Fruit Basket Investigation

Ages 3 and up (one 1 hour session)

Objectives:

To explore the difference in fruits
To understand why plants produce fruit

Make sure to find out about allergies and special eating needs of the children before selecting the fruits and beginning this project.

Materials:

Various types of fruit with different types of seeds, for example pitted fruits (peach, plum, apricot), citrus (lemon, orange, mandarin), a pear or an apple (which when cut across has a star-shaped section holding the pips), seeded watermelon, some type of berry, tomato, pepper, avocado.
The flower head of a dandelion or a grass, and a whole coconut if available.
Cutting board and a sharp knife for the teacher to use.
A large bowl for the fruit salad bowls and forks, paper towels to dry the seeds on so that children can examine them.

Part One:

Pull each fruit out of a shopping bag while asking children to identify it. Ask them to share any thoughts they might have such as whether the fruit is sweet or sour, where and on what type of plant they might find it growing. Have them group the fruits. Let them choose their own categories. Help with this by giving them ideas such as: fruits containing one or many seeds; fruits that are hard or soft fruits, etc.

Part Two:

Ask children where they might find the seeds of the various fruit. Slice each fruit, one by one, focusing on finding the seeds. Cut them into bite-sized pieces to make a fruit salad. Examine the seeds. Set the different seeds aside so the children can investigate them again later, after they have dried. Serve each child a bowl of the fruit. Enjoy!

Questions to ask:

Why do plants produce fruit? Delicious fruits are eaten by birds and animals, which then discard the seeds on the ground, or distribute the seeds in their feces. The fruit or manure provides nutrients for the young seedlings to grow.
Why are some fruits not soft? Some seeds are distributed by the wind (e.g. dandelion, grasses) or water (e.g. a coconut which can float in water).