A Morning in the Apple Orchard

This morning, we traveled to Chapin's Orchard to learn about apples, apple trees, and bees.  When we arrived, we went into the orchard.  We learned about some tools the farmer uses to help keep moths from laying eggs on the branches and to know when to spray pesticides to kill the flies.  We also learned that we aren't the only ones enjoy apples!  The mice do too.  They like to nibble at the bark of the tree, which can damage the tree.  To prevent this from happening, the farmer has placed wire fences at the bottom of the trees.  After, we picked and ate Nova apples.  While they were enjoying their apples, our guide, Sara, showed them that there was a star inside the apple, which holds the seeds, or pips.  We also gathered drops, which will be used a variety of projects in the classroom.

Another part of the field trip the children were excited about was watching how apple cider was made using a cider press.  During this process (thank you to our two volunteers for helping), the children were memorized with how quickly the cider came out.  We used 34 apples to make enough cider for everyone, including the adults, to each have a small cup of cider.

We then headed into the classroom to learn about the bees and how important they are to the orchard. The children sang a song about the body parts of a bee.  See if they can sing it to you (it's sung to the tune of "head, shoulders, knees and toes").  We also got to take a look inside the beehive that was in the classroom.

Lastly, the children enjoyed cider donuts, which the parents had purchased at the orchard.

Ask your child what their favorite part of the field trip was.

Thank you to our chaperones for coming with us on this field trip and for the purchase of our special treat!

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