Scientists use their 5 senses to make observations. This helps them gather information and facts about the world around them. Snack Science gives us the opportunity to safely make observations using all of our senses including taste and smell. Today’s snack is ORANGES!
An orange by any other name…
Full disclosure, there are a lot of different citrus fruits that fall into the greater category of ‘orange’, and each has its own interesting history of cultivation and hybridization. This activity is not set up to be a botanical history or genetics lesson, but a sensory exploration. Older students can dig into the research! The particular fruit pictured is technically a minneola tangelo, which is a hybrid of a tangerine and a grapefruit.
Making Observations
First, hold the orange in your hands. How does it feel? How heavy is it? How does the orange peel smell? What happens when you scrape the peel? Did you know that another name for the orange part of the peel is ‘flavedo’? What details can you see on the outside of your orange? Use a magnifying lens if you have one, or a flashlight to see more! What do you predict it will look like on the inside?
What’s Inside?
Peel your orange carefully. What does the peel look like on the inside? Does the orange go all the way through? Does the white part of the peel smell and taste like the orange part? Here are more questions to investigate:
- How many segments does your orange have? Do all oranges have the same amount?
- How many seeds does your orange have? Do all oranges have seeds?
- Can you peel a segment? What is inside of it?
What do you wonder?
Some questions can be answered by doing research, other questions can be answered by doing an experiment or an exploration. What do you wonder about oranges? How can you find out the answers? Let me know in the comment section!
Snack time can be a time to relax, to eat nutritious food, and to visit with friends and family. It doesn’t always have be a science exploration, but it really is a great opportunity to engage all of your senses in gathering information and learning more about the world and how it works!
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