Autumn is apple time and an apple degustation is a great way to introduce toddlers to the wonderful variety of apples. By comparing different apples side by side we can concentrate on the floavours and textures and introduce new vocabulary in context.
I experienced this activity for the first time not long after I started working in Montessori childcare. There was a small apple tree in the garden and the children had watched one particular apple ripen on the tree for weeks until finally, it was ready to pick. The apple was cut down the middle before the two halves were slowly and dramatically pulled apart revealing the white flesh inside. Observing the presentation, it struck me how important drama is in turning something otherwise ordinary and everyday into something exciting and appealing to small children.
Without our own apple tree, I take the boys to local farm stalls as well as the supermarket to select apples to try. For me, this activity is also a good reminder to try local lesser-known varieties of apples that are more robust and require fewer pesticides than the more familiar varieties. We can also buy apples from farm stalls that don’t look as perfect as those sold in the supermarket so that the boys can experience that they taste just as good.
Sitting together around a small table I introduce the activity with plenty of enthusiasm and drama and say we are going to have an apple degustation. The boys are usually suitably impressed by the word degustation and enjoy it when I pronounce it slowly a few times “de-gus-ta-ti-on”. I name each variety of apple before cutting them into thin slices and offering them to the boys. As we taste test I make little comments about which ones are sweet, sour, crunchy, or juicy so that the boys are exposed to new and varied vocabulary. Once they had tried them all I asked about their favourites.
Presented this way the boys usually show a huge amount of interest in the apples and always eat much more than they usually would. They love it!