Challenge 1
Welcome to the middle school challenge page for Challenge 1 of the Fairchild Challenge! Read below to find challenge information, entry requirements, resources and more for the challenge.
Challenge 1: Biological Sculpture and Environmental Literacy
Title: Flowers to Fruits
For groups | Maximum points: 200
Due Date: Friday, October 16, 2026 by 5 p.m.
Download the Challenge 1 Rubric Here
Your Challenge:
Peaches, pears, squash or apples, no matter what your preference, were first a flower! In Challenge 1: Flowers to Fruits, you must choose an edible fruit, research how it grows, what its primary pollinator(s) are and create an ornament sculpture depicting the “full bloom” stage of fruit development.
Knowing where our food comes from, where it grows, how it grows, what pollinates it and who is harvesting is a way to build a deeper appreciation for a process so critical to our personal and community health. Without fruits, our diets would be lacking in important vitamins and minerals, fiber and antioxidants which can negatively affect the way we digest food, regulate our moods and metabolize (break down) sugars.
“Full bloom” is the state in which nearly all flower buds are open across the canopy. Your sculpture should be true to the plant’s “full bloom” flower structure and color. Finished sculptures should be no larger than 5” x 5” x 5” and should weigh no more than two pounds. Sculptures should not contain any food or edible ingredients (including wheat, seeds or pinecones). Select sculptures from this challenge will be featured in Phipps’ Winter Flower Show. Therefore, each sculpture must have a securely-fastened string or wire so that it can be hung on display. A limited number of sculptures will be displayed. In addition to the sculpture, please also submit the “Challenge 1 Response Sheet” attached below.
Entry Requirements:
Deliver to the high school programs coordinator at Phipps in person or via certified mail (electronic submission is not accepted for this challenge):
- Challenge Entry Form
- Each sculpture MUST be labeled with the participating school and students’ names
- Create a flower sculpture using found or recycled materials
- Each finished sculpture should be no larger than 5” x 5” x 5” and should weigh no more than two pounds and should have a securely-fastened string or wire to be hung on display.
- Completed “Challenge 1 Response Sheet”
School Submits:
Challenge Entry Form
3 - 10 sculptures (Please note: submitting fewer than 3 sculptures will result in a lower score on this project.)
Challenge 1 Response Sheet
Address:
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
The Fairchild Challenge c/o Alyssa Mulé
One Schenley Park
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Resources:
The following list of online resources may be used when preparing your entry.
- https://www.umass.edu/agriculture-food-environment/fruit/new-england-tree-fruit-management-guide/plums/bloom-stages
- https://www.kimmelorchard.org/about/news-blog/first-bloom-what-apple-blossoms-tell-us-about-season-ahead
- https://fallingfruit.org/about/welcome
- https://pfaf.org/user/
- https://onfruit.ca/2025/04/25/what-the-crop-apple-update-april-25-2025/
- https://edibleplantdb.org/
Standards:
Read below to find the standards for each grade level for Challenge 1 of the Middle School Fairchild Challenge
- 11.3.6.C Analyze factors that effect food choices.
- 11.1.6-8.C Analyze factors that influence nutrition and wellness practices across the life span.
- 11.2.6-8.A Analyze sustainability practices and their effect on future renewable and non-renewable resources.
- CC.3.5.6-8.A Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts
- CC.3.5.6-8.E Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to an understanding of the topic.
- CC.3.5.6-8.I Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations, video, or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text on the same topic.
- CC.3.6.6-8.H Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis reflection, and research.
- 3.1.6-8.D Students who demonstrate understanding can use arguments based on empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support an explanation for how characteristic animal behaviors and specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of animals and plants, respectively.
- 3.1.6-8.E Students who demonstrate understanding can construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how environmental and genetic factors influence the growth of organisms.
- 3.1.6-8.J Students who demonstrate understanding can construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems.
- 3.1.6-8.U Students who demonstrate understanding can evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.
- 3.4.6-8.A Students who demonstrate understanding can develop a model to describe how agricultural and food systems function, including the sustainable use of natural resources and the production, processing, and management of food, fiber, and energy.
- 3.4.6-8.D Students who demonstrate understanding can gather, read, and synthesize information from multiple sources to investigate how Pennsylvania environmental issues affect Pennsylvania’s human and natural systems.
- 3.5.6-8.O Students who demonstrate understanding can interpret the accuracy of information collected.
- 3.5.6-8.Z Students who demonstrate understanding can analyze how different technological systems often interact with economic, environmental, and social systems
