Today we think about fruit and how to identify them as compared to vegetables. Why do we call these fruits? How do we know that they are a fruit? A fruit is the part of a flowering plant. In our pumpkin story, the flower shriveled up and then a fruit, the pumpkin, began to grow in its place, do you remember that? If it has seeds – it is a fruit! How do you explain it to the children, though. My “Science 24” lap card tells how…
Some fruits have seeds right in the good part that we eat. Oranges, grapes, and watermelons are like that. Some fruits have seeds in another part that we don’t eat. They are in the core of a fruit. Apples and pears have seeds in their core.
Some fruits have seeds that we cannot see. The seeds are hiding inside of a pit like in peaches and plums. Pits are very hard to open, but we know there are seeds in there. Bananas have seeds that are so tiny that they are hard to see. A strawberry’s seeds are on the outside of the fruit. Pineapples have seeds on the outside too. Every section with a little soft sticker is a seed.
It is important to eat fruits from the Vegetable-Fruit Food Group. Can we only eat fruits to keep strong, healthy, and growing? We need to eat from all the food groups. How do we know if we are eating a fruit?
While you talk about the different fruits, be sure to show sample fruits and the seeds. There are many works on the shelf that can help. Here are a few ideas…
Fruit Lesson
