Do you have an apple slicer? Me, too! I use it all the time, and I always loved letting kids in the classroom help me prepare apple snacks this way. It takes quite a bit of effort for a small child, and I would put my hands on the sides first with theirs on top and then tell them to push.

We made a coordinated effort together to slice that apple, and I always enjoyed the look of delight when the eight pieces of apple fell into a beautifully equal blossom of apple to share.

One day when teaching toddlers, I ventured into my friend's classroom next door. One child was doing the apple slicing work, complete with a tray, the apple slicer, and two bowls. In one bowl were horizontal slices of apple.

The other bowl was being filled with little pieces of apple after the child had used the slicer. When the teacher walked by I whispered, "Slicing the apple first before they use the slicer - that is genius! I've always given them the whole apple and it's too hard for them to do independently." She looked at me like I was from another planet.

"Um, you know it's the apple slicing work," she said with a smirk, "you just weren't doing it right."

Touche.

And she was totally right. Give it a try, and you'll agree!