Talk About It: Colors of Apples

The big idea: Apples aren't just red. They come in red, green, yellow and even pink.

Most picture books show red apples, so many toddlers think every apple is red. Today we look closer. Apples come in lots of colors, and some are more than one color at once. The U.S. grows more than 100 kinds of apples.

Questions to ask

• "What color is this apple?"

• "Can you find a green apple? A yellow one?"

• "Is this apple one color or two colors?"

• "Do you think a green apple tastes different from a red one? Let's try!"

• "What else in our kitchen is red? Green? Yellow?"

Show it in one minute

Get two or three different apples, like a red Gala, a green Granny Smith and a yellow Golden Delicious. Line them up and name each color together. Then cut a small slice of each for a taste test. Ask, "Which one is sweet? Which one is sour?" Point out that the inside of every apple is nearly the same color, even when the outside is different.

Keep it going

At the grocery store, visit the apple bins and play "I spy an apple that is…" Count how many colors you can find.

Want to learn more?

• Apple Varieties, from USApple

• The Science of Color and Contrast: Learn Through Art, from PBS KIDS for Parents

• Counting Colors, from PBS KIDS for Parents

Shop these items

Find the books and supplies from this week in one place. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

• Today's book: Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins

• Shop everything for Week 2: Apples

• Starter supplies: the basics we use most weeks

• See every week in our Amazon storefront

More for this week: see all our Apple activities, Letter B activities and Number 2 activities.