Each pupil cuts an apple in half and using tweezers, pulls out one apple seed. The outer, brown kin can then be removed by pulling at it with the tweezers, revealing the delicate, white inner seed. Give each student a magnifying glass to see that the inner seed is divided into two portions. The larger, white portion is called the cotyledon and provides the food for the newly developing seedling. The small tip is the next apple tree in its embryo stage; upon germination, this embryo will grow a root and a shoot. Instruct students to draw and label the inner seed of an apple pip.
Spray one square of paper towel damp with distilled water for each sixth grader. Have students place an apple seed in the center of each wet paper towel square. Fold over the paper towel once, place it in a plastic bag and tape the bag to the wall of a dark room. Monitor the seed each day and keep the paper towel moist. If germination has taken place, a small green shoot and root will emerge from the seed. Plant the apple seedling in nutrient-rich soil. The first apple should be ready to harvest when the sixth grade students are in their freshman year in college.
Collect and macerate, or soften by soaking in water, a dozen apple seeds. Chop the seeds and place in a test tube. Add 12 drops of chloroform, which should only be handled by an adult in a well-ventilated area. Put a drop of picrate solution on a strip of filter paper and hang the strip in the test tube not touching the seed material or the test tube sides. Heat the test tube to 30 to 37 degrees Celsius for three hours. If the strip turns pink, the seeds contain a small amount of cyanide; if it turns dark red, there is a greater amount of cyanide. If needed, prepare the experiment three hours ahead of time so the results may be viewed by each class.
Apple varieties offer differences in taste, texture and number of seeds produced. All apples have five carpels, or seed containers, arranged like a star; each carpel contains from one to three seeds. Bring a variety of apple types to school. Instruct students to create a graph illustrating the apple varieties involved. Cut each apple in half. Count and graph the number of seeds inside each apple.