CU 5.07Parts of a Fruit
The guide cuts open an apple and later a small pumpkin, and the child names the skin, flesh, and seeds and finds that a fruit is the part of the plant that holds the seeds.
Presentation
Search videos (opens YouTube in a new tab)- 1
Check allergies. Invite the child to the table and set the apple on the board.
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Let the child feel the outside: 'This is the skin. It protects the fruit.' Point to the stem.
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Tell the child the knife is for adults only. Cut the apple across its middle and open it.
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Point to the star in the center: 'Here are the seeds.' Count them together.
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Touch the white part: 'This is the flesh. It is the part we eat.' Point to the core around the seeds.
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Give a three-period lesson on skin, flesh, and seeds.
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On another day, cut open the pumpkin and find the same parts: thick skin, flesh, and many seeds in stringy pulp.
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Match the cards to the real fruit and check with the control card.
What catches the child’s eye
- The star of seeds when an apple is cut across its middle
- The cool, stringy pulp and slippery seeds inside the pumpkin
Extensions, easiest to hardest
- Open other fruits with the guide (orange, pepper, tomato, peach) and compare the seeds
- Count the seeds in several apples and compare
- Wash and dry pumpkin seeds and plant some in spring
- Find which foods from Fruits, Vegetables, and Grains have seeds inside
Control of error
The real fruit shows every part; the labeled control card shows each part with its name.
Ready to move on when the child…
- Names skin, flesh, and seeds on two different fruits
- Says that the seeds are inside the fruit
- Matches the cards with the control
Guide note
The guide does all cutting and keeps the knife out of reach. Check allergies before anyone touches or tastes the fruit. Apple seeds and fruit pits are not for eating. Keep pumpkin seeds away from children who still put objects in their mouths.