Materials Needed:

• One apple
• Knife (for adult use only)
• Paper plate or cutting board
• Construction paper (brown, green, white/pink, red)
• Large sheet of paper or paper plate for craft base
• Crayons or markers
• Glue stick or tape
• Optional: Pictures or diagrams of the apple life cycle
• Optional Extension: Small cup, potting soil, apple seeds

Lesson Activities:

Introduction (5 minutes)

Start by talking about apple picking. Ask your student questions like: "Have you ever been apple picking?" "What was it like?" "Where do apples come from?" "How do you think they grow from a tiny seed into a big, yummy apple?" Explain that today you'll learn the secret journey an apple takes!

Exploration: Inside the Apple & What Trees Need (10 minutes)

Adult step: Carefully cut the apple in half horizontally to show the star shape inside where the seeds are. Then, cut a wedge to show the core vertically.

Look closely at the seeds. Ask: "What do you think these seeds need to grow into a huge apple tree?" Guide the discussion to the essential elements:

• Soil: Provides nutrients (like food) and holds the roots.
• Water: Helps the seed wake up and carries nutrients from the soil.
• Sunlight: Gives the plant energy to grow big and strong (like food energy for plants!).

Explain that soil, water, and sunlight are important parts of Earth Science – the study of our planet and how things grow on it!

The Amazing Apple Life Cycle (10 minutes)

Talk about the different stages an apple goes through, like a circle of life:

1. Seed: Everything starts with a tiny seed, hidden inside the apple fruit, waiting in the soil.
2. Sprout/Sapling: With water and warmth from the soil, the seed sprouts! A tiny plant pushes up towards the sunlight. It's called a sapling when it's a very young tree.
3. Tree: The sapling grows taller and stronger over many years, needing lots of soil, water, and sun.
4. Flower (Blossom): In the springtime, the tree gets covered in beautiful pink or white flowers called blossoms. Bees visit the flowers, which is very important!
5. Fruit (Apple): After the bees visit, the flower starts to change and grow into a tiny apple. All summer long, the apple gets bigger, juicier, and changes color, protecting the new seeds growing inside.
6. Harvest: In the fall, the apples are ripe and ready to be picked! And inside that apple... are new seeds ready to start the journey again!

Use pictures or simple drawings to illustrate each stage.

Activity: Apple Life Cycle Craft (15 minutes)

Let's create the apple life cycle!

1. Give the student the large sheet of paper or paper plate as a base.
2. Use the construction paper to make parts for each stage:
   • Cut out a small brown seed shape.
   • Cut out a small green sprout shape.
   • Cut out a larger brown tree trunk with green leaves.
   • Cut out some white/pink flower shapes (blossoms).
   • Cut out a red apple shape.
3. Have the student arrange the cutouts in a circle on the base paper to show the cycle order (Seed -> Sprout -> Tree -> Flower -> Fruit).
4. Glue or tape the pieces down.
5. Use crayons or markers to label each stage (or write the labels for them to copy). Add details like the sun, rain clouds, and soil around the cycle.

Wrap-up (5 minutes)

Review the life cycle craft together. Ask: "Can you tell me the story of the apple again using your picture?" "What three important Earth Science things does an apple tree need to grow? (Soil, water, sunlight)" "Which part of the cycle is apple picking? (Harvesting the fruit)" Congratulate them on learning the apple's amazing journey!

Optional Extension: Sprout a Seed!

If you have a cup, soil, and saved some seeds (use a few, as they might not all sprout), plant them about half an inch deep in moist soil. Place the cup in a warm, sunny spot. Keep the soil lightly moist (not soaking wet). Check it every day and see if a sprout appears in a week or two! This helps visualize the very first stage.