Materials
- fruit (various colors; enough for entire group)
- large preferably nonslip board
- plastic knives
- string
Preparation
- Prepare as much fruit as is needed for age of group.
- Mark out a rainbow on the nonslip surface, using the string.
What to Do
1. Tell the children that they are going to make a fruit rainbow for today's snack.
2. Ask the children to sort the fruit into colors and to name both the fruits and the colors.
3. If you are using any fruits that have different color skin and inside, identify these beforehand.
4. Engage the children in a discussion about blue, indigo, and violet colors and decide which fruits will fit best into this category, such as grapes, blueberries, or plums. Discuss the fact that it is difficult to find foods that fit well into the bright blue category.
5. Ask the children to wash their hands and then wash the fruit.
6. Encourage the children to help chop fruit using plastic knives.
7. Ask the children to arrange the fruit in curved rainbow layers, following the colors of the rainbow.
8. Remove the string and let the children serve the snack to the rest of the class.
Assessment
To assess the children's learning, consider the following:
- Review the names of the fruits with the children.
- When they chop the fruit, challenge the children to cut pieces the same size as the rainbow bands on the boards.
- Can the children name the colors as they place the fruits on the correct band of the rainbow?
-Anne Adeney, Plymouth, England, United Kingdom
