Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Johnny Appleseed


No knitting here-this is for the handful of music teachers that stop by on occasion and anyone else who wants to laugh.

So I remember hearing the story of Johhny Appleseed when I was in first grade. I loved apples and the story and the telling stuck with me. At a workshop a few summers ago I heard Peter and Mary Alice Amidon sing their version of his story. It was beautiful but I've never really had the right context or skill to pull it off.

I decided to try it again this year. I was pretty sure kindergarten was doing a little theme on apples. I asked those k'ers if they knew what Johnny Appleseed did. One kid said "pass out apples." I said, "sort of. but he passed them out in a special way." I still had hope that they had maybe heard the story but were just forgetting it. A child named "Gunner" (no lie- but not related to the other child named Cannon) raised his hand and said "I believe it was applesauce. Yes, it was applesauce he gave to everyone."

That's funny to me standing alone but when I shared this story with Lydee she reminded me that one of the standard kindergarten dictums to maintain a modicum of order is "criss cross applesauce" to remind them not to sprawl around all over the floor. Lydee wisely said.

"yea, I know Johnny Appleseed- he's the guy who invented criss cross applesauce." I know there are at least 5 of you who are laughing your apples off right now! Lydee-- you crack-a-lacka me up!

6 comments:

Yarnhog said...

I'm pretty sure no primary class would survive the morning without "criss-cross applesauce." When I was a kid, they called it "sitting Indian style." I guess that's not PC anymore, huh?

Mary Kathryn said...

Yeah - still laughing about Gunner/Cannon. Classic. So funny.

Anonymous said...

I honestly never made the connection between Gunner/Cannon! Major blonde moment there----too funny.

But even more hilarious is the thought of someone pouring spoonfuls of applesause in other people's hands!!!

Lydee said...

thanks! still cracking up over gunner/cannon.

That wouldn't happen to be "canon" would it? That would be too good to be true for a music teacher.

Kim said...

LOL! Children's minds are warped and wonderful things. When my boy was smaller he told me that kids who don't have any parents are called Mormons. I laughed and laughed. Obviously he meant orphans.

Lydee said...

yes, and when I told my K'ers today to sit crisscross applesauce, one of them protested, "I'm not made out of apple!".