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Pioneer Life

APPLE CORE DOLLS

Dear Parents/Guardians;

As many of you know we have started reading The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder. This story is a part of a series called The Little House on the Prairie. To add a little excitement to the book we have decided to include in our unit a study of pioneer life. The students have been working on a Pioneer Life WebQuest and within this assignment there is an at-home activity. We would like all students to participate in this at-home activity. Each of the classrooms have been given a project to complete over Thanksgiving Break. This gives your student a week to get all the necessary materials and complete the project. Please ask your student for the packet that as sent home earlier this week. It has the directions attached . This project is due: Tuesday, December 3rd, 2013.  

Thank you for your help in your child's learning! They are really excited about this! 

Below you will find the directions as well: 

Materials

• Apple
• Vegetable peeler
• Paring knife
• Colored markers or paint
• Wool yarn
• Scissors
• Popsicle stick or dowel
• Fabric scraps
• Rubber band
Step 1:
To start, choose an apple for the doll's head; the bigger the better--the carved fruit will shrink to about two-thirds its original size. Red Delicious works especially well, but any variety will do.
Step 2:
Peel and core the apple. Carve a face on one side, using the tip of a potato peeler to hollow out deep-set eyes and a paring knife to make a slit for a smile or a frown. For a nose, incise a triangle that extends from between the eyes toward the mouth. Ambitious carvers can add ears, dimples and extra facial creases. Store the carved apple in a dry spot until it shrinks. (You can hasten the wrinkling process by using a dehydrator.)
Step 3:
Once the head is dry, use colored markers or water-based paints to enhance the eyes, lips and rosy cheeks
Step 4:
To make the body, use the dowel or Popsicle stick. Wrap the fabric around the body so that it extends beyond the top and the bottom of the stick/dowel. Secure the fabric around the stick/dowel with a rubber band. Now top off the doll by gently pushing the cored apple down onto the stick/dowel.
 

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