The Scientific Method, Fruit Style

(image courtesy of Google)

I noticed that pomegranates were on sale a few weeks ago at the grocery store.  I don't purchase them very often (okay, hardly ever), but they remind me of my Grandma Reeder who died six years ago, so I bought one and brought it home.  It ended up being one of the funnest purchases ever made at a grocery store for my children!

I asked Ethan if he knew what it was.  He guessed, "A turnip?  A radish?  A weird apple?"  I told him it was a pomegranate.  Then Christian walked in, and we both started asking both boys questions about it: "What color do you think it is inside?  Do you think it has a pit, like a peach, or seeds?  How do you think it tastes (bitter, sweet, sour, salty)?  Do you eat the whole thing, or only parts of it?  What does it grow on (above ground or under, a bush or a tree, etc)?"  It was so fun having them guess all of these things while knowing nothing about this peculiar fruit.  After we discussed their hypotheses, we split it open and showed them the seeds.  Then we broke it into four pieces, and helped them separate the seeds from the white pithy stuff.  I don't know whether they would have liked it if we had just given it to them, but because we had discussed it so much beforehand, they decided they loved it.  They ate all of theirs and finished off Christian's and my pieces too.  And they begged me to purchase another one the next time I went to the store.

I have put a good word in with Santa to put pomegranates in the toes of their stocking this year...

Merry Christmas everyone!