These homemade apple squeeze balls are the perfect stacking activity for Ten Apples Up On Top as well as an awesome stress ball for kids! Check out more cool Ten Apples Up On Top activities!
Easy Sand Stress Balls
Homemade, DIY sensory balls, calm down balls, or stress balls are perfect for little hands to squeeze! Although they are often used for anxious kiddos, we like to use them for simple play and learning.
We first made these sensory balloons a couple years ago. Make sure to check out our Jack O’ Lantern ones for Halloween or our Easter Egg sensory balloons!
They are stronger than you think too! My son loves to smack them on the floor! You can fill these with a bunch of different things as shown in our balloon texture post. For this one we just filled with them with sand for our stacking activity.
Start off your fall or apple themed lesson plans with this simple activity. Have everyone make their own apple squeeze ball and then count and stack them all. Both kids and adults love playing with squeeze balls. Adding simple activities to favorite books is perfect for young kids!
How To Make A Squeeze Ball
Supplies:
- Play Sand {sandbox sand}
- Balloons {we chose red and green balloons for apples}
- Ten Apples Up On Top by Dr. Seuss
- Small Funnel and Tablespoon
Instructions:
1: Blow up the balloon and hold it for a few seconds to stretch it out a bit. Release air {always a hit}!
2: Attach balloon to end of funnel.
3: Use a tablespoon to add sand.
4: Tie off balloon after the main part is filled with sand. Don’t fill the neck part or you won’t be able to knot it and it will look like a pair instead.
5: Read the book!
Ten Apples On Top Activity Suggestions
So now that you have made your apple squeeze balls (see full instructions at the end), what can you do with them? Squeeze them of course! Stack them or splat them, as well!
Count and stack or subtract and stack. Can you stack all 10? Check out what happened when we tried to stack real apples or balance with our paper apple craft!
Apple squeeze balls are much easier to stack but they still take some effort. He had to experiment a bit with the shapes and contours and finally discovered that he could flatten them out pretty nicely for better stacking!
It took some effort to get all ten stacked up for a few seconds before the tower collapsed. Apparently animals in books have much more success with balancing apples. Though it’s quite a bit of fun to try it! We also love apple races for quick science too.
Printable Preschool Apple Activities Pack
Get ready to explore this year with our growing Preschool STEM Bundle with 15+ themes!
Each unit contains approximately 15 activities, with instructions and templates as needed. Hands-on activities are provided to keep it fun and exciting. This includes sensory bins, experiments, games, and more! Easy supplies keep it low cost, and book suggestions add the learning time.
Or grab the Apple Preschool Pack on its own!
Thank you for all of your amazing ideas!! My four boys love them!!!
Awesome so happy to hear! That’s what it’s all about, kids having fun and learning a little too.
Easy instructions incorporating stem and science to this classic book math color recognition this is a winner.