Q. Why was the apple tree sad? A. Because it was always getting picked on!
A friend of ours has an apple tree and the apples are ready to be picked. She invited us over to pick some and it was a highlight of the day. I’m not sure if the tree was happy, but the kids certainly were. Not very many apples were low enough for them to reach but they watched the adults using a rake and a hook on a long pole and cheered when we got each apple. They ran around, looked way up, stretched out on the ground so they could see better up high and rolled in the grass. Of course, we got to eat some fresh off the tree.
This was a great hands-on experience and opportunity to see apples on a tree.There was almost as much talking as there was running around. The kids noticed that some apples were bigger and some smaller. Some had lots of red and some only a little. This gave them a chance to practice comparing skills.
There was lots of science and nature, and it seems quite magical that a little tiny seed can grow into a big tree with more apples. Inside these apples are other seeds that could make even more trees. Because so few children have the chance to see food growing and being harvested, it’s hard to understand this life cycle. It’s difficult to develop a connection with what we are buying in the grocery store.
Experiences like these are not possible for every family, but you may have different ones. So much learning can happen for kids in any adventure. There will be lots of language stimulation, and new things to see and remember. Instead of connections with nature, there could be connections with other people. What kind of fun and learning can you harvest for your child today?