Fruits and Vegetables We Eat
Fruits and vegetables we eat, for young kids: which plant part each food comes from, why they are healthy, real examples and a fun sorting and growing activity.
Key takeaways
- Lots of the food we eat comes from plants
- A fruit grows from a flower and holds seeds inside
- We eat different parts of plants: roots, stems, leaves and fruits
- Fruits and vegetables help our bodies grow strong and healthy
Food from plants
Yum! Think of your favourite snack. A crunchy apple? A sweet strawberry? An orange carrot? Lots of the food we eat comes from plants. Today we will find out where these tasty foods grow and which part of the plant they are.
What is a fruit? 🍎
A fruit grows from a flower. After a bee visits a flower, the flower can make a fruit. Inside the fruit are little seeds. Apples, oranges, bananas and strawberries are all fruits. Many fruits are sweet and juicy.
Cut open a fruit and look inside. Can you see the seeds? An apple has small brown pips. A peach has one big stone in the middle. Those seeds could grow into a new plant!
Eating different parts 🥕
A vegetable can be many parts of a plant. We do not just eat fruits. Look at all the parts we munch:
- Roots: A carrot is a root. So is a beetroot. They grow down in the soil.
- Leaves: A lettuce, spinach and cabbage are leaves.
- Stems: Celery is a crunchy stem.
- Flowers: A broccoli is really lots of tiny flower buds!
- Seeds: Peas and beans are seeds we eat.
Isn't it funny? You eat roots, leaves and flowers at dinner time!
Why they are good for us 💪
Fruits and vegetables are very good for our bodies. They are full of vitamins and water that help us grow strong, run fast and stay healthy. They come in lots of colours — red, orange, yellow, green and purple. Eating many different colours each day keeps you well. So fill your plate with a rainbow of fruits and veg!
Where they grow 🌱
Foods grow in different places. Apples and pears grow high up on trees. Strawberries grow low to the ground on little plants. Carrots and potatoes grow hidden under the soil. Farmers grow lots of fruits and vegetables for us to buy in shops.
Sort and grow
Here is a fun game. Ask a grown-up to help you collect some fruits and vegetables from the kitchen. Sort them into groups: which are fruits with seeds inside, and which are roots, leaves or stems? Cut a few open (with a grown-up) and look for the seeds.
Then try growing one! Push some dried peas or bean seeds into a pot of damp soil. Put it on a sunny windowsill and water it a little. In a week or two, watch a green shoot pop up. You are growing your own food!
To learn the parts of a plant we eat, read The Parts of a Plant. And to see how a flower turns into a fruit, visit The Life Cycle of Plants.
Quick quiz
Test yourself and earn XP
Where does a fruit grow from on a plant?
A fruit grows from a flower after it is pollinated, and it holds the plant's seeds inside.
Which of these is a root that we eat?
A carrot is the root of the plant. It grows down in the soil, and we pull it up to eat.
What part of the plant is a lettuce?
Lettuce, spinach and cabbage are leaves that we eat.
Why is it good to eat fruits and vegetables?
Fruits and vegetables are full of good things that help our bodies grow strong and stay healthy.
FAQ
In science, a tomato is a fruit, because it grows from a flower and has seeds inside. In the kitchen we often call it a vegetable because it is not sweet. Both answers are right in their own way!
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