--- title: "Nursery And Pre-School - Science - Food Decomposition" url: "https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/2026-05-12-nursery-and-pre-school-science-food-decomposition" school: "Darwen St James’ C of E Primary Academy" --- # Nursery And Pre-School - Science - Food Decomposition ![](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/images/news/2d1eb145-da39-4974-81db-9eed40bfc969.jpg) 12 May 2026 Over the last week, the children in Nursery and Preschool have become little scientists, taking part in a two-part investigation into how things change and decay. We wanted to find out what would happen to an apple when left in different environments, so we set up a special experiment using four slices. One was placed in milk, one in water, one in sugar water, and the final piece was left out in the air. To start our investigation, the children were encouraged to make their own predictions. We had some wonderful ideas, with some children thinking the apples would change colour and turn brown, while others wondered if the seeds inside might start to grow! This was a great way for the children to practice their "thinking skills" and imagine what might happen over time. After waiting for a whole week, we gathered back together to see if our predictions were right. We used our senses to explore the changes, taking a good look, feeling the textures, and even having a little sniff of the different bowls! The children were fascinated to see how some apples had stayed firm while others had become mushy or changed colour. We spoke about what we could see and smell, and the children enjoyed sharing their surprises when the results were different from what they first expected. This hands-on experiment was a fantastic way for the children to observe the passage of time and the natural process of change in the world around them. ![](https://darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy.schudio.com/images/news/2d1eb145-da39-4974-81db-9eed40bfc969.jpg) [Nursery](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/tag/nursery) [Early Years Foundation Stage](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/tag/early-years-foundation-stage) [Science](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/tag/science) [Pre School](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/tag/pre-school) [![](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/imagecache/100x100c/news/8a1627f5-816e-4c3b-9063-4e0a80ebb4b8.jpg)](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/2026-05-11-nursery-pre-school-p-e-gymnastics) Previous ### [Nursery/Pre-School-P.E-Gymnastics ](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/2026-05-11-nursery-pre-school-p-e-gymnastics) [![](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/imagecache/100x100c/news/824761d3-c32d-4f35-ba24-bc11f7066b98.jpg)](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/2026-05-13-year-3-english-using-conjunctions-in-complex-sentences) Next ### [Year 3 - English - Using Conjunctions In Complex Sentences](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/2026-05-13-year-3-english-using-conjunctions-in-complex-sentences) ### Academy Life - [News](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news) - [Events](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/events) - [Clubs](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/academy-life/basc) - [School Council](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/academy-life/school-council) - [Attendance](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/academy-life/attendance) - [Charities and Fundrasing](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/academy-life/charities-and-fundraising) - ![School Games Gold](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/images/partners/Gold_Logo_25-26(1).png) - ![Healthy school](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/images/partners/healthy_school.png) - ![Picture News](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/images/partners/6_Years_of_Picture_News.png) - ![AP smilestar](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/images/partners/Screenshot_2026-07-27_10.26.27.png) ##### Location St James Crescent Darwen Lancashire BB3 0EY ##### Contact Us 01254 703260 ##### Stay Connected - [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/Darwenstjames) - [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/darwenstjames/) © Copyright 2021–2026 Darwen St James’ C of E Primary Academy School & Trust Websites by [ ![Schudio logo](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/img/logo/light.png) ](https://www.schudio.com/)