Fruit families

Activity

Learn about the fruit that can be grown in this country and how fruits can be grouped by the type of plants they come from and the type of fruit.

Learning objectives

Print off the essential resources and laminate them so they can be used again.

Ask learners ‘What fruit do they like to eat?' Where does their chosen fruit come from? Can it grow in this country?’
Introduce examples or pictures of fruit that can be grown in this country – ask the group to name them.
Ask ‘What type of plant does the fruit come from?' Explain the different types of plant – tree, shrub and herbaceous. Explain the simple rule that larger, firm fruit such as apples tend to grow on trees – called ‘top fruit, or orchard fruit’. Smaller, soft and juicy fruits (‘soft fruits’) tend to grow on smaller woody plants called bushes or canes, or on herbaceous plants at ground level.
Hand out Fruit Family Trees. You could cut these up and make them into cards. Ask one learner to be ‘head’ of the Orchard fruit family and another to be ‘head’ of the Soft fruit family. Stand apart.
Ask the rest of group to look at their cards and decide which fruits come from trees, bushes, canes or near the ground and stand by the 'head' of the family. Use fruit catalogues and books to help or explore the garden.
Show the family trees to check answers, allow learners to move families if need be.

Draw a fruit family tree of the fruit in your garden
Make a Venn diagram of common fruit in various ways i.e colour, type of fruit, or county of origin
Use this activity as part of the Focus on Fruit class growing topic