the bottom of the page.