Materials
fruits (star fruit, oranges, bananas, apples, and so on)
vegetables (mushrooms, green peppers, eggplant, and so on)
knife (adult only)
cutting board
paper plates
chalkboard
chalk
Instructions
l Wash the fruits and vegetables.
What to Do
1. Draw different shapes on the chalkboard. Tell the children the name of each
shape. Explain that nature is full of shapes and that you will show them some
of the shapes found naturally in fruits and vegetables.
2. Before doing any cutting, show the children each whole fruit and vegetable.
Talk about the shapes the children see.
3. After you help the children identify the various shapes of the foods, cut each
food in different ways to show the additional shapes found inside each one.
Do not hesitate to cut each fruit and vegetable into unusual ways in addition
to the way they are often prepared. Here are some ideas to get you started:
l star fruit: stars, trapezoids
l oranges: circles, half circles, triangles
l bananas: circles, ovals
l mushrooms: circles, tubes
Teacher - to - Teacher Tip
l Suggest that the children use the cut-up fruits and vegetables to create food
pictures before eating.
Assessment
To assess the children's learning, consider the following:
l Can the child identify the names of the various fruits and vegetables?
l Can the child identify various shapes in the fruits and vegetables?
