There is not enough to be said about the Watermelon. When we think of summer, the Watermelon is the iconic fruit of sunshine and a carrier of water that so many of us treasure! If you just take a moment to look at the Watermelon that you eat, it tells you a story through shapes.
Take a look at the picture above and look at the naval. That navel is the center of a beautiful multi-pointed star that tells the story of how it began. This watermelon started out as a flower, as most fruits do. So as not to forget where the Watermelon came from, there is this beautiful light green and white star on it. Also take a look at the “vein-like” features of the skin and compare this to the leaves of the plant from which it came from.
At this time, I am explaining this to my little one and telling her about the star and that this is an imprint of the flower that the Watermelon came from. Her response was, “So this came from a flower? So I eat flowers?” Yes! 🙂
(Note: This might be a good time for you to look up the blossoms of a watermelon plant right now and compare it with the picture above of the watermelon )
Take a look at the seeds in the picture above, which I have found to be a treasure hunt in itself to find watermelons with seeds in them still. The shapes of the seeds are oval, but they also look like water droplets and remind us of how much this wonderful fruit needs so much water to grow and retains it too!
Now take a look at the Watermelon slice below. I sliced this width-wise and saw this beautiful result! I see spirals and curves and this slice being partitioned in at least three parts. What do you see? What story does this Watermelon show you on how it grew?
Application:
Lastly, what if you have a small-sized Watermelon and many little hands to eat it? How would you slice this up? I learned this great way of slicing through someone on the internet. This is a great way for little children to be able to hold the slice in one hand and be able to finish it before getting another piece. What shape is the piece of Watermelon now? A rectangle? A rectangular prism? A rectangular prism with a curved edge? I am always an advocate for trying out different names to call a certain shape or object. There is a place for exact names of shapes of objects, but I like to give some opportunity for the eyes to explore beyond and see what other possibilities there are. 🙂 And all with a slice of Watermelon! 🙂
Something To Think About:
Something as much as a fruit can be looked upon with a Mathematical eye, not a Mathematical eye of analysis, but an eye of wonder! Everything tells a story, however you slice it. Enjoy!
Learning Math with Mom 