Explore apples with a simple 5 senses apple taste test! Kids can compare different apple varieties by looking, touching, smelling, listening, and tasting while practicing careful observation.
This easy fall science activity works well for preschool through early elementary and can stay simple for younger learners or be extended with recording, comparison, and graphing for older students.
Field: Life Science, Science Skills
Grades: PreK–3
Concepts: Five senses, observation, comparison, descriptive vocabulary, data collection
Apple Taste Test Activity
Choose several apple varieties and compare them using the five senses.
💡 Three to five varieties work well and give kids enough differences to notice without making the activity overwhelming.
You might compare:
- Red apples
- Green apples
- Yellow apples
- Sweet varieties
- Tart varieties
- Crisp and softer varieties
💡 Encourage kids to describe what they notice rather than simply choosing a favorite.
Supplies
- 3–5 apple varieties
- Paper plates
- Marker
- Knife for adult use
- Apple Taste Test printable
- Pencil or crayons
⭐️ Safety Note: An adult should cut the apples into slices.
How to Set Up an Apple Taste Test
1. Choose your apples.
Pick several different varieties.
2. Label each apple.
Place the apples on separate plates and write the variety name on each one.
3. Cut the apples.
Have an adult cut similar-sized slices so everyone can sample each variety.
4. Observe before tasting.
Look at the color, size, shape, skin, and inside of each apple.
5. Taste and compare.
Try each apple and describe what you notice with all five senses.
Describe an Apple With the 5 Senses
- What color is the skin?
- What color is the flesh?
- Is the apple large or small?
- Are the apples the same shape?
- Sweet
- Tart
- Juicy
- Mild
- Crisp
Free Apple Taste Test Worksheet
Use the free Apple Taste Test printable to help kids record and compare what they notice. Kids can use the worksheet to:
- Observe several apple varieties
- Describe them with the five senses
- Record likes and dislikes
- Choose a favorite apple
- Compare observations
Observation and the 5 Senses
Observation is one of the most important science skills kids can practice. Using the five senses helps children gather information about an object before they compare or draw conclusions. With apples, kids can observe:
- Color
- Size
- Shape
- Texture
- Smell
- Sound
- Taste
💡 This makes the activity more than a snack or taste test. Kids are collecting information they can compare and discuss.
👉 Learn more about Observation in Science.
Compare Different Apple Varieties
Once everyone has tasted the apples, compare the results. Ask:
- Which apple was sweetest?
- Which was most tart?
- Which was crunchiest?
- Which was juiciest?
- Which had the smoothest skin?
- Did everyone choose the same favorite?
👉 Students can vote for their favorite apple and turn the class results into a graph. Grab our apple graphing printable activity here.
Connect to an Apple Observation Investigation
Want to go beyond tasting?
👉 Use the Apple Observation Activity to measure an apple, count seeds, compare the inside and outside, and make a sink-or-float prediction.
💡 The two activities work especially well together because the taste test focuses on sensory comparison while the observation activity adds measuring, predicting, and recording.
Explore the Parts of an Apple
After tasting, cut an apple in half and look more closely at its structure. Can kids identify:
- Skin
- Flesh
- Core
- Seeds
- Stem
👉 Continue with the Parts of an Apple printable activity for a simple anatomy lesson.
Try an Apple Browning Experiment
Save a few slices after your taste test and observe what happens when you expose them to air.
👉 Then try the Apple Browning Experiment to test whether lemon juice can slow the browning process.
💡 That gives you an easy way to move from observation into a more formal science investigation.
Adapt This Activity by Grade
PreK–K
Focus on the five senses and descriptive words. Let kids taste, smell, touch, and compare a few apple varieties.
Grades 1–2
Have students record observations, compare several varieties, and explain how the apples are alike and different.
Grades 3
Turn the results into data. Have students rank varieties, collect class votes, graph favorites, or compare sensory observations across groups.
Guiding Questions
- What do you notice first about each apple?
- How are the apples alike?
- How are they different?
- Which apple feels smoothest?
- Which apple sounds crunchiest?
- Which apple tastes sweetest?
- Which apple tastes most tart?
- Did your favorite apple match someone else’s?
- Which sense helped you notice the biggest difference?
Printable Apple Science and STEM Pack
Want more apple activities in one place?
The Apple Science and STEM Pack includes more than 125 pages of apple-themed projects and printables for Kindergarten through elementary.
Inside, you’ll find apple science activities, STEM challenges, life cycle resources, observation pages, and additional printable activities for fall learning.
More to Explore
Apple Observation Activity | Apple Sink or Float | Parts of an Apple | Apple Browning Experiment | Apple Science Experiments | 5 Senses Activities
Love this tasting printable linking to in for my Apple Play Date Planner my kiddos had fun coloring the apples to match up and tasting them.
http://922saturdays.com/harvest-time-apple-play-date-planner-roundup/