Say Aloha to fun learning with a pineapple! Read on to learn how pineapple can be used to teach your kids geography, history, nutrition, science and more!
Teachable moments abound when children are around. These moments can be entertaining and thought-provoking for youngsters when some creative methods are utilized to pass along knowledge. A fully stocked classroom is not required; simply use items available in your house, perhaps even in your refrigerator.
Now, let's see what can be taught with a pineapple. 🙂
Geography
Have your child look at the pineapple. Other than at the grocery store, ask him if he has seen a pineapple growing in your area. Explain that pineapples grow in the tropics, a geographic area that is hot and humid. Using a computer, show him on a map where the tropics are located.
See if your child can tell you what country produces the most pineapples. In 2018, Costa Rica led world pineapple production followed by the Philippines, Brazil, and Thailand. Bring up a world map on the computer and have your child locate each of these countries. On what continents are these countries located?
History
Kids have heard of Christopher Columbus who sailed the ocean blue in 1492 and discovered America. Tell them that Columbus is also important for introducing the pineapple to Europe. He brought the plant back to Spain from his travels and called it pina de Indes (Pine of the Indians"). The English name for the fruit later became pineapple because it looks like a pine cone.
Often a pineapple is associated with Hawaii. How did the fruit get there? The Spanish introduced the pineapple to Hawaii in the 18th century. In 1900 James Dole started a pineapple plantation in Hawaii which grew into the Dole Food Company. See if your child can find canned goods in your house bearing the Dole name.
Vocabulary
Explain to your child that an actual pineapple is fresh fruit, but pineapple can also be canned. What does canned mean? If your child does not know the definition, have them use a dictionary to find that canning is a method of preserving food when it is processed and sealed in an airtight container.
Point out that pineapple is a fruit that grows on a plant which is a perennial. Is that a term with which your child is familiar? A dictionary can be used to discover a perennial lives more than two years.
Remind your child pineapples are not originally from Hawaii; the Spanish had to bring them there. As a result, pineapples are not indigenous to Hawaii. Indigenous, as the dictionary states, means occurring naturally in a specific region or environment.
Science
Can your child answer the question of how pineapples grow? Do they appear in trees? On bushes? Pineapple is the name of a tropical plant, a shrub, on which fruit grows; its fruit is also called a pineapple.
Explain that for new pineapples to grow, pollination must occur. With flowers, bees assist with that process. As your child what they think helps with pollination of pineapples. The surprising answer is hummingbirds.
Talk about how humans eat fruit which is ripe. The ripening process continues for some fruits, such as bananas, after they are picked. With pineapples, however, the fruit becomes no riper after it is harvested.
Nutrition
Point out that many people on a diet eat pineapple. Why is that? Pineapple is low in calories because it is 86% water.
Eating canned pineapple is not as healthy as eating fresh pineapple. Does your child know why? Canned pineapple is packed with sugar, which increases the calorie intake.
Pineapples are rich in Vitamin C. Can your child tell you why Vitamin C is important for good health? It helps boost the immune system.
Take advantage of time with your child to pass along learning in an informal and fun way. Using items at hand at home allows parents to seize interactive moments and make them teachable ones. Even something as simple as a pineapple gives a parent the opportunity to pass long tidbits about geography, history, vocabulary, science, and nutrition.
LOVE THIS POST? PIN IT HERE!
Monidipa says
It might sound wierd but I dont like pineapple at all. But my neices do. I bet they will love this post, will share it with them!
joanna says
This is a very fun way to teach children different things using only one pineapple. I actually remember that I took a tour of my home town and the guide was explaining why some of the houses were decorated with pineapples on their rooftops.
Mudpiefridays says
Oh wow, I never thought about the benefits that I could get from eating pineapples. I need to start buying!
tweenselmom says
Pineapples are one of my favorite fruits to eat! This is also educational for kids, thank you for this interesting article!
Beth says
What a fun way to learn so many different things! My kids loved learning things like this!
Celebrate Woman Today says
This delicious learning is adorable! I like pineapple and will continue with the fun facts to boost this indulgence.
WorldInEyes says
Pineapples are mine fav forever..Thanks indeed for sharing this blog post it is really very interesting to go through...
melissa says
We love pineapple here in my household, these are great ides.
Renata Feyen says
I didn't know that the Spanish introduced the pineapple to Hawai 🙂
ashley says
This was so neat to read these interesting facts. we love pineapple.
Bella says
oh this is so neat, I am allergic to pineapples and cant eat them but i use to love them soooo much. they are so tasty.
chad says
I love love love the background information about pineapple, amazing info relating to my fav. fruit.
Kait says
I love this! Pineapples are a favorite fruit in our house, so this will be fun to do with my kiddos this summer!
Farrah Less says
I love pineapple just because I was born and raise in tropical country. Also I love hawaian pizza I can eat pineapple like everyday.
Bolupe says
This is absolutely educational and all the tips to teach the children about pineapples are brilliant.
Marysa says
Such a fun and informative topic! There were definitely a lot of things I didn't know about pineapples. It really is good to know more about the foods we eat.
Kathy says
It's really interesting to hear all this. Pineapple is one of my favorite fruits too. It's so juicy and delicious!
Cathy Mini says
This is really a educational Trivia. I love to know it. And also I love pineapple my favorite.
Chef Dennis says
Oh wow! I am so glad I've learned so much from this post about pineapple! Thanks for sharing!
Tasheena says
I really enjoyed reading this post. This is a really cool learning concept.
melissa chapman says
It is nice to learn the history of pineapple in the US and abroad. I love pineapples and do not mind cutting up a fresh ripe one.
Anuradha says
Really cool and interesting facts to share to kids! My kids love it when I spin the story and learning from it. I am bookmarking this page to share the information with my kids!
Lily says
Wow I didn’t know that’s how pineapples got to Hawaii. I always thought it belong to Hawaii first
Liz says
Pineapple juice is my favorite summer drink! I had no idea it had so many nutritional benefits.
Emman Damian says
I love pineapple! It's very healthy and it's one of my favorite fruits! It's so yummy!
Kuntala Bhattacharya says
I love pineapples and interesting to know some good facts about them. I will explain to my son too, he must also be aware.
Janeane M Davis says
One good thing about using pineapples for educational purposes is that when you are finished with the lesson, you have something delicious to eat!
the joyous living says
i did not know pineapple was good for so many diets. 86% water is good to know.
Tammy says
I just harvested my first pineapple from my garden and I love this post. Pineapple is one of my most favorite fruits. Thanks for sharing.
Heather says
This was a great post! Read it to my kids and we all learned something new about pineapples.
Marie Phillips says
Good info! The pineapple is a family favorite for its amazing flavor, but also because in our part of the world it is known as a symbol of hospitality. I have decorated with pineapple theme with all of this in mind. Plus they're just cool!
Sarah Bailey says
Who knew there was so much you could learn about pineapple! What some fun ideas.
Jenn @ EngineerMommy says
Wow I love looking for ways to make learning fun with everyday items. These are some awesome ways to teach things with pineapples.
Toni says
This is such a fun way to learn about pineapples! Thank you so much for the ideas!
Catalina says
wow! I've learnt a lot of things from this post. And it was a lot of fun. I will try this technique with my kid.
Sherry says
I never thought of how many different learning opportunities there are with just one item. I learned a lot about pineapples reading this. The most surprising was about the hummingbirds.
Kita Bryant says
Pineapples are a great fruit to eat and play with. i always have a fresh one in the fridge.
Sara | mshealthesteem.com says
I love all the different perspectives and learning opportunities you shared! And all from a pineapple. Such a fun idea!
Heather says
My oldest daughter has this new love of pineapples. She's been requesting that we buy one every week.
Lisa Favre says
I didn't realize that pineapple is 86% water! Pineapple is one of my all-time favorite fruits - so much flavor and I love using it in my desserts.
Tara Pittman says
We love pineapple and eat lots of it. I will use this lesson with my boys
Jen says
Good to know about the canned pineapple. We’ll have to get fresh ones some this summer!
Amber Myers says
How cool! We love pineapple so we’ll have to keep this in mind.
Christine Weis says
What a great lesson that incorporates so many things. I didn't even know many of these fun facts. Thanks for sharing this! I think I just took a new liking to pineapple.
Brianne says
Oh wow. That's a great idea. You can get so much learning out of things when you just use a little creativity. I really love this.