Gettin' Excited Bout' Cider !

Having finished Johnny Appleseed last week(our very first unit study ever) we moved onto apple cider today. We read "Apple Cider Making Days" by Ann Purnell. It showed step by step how cider is made in storybook form. I scanned and printed out the pictures from the book that showed the steps and we will sit down and put them in order. Then, we tasted some apple cider. The kids weren't quite sure about drinking it, what with all that stuff floating around at the bottom of the jug. But finally, they drank it and liked it.
We learned that it takes a third of a bushel to make one gallon of cider and that no two presses of cider will taste exactly alike. Also, that many cider makers mix different varieties of apples and most keep their recipes a secret and that the only difference between apple cider and apple juice is the pulp. When they make apple juice, all the pulp is drained out, that's what gives cider the dark brown color and the apple juice it's golden clear color. Who knew cider could be so interesting?

Next, I found a wonderful little video on YOU TUBE about cider making. Click the link and Check it out.
We also did our regular reading, writing , and arithmetic. Lillie was quizzed on her sight words and we used our word strips for phonics practice.


I made Lillie a worksheet that lets her practice not just writing, but knocks out reading, memory verse, and beginning sound recognition as well. I just took her memory verse and put pictures under the blocks that began with the letter that filled in the blank. Here's a pic.

I called it quits after all that because my sinuses are giving me grief and I needed a nap... bad.