Get ready to trade hot daytime temperatures for crisp, cooler autumn days. Fall officially arrived this week with the autumnal equinox at 11:09 p.m. Sept. 22. Our minutes of daylight will get shorter as darkness descends faster each day.
In Ohio, we celebrate the life of John Chapman, an American pioneer and folk hero, just a few days after the new season begins. Chapman, who was born Sept. 26, 1774, introduced apple trees to large parts of the Midwest.
While many of the tales that are told about Chapman, who was known as Johnny Appleseed, have never been proved, it is known he was a nurseryman who became an American legend because of his generosity. He was concerned with conservation 200 years before it became a popular notion in this country.
Chapman traveled through Ohio, Indiana and Illinois selling apple tree seedlings to settlers. If they had no money, he bartered for supplies or gave his seedlings away to people in need. He died at age 70 in Fort Wayne, Ind.
Do a Google search for "Cornell University Johnny Appleseed" to find a Harper's New Monthly Magazine story about Chapman written in 1871. Just click on the link for the archive.
Apples are still plentiful in the Midwest during harvest season and today's project is designed to honor both Chapman and his favorite fruit. You can use the bag to go (what else?) apple picking. I found instructions for this craft at familyfun.go.com/crafts/stamp-an-apple-picking-bag-710518 on the Web. I modified the directions for our use.
Supplies you will need:
Fabric bag (cloth grocery sacks work well).
Newspaper.
Fabric paint (green and red).
Brown paint pen.
Paintbrush.
Apples.
Paper towels.
Fold over some newspaper and insert it into the fabric bag, laying the bag flat so that the paint will not seep through.
Use a brown paint pen to draw a tree trunk and let dry.
Ask an adult to cut an apple in half horizontally as level as possible. This section will be your stamp to make green leaves on your tree.
Pat the apple dry with a paper towel and brush a thin layer of green fabric paint on the apple. Press it around the top of the trunk of your tree. Repeat several times (make sure to look for the star in the print). You may have to do a little touch-up on the leaves with your paintbrush.
After the green paint dries, have an adult cut an apple in half vertically. Using the side that still has the stem, pat the apple with a paper towel. Brush with red fabric paint, touch up as necessary. Then stamp the apples on the tree as if they are hanging.
After the paint dries, follow the directions on the fabric paint bottle to "set" the paint.
If you have a craft idea or question, contact Kathy Antoniotti, Akron Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309-0640; 330-996-3565; or via e-mail at kantoniotti@thebeaconjournal.com. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.