Pineapple

 During snack we had pineapple.  It had been a while since we had this sweet fruit at school.  It is a unique experience and comes from such a unique fruit, it is a great opportunity for the children to participate in the change it goes through before we eat it. 
The pineapple was passed around the table and child talked about what they noticed and what they wondered. 
It's so cold!
The pineapple is heavy!
How does it smell?
Oh!  It smells delicious

I also had some questions for them as they passed it carefully around the table:
What color will it be on the inside?
Where does it grow?  On a tree?  On a vine?
Why is it so spiky?
Everyone agreed it was spiky because it was a monster fruit and that it would most likely be purple inside.  On the other hand, everyone had different ideas about where it grew: on a vine, on a bush, under the ground, up high in a tree.  These answers allowed each child to think about where our food comes from.  Making these important questions give the children more context when exploring new foods, especially when they are offered in their original state. 
Building healthy eating habits at a young age is highly important.  By offering a wide variety of foods every day, we are giving children the opportunity to make healthy choices for their bodies.  By giving everyone a chance to touch the pineapple before cutting, then talking about what we notice gives the children a true picture of fruit, food and also a community experience during our meal time.