LOOK · WONDER · DISCOVER
Watermelon: a vine on the ground
The watermelon in our garden starts on the ground for a reason: its plant has long, spreading vines. Its green outside also looks very different from the juicy flesh you discover when you open it.
Play with watermelon →Our little discovery
Distinguish a spreading vine from a fruit tree and name the rind.
What is inside?
- Rind. The thick green outer layer.
- Flesh. Juicy red flesh inside. Other colours exist too!
- Seeds. Some watermelons have few or no mature seeds.
Watermelons grow on vines in warm, sunny places.
From vine to table
- Along the ground. A long vine spreads across the ground.
- A yellow flower. A flower can become a tiny watermelon.
- Bigger and bigger. The watermelon grows on the ground.
- To the kitchen. Ask a grown-up to wash and cut it.
The game shows a melon patch. Trace the vine back from a fruit to see how it joins the plant.
Three ways to look closer
You can point, draw or talk. You do not need to taste anything.
Follow the vine
In the garden picture, trace a vine with your finger. Find a leaf, a flower and a watermelon along the ground.
Compare growing places
Switch to the apple tree, then return to watermelon. Where is each fruit growing? Draw a tall tree and a low, spreading vine.
Spot the boundary
Open the watermelon model. Follow the edge where the rind meets the flesh. With a grown-up, compare that edge with a real slice or food picture.
What to notice
Watermelon fruit grows on a vine rather than hanging from a tree. Rind surrounds the flesh. Some varieties have many mature seeds; seedless types can have soft, undeveloped seed coats.
Wonder together
If you were drawing a watermelon plant, would you put its fruit high in a tree or beside a vine on the ground? Why?