Some preschoolers at the Fort Dodge Early Childhood Center sure do. The students have been learning all about trees lately and on Monday morning, they had a lesson with Fort Dodge Schools Chef Nick Sells about food that comes from trees.

“So we all know we grow trees to help the environment with oxygen,” Sells said. “And also we grow them for eating.”

Sells asked the students what foods they could think of that grow on trees in Iowa. Several hands shot up to answer “apples.” There were a few answers of “bananas” and “cherries,” and Sells reminded them that unfortunately bananas can’t grow in Iowa, but they do grow on trees in tropic regions.

“So there’s a lot of things that we can’t grow on our trees here because it gets cold in the winter, right?” Sells asked the students. “It gets really cold so we’re not able to grow some things on trees.”

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
Preschooler Camila Jimenez reacts to tasting a lime during a lesson on foods that grow on trees on Monday morning at the Early Childhood Center.

To make the lesson a little more hands-on, Sells brought the students cups with samples of tree foods to taste. Giggles filled the room as preschoolers licked wedges of limes and scrunched up their faces reacting to the sour taste. They chowed down on orange slices and walnuts, too.

The biggest surprise came when Sells explained that one of their favorite sweet treats comes from trees, too — chocolate. Chocolate comes from cacao pods that grow on trees in tropic regions.

At the bottom of their tree treat cups, the students found a handful of chocolate chips to enjoy.

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
Preschooler Bria Milligan takes a lick of a lime during a lesson on foods that grow on trees on Monday morning at the Early Childhood Center.

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
Preschoolers at the Early Childhood Center taste different foods that grow on trees, including oranges, limes, walnuts and chocolate, during a lesson from Chef Nick Sells on Monday morning.

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
Chef Nick Sells, chef director of the Fort Dodge Community Schools Food Service Department, gives a lesson to Early Childhood Center preschoolers on foods that grow on trees on Monday morning.