Laura Bashlorlauralou@ili.ne 
wrote a tasty activity for discuss-lfrf mailing list.
http://passport.ivv.nasa.gov/rainforest
Laura's cool Home page is http://www.ili.net/~lauralou/

From: "Laura Lou " (lauralou@ili.net)
Subject: Rain Forest Fruit Day
Date: Thu, 12 Mar 1998 04:31:24 -0500

Today is "Fruit Day" in our pre-LFRF study of the Rain Forest.  Working with
descriptions of the Rain Forest layers we looked again at the abundance and
diversity of fruit in the canopy.

In Michigan we have a chain of stores; Meijers.  They are like a Super
K-Mart or Wal-Mart.  In former years I have found they carry quite a variety
of unusual fruits.  Providing tastes for 90 students cost about $30 which
will be reimbursed by the school...if I remember to turn in the receipt.

Each "team" will get 6 papers prepared with areas for a drawing of the fruit
before cutting, estimate of the size, shape and number of seeds or pit, and
guess what a cross-section will look like.  There are areas for the ACTUAL
size, number and shape of the seeds/pit, actual cross section and
description of the taste.

Even a small fruit can be cut to let all 30 students have a taste.  I use
paper plates, a cutting board, knife and PLASTIC GLOVES...just like the
lunch ladies.

This year I was able to get chermoya, mangos, papayas, plantain, coconuts,
ugli fruit, sugar cane, and, just for fun, kumquats and prickly pear.  In
other years I was able to get carambola (star fruit), passion fruit, and
guava.  This store also has information cards on most of the fruits.  I have
heard from some parents in the past that the students asked parents to buy
some of the fruits they liked.  Of course, the parents don't always
appreciate the expense of these exotic fruits but they have always been good
humored about it.

MOST IMPORTANT, we will save all of the seeds to plant in our Rain Forest
Terrarium in 3 weeks.

Laura Bashlor
Shumate Middle School
Gibraltar, Michigan

Following is Janet's 4cooks@email.msn.com reply.

Re: Rain Forest Fruit Day
From: "Janet K. Cook" (4cooks@email.msn.com)
Subject: Re: Rain Forest Fruit Day
Date: Thu, 12 Mar 1998 19:21:41 -0700

SUPER idea, Laura.  I remember a lot of those fruits from when I lived in
Peru.  What's different is that we often had them as ice cream flavors!  I
will definitely approach my principal about the idea.  We've had other food
days in our social studies class as we study different countries and, of
course, they're always very popular.  janet


Janet K. Cook
Sinclair Middle School
300 W. Chenango
Englewood, CO 80110
(303) 781-7817 (w)   (303)806-2000 x1904 (vm)


(Reprinted be courtesy of Laura and Janet ) Thank you Laura and Janet!

Now it's my turn. In Japan, they sell lots of fruit, not only Japanese fruit
but also tropical fruit and more. I like banana (From Philippines and Taiwan),
Kiwi fruit (From New Zealand), Japanese orange and apple.
What kid of fruit do you like?

I made batteries from orange and lemon!
The batteries can power a LCD clock. 

I tell you Japanese Umeboshi. Umeboshi are plums pickled with salt.  SOUR!!
The older they become, the more mellow they are in taste. 
Umeboshi are put in a onigiri (rice ball) eaten on a picnic.
A cup of hot green tea with Umeboshi is a food for curing cold.
Sometimes people eat Umeboshi as antidote for poison.

WARRING! Don't eat a whole Umeboshi at a time. Remember Umeboshi is VERY SOUR!
To be frank, I would like to see your face when eat a whole Umeboshi at a time.
Good luck to you with Umeboshi!

If you did Fruit Day or Umeboshi activity, write about the activity and
send the email to me. I put up your writing on this page.

syu@mqg.biglobe.ne.jpSyu