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Background: Long before apples were cultivated, it is believed
they grew wild in Central Asia and China, as well as in Southwest
Asia, where biblical historians place the Garden of Eden. The Stone
Age peoples of Europe cultivated apple trees. In 3000 B.C., the
ancient Lake Dwellers of northern Italy and Switzerland also grew
apples. The Greeks and Romans both cultivated apples. When the Romans
conquered England (first century B.C.) they brought the art of apple
cultivation with them. During the Age of Exploration, the apple
was the most important cultivated fruit. The Spaniards brought apples
to Mexico and South America. The Pilgrims of Massachusetts Bay Colony
planted apple seeds *in 1629. Pioneers brought apple trees west.
Indians planted trees from seeds they had received at white settlements.
John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, started many small
orchards throughout Ohio and Indiana in the early 1800s. Today,
the annual apple crop grown in 35 U.S. states averages over 200
million bushels.
Mythology used apples as a symbol of love and beauty. In Greek
mythology, Atlanta refused to marry unless a suitor could defeat
her in a running race. One suitor, Milanion, accomplished this
goal by dropping 3 golden apples (gifts of Venus, the Goddess
of Love) during the race. Atlanta stopped to pick them up, lost
the race, and became his wife.
In another Greek myth, Eris, the Goddess of Discord, was enraged
because she had not been invited to the wedding of a fellow god
and goddess. She tossed among the guests a golden apple with the
inscription, "For the fairest." Three goddesses felt they were worthy.
In order to put an end to the squabbling, Paris, a mortal, was called
upon to judge the fairest. He chose Aphrodite. Hera and Athena,
the rejected goddesses, were furious and caused great devastation
to Paris and his family. According to this legend, the clamor eventually
led to the Trojan War.
In Teutonic mythology, Bragi was distinguished for his nobility
and wisdom. He married Idun, who was the goddess of eternal youth
and the guardian of the "golden apples." Her magic prevented the
gods from aging.
To the Iroquois Indians, the apple tree is the central tree of
heaven. |
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1. Apple History Time Line - Present the information about
the history of apples to students. Brainstorm with students about
how to create a time line that shows the important information relevant
to apples' history.
Make a time line on the chalkboard or with string and index cards.
(Apples cut out from construction paper ahead of time could also
be used for writing the descriptions of the dates.) Students may
design their own time lines illustrating apple history using adding
machine tape or long narrow strips of paper.
2. Researching Myths and Fairy Tales - Divide the class
into research teams of four to five students. Direct students to
find and read stories from mythology and fairy tales in which the
apple plays a role in the plot. (Notify the librarian ahead of time
so that he or she can show children how to conduct a search like
this one.) Keep a class list of the titles of the myths and fairy
tales. As a grand finale, each group can read or tell the class
their favorite "apple tale." The groups can create murals depicting
scenes from the tales. Some might enjoy doing a skit based on their
"apple tale."
3. Creating an Original Apple Tale - Students write an original
fairy tale or myth in which the apple plays an important role. (Or
they might take a well-known fairy tale and change the action by
adding the twist of a magic apple.)
4. Johnny Appleseed: Fact vs. Fiction - Have children bring
in books about Johnny Appleseed. After reviewing the books, make
a chart of facts about Johnny Appleseed, the legend. Have a research
"team" investigate the life of John Chapman, the "real" man behind
the legend. Compare the real life of John Chapman to the folk stories
about Johnny Appleseed.
Independent Projects:
• William Tell was a national hero of the Swiss in their struggle
against the Duke of Austria Find out what role he played in the
struggle for Swiss independence and why he is associated with the
apple.
• Isaac Newton was supposedly sitting under an apple tree when
he thought up the law of gravity. Find out about Newton's life and
write a one page biography.
• Research folklore about apples. Look for apple remedies and
find out about apple paring bees. (In the early settlement days
of America, apple paring bees were major social affairs.)
• Find out if apples are grown commercially in your state.
Identify which states are the major apple producers in our country.
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