Apple Week
Using hands-on activities, nature exploration, and a lot of creativity, our guides make early learning a joyful experience. We use techniques such as nature walks, hands- on lessons to learn about apples, sensory play, and science experiments.
Print-at-Home PDF
Science | Begins October 13th
Science-based program for ages kids.
Apple Week Lesson 1 - Introduction to Apples
Hands On Activity: Bobbing for Apples
Fill the shallow container with fresh water. The deeper the water, the more challenging this activity will potentially be. This activity will likely have some water spilled, so you may want to set the container on some towels and have one nearby for your child to use as well.
Place several apples in the water. They should float!
Using only their mouth, have your child try to bite an apple. You can set a timer to see how many they can get in a certain timeframe, or time them to see how fast they can get all of the apples out of the water.
Read out the following:
You may already be familiar with several different kinds of apples, and maybe you have a favourite kind! These different types might have different skin colors, and taste a bit different, be more juicy or more dry, and more or less sweet, but they are all grown on apple trees, in orchards. Scientists have found that apples first originated in Asia, in the mountains of Kazakhstan. Today there are over 7,000 different types grown worldwide! China grows the most apples of any country in the world, with Fuji apples being the type they grow the most of. Gala apples are grown in New Zealand while Pink Lady apples and Granny Smith apples come from Australia. Crab apples are the only type of apple native to the United States, although thousands of varieties are grown throughout. Are there any apple trees near where you live? Apples are closely related to other fruits such as cherries, peaches, plums, medlers, loquats, and pears.
Kid’s Field Journal:
Page 40 in your Field Journal
In your child’s Field Journal, have them sketch the apples they are familiar with. Do they know their names?Note: This is also a fun game to play with more than one child, or for you to play with your child! We recommend having one basin for each person to minimize the potential for injury.
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Introduce children to the anatomy of an apple through means of observation and exploration.
Develop an understanding of the benefits our bodies gain from eating healthy foods
Understand the apple life cycle and identify each phase of its development
Engage fine motor skills
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Shallow container (large enough to hold a couple inches of water and several apples floating)
Towels
5-9 apples (choose different kinds so it adds variation to the activity)
Cutting board
2-4 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter
Knife
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How Do Apples Grow? by Betsy Maestro
Food Anatomy by Julia Rothman
Apples, Apples, Everywhere by Robin Koontz
The Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Johnny Appleseed by Reeve Lindbergh
Apples by Gail Gibbons
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Download the Child Field Journal and use this article’s lesson plans to learn all about apples!
Children may be very familiar with apples, as they are a common fruit to eat. They may wonder about all the different kinds of apples, where they come from, how they are harvested, and how they are nutritious to our bodies.
Encourage your child to think more about apples and point out some of their characteristics such as color and the fact that they have seeds inside.
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Set up a nature table to introduce your children to apples beyond a snack. Include a variety of apples such as honey crisp, granny smith, Fuji, and pink lady. Leave some whole and cut others in half so that they can see the inside. Cut one from top to bottom and another sideways so that they can see the cross-section of the core.
Sensory Play
Make a sensory bin that includes playdough. Have your child sculpt apples with the playdough and use cinnamon sticks as the stem!
Lessons in This Series
Introduction to Apples
Apple Life Cycle Nature Study
Discovering the Apple Harvest
Apple Nutrition Study
Nature Field Journal
Apple Week Lesson 2 - Apple Life Cycle Nature Study
Activity: Apple Flashcards
Have your child cut out the flashcards from the cutouts booklet on page 12 and 13.
For each part of the apple, have your child color and draw an arrow to the correct part of the apple.
Read out the following:
A life cycle is the demonstration of how organisms mature. An apple's life begins as a seed. This seed goes through the process of germination, which is when the seed absorbs water and starts to sprout. The seed sprout needs nutrients to continue to grow. The seed sprout pushes up through the earth in search of sunlight to be able to make its own food through photosynthesis. The seed sprout will continue to grow up towards the sun and develop into a seedling. Seedlings are young trees that eventually grow into a apple trees. It usually takes several years before the tree bears any fruit, and it takes a lot of energy to make one apple. Once the tree is mature, it is typically dormant during the winter and begins to blossom in the spring. The leaves and flowers of an apple tree are absolutely beautiful. Most apple blossoms are pink or white. The blossoms need to be cross-pollinated by other organisms like bees and other insects to bear fruit. This means that in an orchard, it is best to grow different types of apples together, and in groups. During the summer, apples will start to appear. They will continue to grow until they are ripe and then they will typically be harvested in autumn. Even though apple trees can grow from seeds, it’s common to have apple tree branches grafted onto another type of apple tree. This makes it so that two (or more) types of apple grow on the same tree, and makes it easy for the pollinators to cross-pollinate.
Field Journal Prompt:
Pages 41-42 in your Field Journal
Introduce your child to the life cycle of an apple. Use the apple life cycle diagram and activity in their Field Journal to help them develop a basic understanding of the process. Make sure they see the following five stages in the diagram: seed, seedling, blossom, tree, and fruit.
Apple Week Lesson 3 - Discovering the Apple Harvest
Activity: Apple Dissecting
Have your child pick up each apple and inspect it. What color is it? Is it hard or soft?
Take this opportunity to point out the visible parts of the apple: leaf (if any - if none, explain where the leaf would be), stem, and skin (also called the exo-carp). Ask them to name some characteristics that go with each part such as the color and texture.
Carefully cut the apple in half by having the stem up top and cutting down. If your child is old enough, encourage them to do this part. If not, you can do it for them.
Cut another apple sideways to show the 5 seed pockets. Point out the inner parts of the apple including the core, seed, and flesh. What does the inside look like? What does it smell like? Is it wet or dry?
Have your child pick out the seeds and count how many there are.
Cut up the apple and have a snack. What does the apple taste like? What does biting into it sound like?
Read out the following:
Apple harvesting can take a long time. Think about how many apples you might find on one tree. Now think about how many apple trees there could be in one orchard, and how many orchards there are in the world! Did you know that apples have to be picked individually? This is done to reduce bruising (if the apple falls on the ground) and to keep the tree nice and healthy. Sometimes harvesting is done when the apples are not-quite ripe, so that they can last longer. This is especially helpful for apples that will be transported long distances or exported to a different country. Almost 25% of apples grown in the United States are exported elsewhere. It’s important to not pick them too early though, because the apples might be too small and might have a more sour taste. Apple growers have to pick the perfect time to be able to get the best apples.
Field Journal Prompt:
Pages 43-44 in your Field Journal
In their Field Journal, have your child sketch the anatomy of an apple and label each part using the diagram, Parts of an Apple, as a guide. Be sure to include the following segments: stem, skin, core, seeds, and flesh.
Apple Week Lesson 4 - Apple Nutrition Study
Activity: Apple Crumble Recipe
Preheat the oven to 375 F degrees.
In a 9" square or round baking dish, toss together all the filling ingredients.
In a medium bowl, mix together the oats, flour, and brown sugar.
Add in the melted butter and stir until all is moistened.
Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the filling.
Bake for 40-45 minutes until the apples are tender and bubbling.
Serve warm (and with ice cream for a special treat!)
Read out the following:
Have you ever heard the saying, "an apple a day, keeps the doctor away"? This saying used to be quite common as apples were seen as very healthy food. These sweet, delicious fruits are high in fiber, vitamin C, and antioxidants, which can help to avoid health issues such as asthma, Alzheimer's disease, and obesity, and supports good bone health, pulmonary function and digestion. You might think that the flesh of the apple is the good part, but the peel often contains most of the fiber and antioxidants in the apple, so it’s arguably the healthiest part! Apples can be eaten raw, as we tried yesterday, but they are also often processed into other types of food such as applesauce, apple butter, apple cider, apple cider vinegar, and even apple juice! As they are usually sweet, they are often baked into many delicious desserts like apple pie, muffins, or crumble!
Field Journal Prompt:
Page 45 in your Field Journal
Apples are a delicious and nutritious snack, and with so many varieties, it's likely that you will find at least one that you like! In your child’s Field Journal, have them draw a picture of an apple dessert they would like to make, or their favourite way to eat apples.
