Cook and Count

Inside the Bear Family's home lived a lonely, little bear.
Little Bear was lonely because all of his friends were at School.
Little Bear was too little to go to School.
All day Little Bear followed Mama Bear around while she worked.  Mama Bear was a very good mother, and she felt sorry for Little Bear.  She tried very hard to find something different for Little Bear to do each day so he would forget about being lonely.
One day Mama told Little Bear: "Why don't you look for a little red house with no windows and doors, a chimney on top and a star in the middle."  Little Bear was very puzzled.  He couldn't think of anything that lived in a house with no windows or doors, but he started out to look for the house.
First he met a mouse.  "Have you seen a little red house with no windows and doors, a chimney on top and a star in the middle?" asked Little Bear.
"No, no," said the mouse as she ran away into the field.
Second he met a butterfly.  "Have you seen a little red house with no windows and doors, a chimney on top and a star in the middle?" asked Little Bear. "No, no," whispered the butterfly as he fluttered around the flowers.
Third he met a pig. "Have you seen a little red house with no windows and doors, a chimney on top and a star in the middle?"  asked Little Bear.
"No, no," said the pig as she trotted into her pen.
 Fourth he met a frog.  "Have you seen a little red house with no windows and doors, a chimney on top and a star in the middle?” asked Little Bear. "No, no," said the frog as he jumped into the pond.
 Fifth he met an owl. "Have you seen a little red house with no windows and doors, a chimney on top and a star in the middle?"  asked Little Bear. Whooooo, me?"  asked the wise old owl. "No, but you might ask my friend, Mr. caterpillar." 

Little Bear looked all over the ground for Mr. Caterpillar, but he couldn't find him anywhere. Finally he remembered that Mr. caterpillar really liked apples, so he walked to the apple orchard.  There he found Mr. Caterpillar eating his way into a big red apple. "Oh," Little Bear thought, "that nice red apple could be a house and the stem could be a chimney.  It doesn't have any windows or any doors."
"Mr. Caterpillar, could there be a star in the middle of that apple?"  asked Little Bear. "Why don't you take a nice big apple home and ask someone?" Mr. caterpillar replied. "Oh, thank you!"  Little Bear cried as he ran home.  When Little Bear got home, Mama Bear cut the apple across the middle and found Little Bear's star!

At this point, cut an apple crosswise and show the child/ren the star