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As the apples hang heavy and ripe from trees all over the country, many schools are featuring a Johnny Appleseed day where students can learn more about this remarkable American man.

There are few characters in American history as colorful as John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed. He was born in 1774 in Massachusetts. He was a nursery man and orchard farmer who planted considerable apple orchards in western New York and Pennsylvania. When the land near the Great Lakes and the Ohio river valley were opened for settlers in the 1800s, Chapman set out to explore the new territory. He would go into the wilderness with a bag of apple seeds and when he found a prime spot for an apple orchard, he'd clear the land and plant his seeds. Sometimes, he'd plant an acre or so, and often more. When settlers arrived in the area, he'd sell the orchards to them for a reasonable cost.

Chapman lived alone for weeks at a time, and was a friend to the Indians in the area. It is said that he never carried a gun, and possessed a gentle and caring personality. With the vision of lovely blossoming apple trees and the promise of a rich harvest, settlers indeed were eager to buy the land where Johnny Appleseed's trees were. He sold trees for pennies apiece, often extending credit to those who could not pay. Few settlers failed to pay. Chapman even accepted payment in used clothing sometimes.

The image of Johnny Appleseed is based in fact as well. Traded clothing often fit him poorly, and he often went barefoot, as did many of the settlers. People who documented his life and travels while he was still alive wrote that he did indeed wear a pot on his head. Thus, the enduring image of a raggedy, barefoot gentle man with a pot on his head was born. For 50 years, he traveled and planted seeds. Chapman was welcomed in cabins all over the frontier, and shared Bible verses or other traveling stories with eager listeners. There is no way to know how many millions of seeds he planted, but his service to the settlers was well appreciated. He helped make the wild frontier a better place to live.

With your children, check out or buy some books on his amazing life. Try these books about Johnny Appleseed and also apple trees:

Johnny Appleseed by Stephen Benet and Rosemary Benet

Johnny Appleseed by Reeve Lindbergh

How Do Apples Grow? by Betsy Maestro

The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons

Johnny Appleseed by Steven Kellogg

The Story of Johnny Appleseed by Aliki

15 Minute Moment
Read the label on a soup can together. Discuss what 3 things you learn from it.