We love our apples here. They are always in the fridge, unless its grocery day and they have all been eaten. The one healthy snack that my kids never turn down, and I never have a problem with them having for an afternoon snack.

Apple Browning Experiment

Apple Browning Experiment

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Now with what I just said in mind, for this science experiment, I didn’t go to the apples in my fridge, we count on them for snacking. Instead, I went to the apple tree just a few houses down from us.

I used a couple of old cookie sheets that I had painted with chalk paint for our tray. (I knew these would come in handy at some point when I painted them a few months ago!) The cookies sheets were perfect for keeping the bowls separated and labeled, plus they would contain the mess in case they were knocked over.

We used four small apples, in four small bowls with four different coatings.

  • water
  • baking soda
  • vinegar
  • lemon juice
Apple Browning Experiment


It worked out really well, nice and even, both Austin and Brookland were able to cover two apples each, no fighting involved.

We covered them and left them, almost, alone. They were peeked in every few hours that day, just to make sure they weren’t going anywhere and to see what was happening… by the girls of course.

Apple Browning Experiment


After 24 hours we checked to see what had happened. The girls weren’t sure what to expect, apples get eaten right away around here, they don’t get put in the fridge half-eaten, so they didn’t know that apples turn brown when exposed to air before this experiment.

Apple Browning Experiment