LITTLE YARN APPLE CRAFT

Source: makeandtakes.com

These little yarn apples are super cute and make a great fall decoration. They look like they just fell from the tree!

Materials

• A piece of cardboard – approximately 2 inches by 5 inches
• Red and green craft yarn
• Brown and green pipe cleaners (or chenille stems)

Directions

• Find a piece of cardboard to help you with yarn winding. If you want a smaller apple, use a piece of cardboard that is 2 inches thick. If you want it a little larger, use a piece of cardboard that is 3 inches thick.
• Bend the piece of cardboard in half a bit so it’s easier to take the yarn off when it’s done being wrapped.
• Take your yarn colour of choice and start wrapping it around your cardboard, not too tightly.
• Wrap the yarn around the cardboard about 100 times. The more you wrap, the thicker and tighter the apple looks.
• When you’re done winding, cut your string off and let it hang in place. This will get tucked away later.
• Cut your brown piece of pipe cleaner in half and slip one through your wound-up yarn. This is where the bent-in-half cardboard piece comes in handy – if your cardboard is bent, it’s easier to slip the pipe cleaner through.
• Twist up the pipe cleaner ends together, forming a stem for the top of the apple.
• Put the other cut half brown pipe cleaner through again and twist it up on the opposite end of the yarn, creating a round apple shape.
• Twist it up, then cut off the pipe cleaner with scissors fairly close to the yarn and bend that end of wire in.
• You can be done here or you can add a little leaf to the apple. With a 2 inch piece of green pipe cleaner, slip it under the top brown stem. Then bend in each half to look like 2 little leaves.
• You’re done. Now these little cute apples are ready for display.

Creative Learning Opportunities

• Fine Motor Skills: Were you able to wrap the yarn around the cardboard? Was it easier to wrap at the beginning, or at the end?
• Exploring Numeracy: Can you count to 100? Try counting all the way to 100 as you wind the yarn around your piece of cardboard.
• Sensory Awareness: Compare this apple to a regular apple. How does each of them feel?
• Attributes and Characteristics: What colours are your apples? What shapes are they?
• Engaging in Conversation: Think about the last time you ate an apple. Can you describe how it tasted? Did you enjoy your apple?