PERRYVILLE – Kindergartners in Ms. Ashley Sieker’s class at Perryville Primary School recently kicked of the fall season with a lesson on apples.
Ms. Sieker discussed the oxidation process that causes cut apples to brown, and then the class conducted an experiment with an apple volcano. They learned the difference between an alkaline substance, baking soda, and an acidic substance, vinegar. They hypothesized about what would happen when the baking soda and vinegar were added to a hollowed-out apple.
Guesses ranged from “nothing will happen” to “it will bubble and explode!” They left the apple to see how it would oxidize after being exposed to both an alkaline and acidic substance. Students then tasted three different apples – a red one, a green one, and a yellow one to decide which they liked best and colored a paper apple that color.
Ms. Sieker and the students charted the responses and determined that majority of the class preferred the green apple. Finally, the children colored paper Apple People to hang from the ceiling.