Why Apples and Back-to-School Go Hand in Hand (Plus 8 Fun Ideas to Try!)

Summer is coming to a close and it’s almost back-to-school time.

The tradition of giving apples to teachers started in 18th-century Europe and 19th-century America as a form of payment. Farming families used crops like apples to feed underpaid teachers. Over time, this evolved into a simple token of appreciation at the start of the school year.

Apples have thus become a part of back-to-school traditions.

Recently, some of my grandkids came over and we had an apple day.

Here’s what we made:

COLLAGE APPLES

Ann Kirsten

You’ll need: paper, a glue stick, scissors and old magazines.

Draw an apple shape onto a piece of paper. Find red pictures in a magazine and cut out small pieces until you have enough to cover your apple shape. Glue them onto the paper and trim the edges. Do the same with green images for a leaf. Place your apple into a thrifted frame.

APPLE WREATH

Ann Kirsten

You’ll need: white card stock, paint, brushes, an apple, scissors, glue dots, and a wire wreath form.

Cut an apple in half vertically. Place the cut side onto a paper towel while you gather the rest of the supplies. I used red, yellow, and green paint. Brush paint onto the apple. You can use pure colors or mix them together a bit. Then press the apple down onto the card stock. If your print looks a bit wonky, don’t worry. That’s part of printing. Let your images dry and paint on a brown stem and some black seeds. You can use paint pens for this part if you have them. Cut all your apples out (leaving a bit of white around the edges). I used glue dots to stick the apples onto the wreath form. A hot glue gun would also probably work. Once you’ve covered the wreath, cut green leaves and glue them in any empty spaces. My wreath makes me smile every time I pass the door.

APPLE “COOKIES”

Ann Kirsten

For snack time we made apple “cookies”. We sliced apples horizontally and cored them. Then we spread on natural peanut butter and sprinkled chocolate chips and raspberries on top. You could use raisins, nuts, or even real sprinkles on top. They were a healthy and yummy snack and I didn’t feel bad for eating three of them!