Learn Together
Keep trying! Did you know that it can take 8-15 tries before children like eating a new food?
Materials
- Mystery foods (can substitute with foods in your kitchen):
- Raw potato
- Jicama
- Apple
- Green or red pepper
- Raw onion
- Raw turnip
- Strawberries
- Small plates or bowls
- Strips of paper
- Markers or pencils
- Cup of water
- Computer, tablet or phone to view pictures
Imagine Together
In this mystery game, we’re going to use all our senses. Before we play let’s sing “The Five Senses Song”.
- Clean and peel fruits/vegetables. This not only makes food prep fun but will also help you become familiar with each food you will be exploring in this experiment. How does each different food feel?
- Chop fruits and vegetables in similar bite-sized pieces.
- Place your bite-sized pieces in separate plates or small bowls and label them with a small piece of paper underneath.
- Hide each plate under a napkin.
- Use your sense of sight to explore each bite-sized piece. What do you observe? Can you guess what kind of food each piece is?
- Now use your sense of smell. After smelling the food, do you have any new guesses about what each food is?
- Mix up the bite-sized pieces so they are not in the same order as they were smelled. Hold your nose, close your eyes (or use a blindfold), and taste one piece. Can you guess what kind of food you are eating?
- Unplug your nose and try the piece again. Did anything change? Why do you think the taste changed?
- Record all your guesses.
- After each food, reveal which fruit or vegetable was eaten. Did you get it right?
- Drink water between each food to help rinse out your mouth.
- Repeat with each food. How many pieces did you guess correctly?
Design your own experiment with other foods!
A great place to start is to try other foods with similar textures — various flavors of chips, jelly beans, yogurt, etc.
Explore your other senses in other fun CMOM at Home activities like Surprise Scentsory Painting.
Go to CMOM’s Eat Play Grow Curriculum to learn more.