Fruit harvesting calendar

Activity

Make a fruit calendar to show the season when fruit is grown and harvested in the UK.

  • Estimated time: 30 minutes
  • Location: Outdoors & Indoors
  • School term: All year round
  • Level of experience: No experience needed
  • Subject(s): Maths, Science, Art&DT

Learning objectives

  • Learn when British fruit is in season and discuss the benefits of eating seasonally
  • Learn about methods of food preservation

Essential background information

Preparation

Use the internet to research further resources on seasonal produce.

Equipment

  • Fruit catalogues or magazines with pictures of fruit
  • Paper plates or paper
  • Pencils, pens, glue and scissors
  • Examples of preserved fruit such as jam, chutney, dried and tinned fruits 

Step by step

  1. Ask learners to think about fruit that grows in this country. Make a list of their answers.
  2. Go through the list of UK grown fruit one at a time. Discuss with the group when they think the fruit is ready to eat, or ‘in season’.
  3. Use fruit catalogues, the RHS website and gardening books to find out when the fruit is in season.
  4. Divide a paper plate (or draw a circle on an A4 piece of paper) into four quarters. Label each section a different season – spring, summer, autumn and winter.
  5. Cut out photos of the fruit and place in the right season section on the calendar.
  6. The seasons could also be divided into months and then place the fruit in the right months. Check the calendar is correct before sticking the photos in place.

Hints & tips

  • Older learners could think about the costs of importing fruit or growing it under forced conditions in the UK
  • Using the examples provided, learners can discuss ways fruit is preserved to eat all year
  • Use this activity as part of Focus on Fruit class growing topic.