Need a creative rainy-day activity that’s fun AND encourages adventurous eating? Try an apple taste test!
Collect a variety of apples such as: Gala, Red Delicious, Honeycrisp, or Granny Smith.
At home, line up the apples and make observations with your budding scientist. What do you see? Is the apple round or oval? Red, green, or yellow? Shiny or dull? Which apple would you guess is the sweetest?
Wash and slice each apple.
For added fun, place the sliced apples in separate bowls and assign each bowl a number. Then have your child try one slice from each of the bowls.
Talk to your child about each apple as they try it: What color is it? What does the skin feel like? Does the white part of the apple feel grainy or crunchy? What does it smell like? Is it sour or sweet?
Have your child try to guess which type of apple is in each bowl. Or just compare to your initial observations. Did the apples all taste as you guessed they might?
Encourage them to ask any questions they have, and watch your little scientist learn and grow. Since this activity utilizes the concept of sorting by type, it’s also a pre-math skill builder. Bonus: Have them guess how many different varieties of apples exist in the world. I bet you’ll surprise them when you reveal that there are over 7,500!
Want to extend this activity for older children? Make applesauce! PBS’s Sid the Science Kid has a great video that walks through the process of making applesauce!
https://youtu.be/QrIwF1kKbyw