What your Preschooler will Learn from this Preschool Science Experiment:

How to dry fruits and vegetables

Drying fruits entails removing the water from the fruit. The steam your preschooler will see is the evaporated water being removed from the fruit by the heat.

What you Need for this Preschool Science Experiment:

Fruits for drying such as apricots, apples, peaches, apricots and grapes

A knife for cutting the fruit

Lemon juice

Water

An oven

Cooking sheet

What To Do:

Step one: De-skin and/or de-seed your fruit. Cut up your fruit so all the pieces are about the same size. Keep the pieces small so they dry easier.

Step two: Preserve the color in your fruit by putting it in lemon juice and letting it sit for about 5 minutes.

Step three: Turn your oven onto a low setting of about 100-150 degrees. Any more than 150 degrees and you'll probably cook your fruit.

Step four: Place the fruit on one layer on your cookie sheet.

Step five: Add the cookie sheet to your oven and crack your oven every couple of minutes to let the steam escape. Do not let your preschooler stand next to the oven or in the line of the steam to prevent burns. You will have your fruit in the oven for 6-12 hours, perhaps more. You will know if the fruit is dry if it seems leathery and no beads of moisture form if you tear the fruit in half.

Step six: Please remember your fruit does not contain a preservative, so you should finish the fruit after a few days. Keep it in an airtight container in a cool (but not cold) place. Throw it away if it grows mold or looks or smells odd.

Hi! I'm Theresa Halvorsen, the preschool science and nature writer for Preschoolrock.com. I have twin boys and am blown away by their fascination with preschool science and how the world works around them. I am always looking for fun and simple science activities so preschoolers can learn about science and the natural world. Please contact me with any suggestions, ideas or questions you have about this site.

Helpful Tips for Parents

• Use correct scientific vocabulary from the start: observe, predict, experiment, hypothesis, result, evidence. Children absorb vocabulary in context without explicit teaching.

• Outdoor science (nature observation, weather tracking, garden study) is as rigorous as lab science and has the added benefit of physical activity and environmental connection.

• Science supplies don't need to be purchased. Vinegar, baking soda, cornstarch, salt, food coloring, and dish soap cover most preschool science experiments adequately.

• Visit science museums, planetariums, and nature centers regularly. Real encounters with scientific environments are more motivating than any experiment at home.

Frequently Asked Questions

At what age can preschoolers do science experiments?

Simple science exploration begins in infancy — dropping objects (gravity), banging surfaces (acoustics), mouthing materials (texture and taste). By age 2, children engage meaningfully with water play, sand science, and simple mixing experiments. Between ages 3–5, children can follow simple experimental protocols: predict, observe, record, and discuss results. The scientific method — hypothesis, experiment, conclusion — is accessible at age 4 with appropriate support. The best preschool science is the child's own curiosity, not a formal curriculum.

My preschooler loses interest in the experiment before it's done. What do I do?

Most preschool attention spans support 5–15 minutes of structured science activity. Design experiments with quick visible results — the baking soda + vinegar reaction, the pepper + soap demonstration, the oobleck — rather than long-waiting experiments as a first experience. Save multi-day experiments (crystal growing, plant sprouting) for when the child has developed patience and the routine of checking daily has been established through previous successful experiments. End an experiment early rather than forcing continuation — a positive incomplete experience invites return more than a forced completion.

Related reading: See also our science experiments at home and our nature walks guide for more ideas on this topic.

🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop

• 🔬 Scientific Method — Even a simple experiment teaches the predict-test-observe cycle that is the foundation of scientific thinking — and preschoolers who internalize this process approach problems with genuine scientific confidence.
• 🔍 Observation Skills — Paying close attention to what happens during an experiment — noting colors, textures, movements, and changes — builds the observational precision that all scientific and analytical work requires.
• 🌱 Curiosity & Wonder — Science that feels like magic cultivates the sense of wonder that keeps children asking questions throughout their lives — the foundational attitude that drives all learning and discovery.
• 📏 Early Math & Measurement — Measuring ingredients, comparing quantities, and observing size changes connects science directly to mathematical thinking — making science experiments some of the richest early math experiences available.

Does your preschooler know that raisins are actually dried grapes? How about that prunes are actually dried plums? Have they tried banana or apple crisps? With this fun and easy preschool science experiment, you can learn how to dry fruit in the oven.

This preschool science experiment ties in great with Week 8 of the Healthy Eating Challenge.