Today we had the pleasure of attending our first homeschool "field trip" with many other homeschoolers in our community. It was a perfect afternoon to be guided through an apple orchard; pick fresh apples, learn about dwarf varieties of trees, watch cider being pressed, candy apples being made (providing a moment for a slightly sensitive discussion on the pros and cons of the assembly line), lots of mathematical opportunities as the kids calculated that 40 pounds of apples equals a bushel, the large wooden boxes held 15 bushels, which is 600 pounds of apples. The real life visual application of this was wonderful to witness. The kids would then multiply the large boxes (they were everywhere!), 1200 pounds, 1800 pounds, and so forth. It reminded me of the Golden Bead Thousand Cube we are familiar with from Montessori. From there it was off to explore the inside of the biggest walk in refrigerator imaginable! It housed thousands of pounds of apples awaiting transport to the store. Next was cider sampling and we ended the afternoon with a caramel apple for the long, sweet and sticky ride home.
Another one of those experiences the kids won't forget, especially for the sensory aspects of it...the smells, sights, tastes...
Glad it was a great day!!
Posted by: Meredith | October 16, 2007 at 12:43 PM
Fun! Your pictures are wonderful! We are planning our apple picking tour for next week. I'm excited!
Posted by: sarah | October 18, 2007 at 07:11 AM
fab!!!! we missed apple picking this year ... sigh.
Posted by: Grace | October 19, 2007 at 11:25 AM
I need to take my kids to see something like this! Awesome pics
Posted by: Tracy Rizzo | October 23, 2007 at 07:56 AM