Taste

Globule wonders...

How do we taste food?

Experiment: Taste

Hypotheses: Present children with the question. Ask them which parts of their body they use to taste food. (Tongue? Cheeks? Nose? Throat? Stomach?...) Ask them if they have ever noticed that they taste flavours less when they have a cold. Suggest they name flavours they like and dislike.

Material:

• A scarf
• Nose clip
• A mirror
• A slice of apple per child
• A piece of radish per child
• Sippy cups containing water, one per child
• Sippy cups containing fruit juice, one per child

The experiment can be done with many kinds of food provided they have similar textures and very different

tastes

Manipulations:

1. Your daycare worker will blindfold you and put a nose clip on your nose.
   
   
2. She will give you food to taste, one item at a time. Taste them and try to identify them.
   
   
3. Try to identify beverages the same way.
   
   
4. Remain silent when it is another friend's turn to taste. Do not tell him what he is eating or drinking!

Explanations: Your tongue has 3000 taste buds which detect basic flavour types: salty, sweet, bitter, and acid. Ask children if they can name foods having each of these types of flavour. The last two are more difficult but little geniuses will surely come up with something! Use a mirror to observe the many taste buds on your tongue. Those tiny little bumps help you taste what you eat.

However, many sensations which you think come from your sense of taste actually come from your sense of smell. Your nostrils are linked to the back of your throat. After each sip or each bite, the odour of your food reaches your nose. This explains why it is so difficult to differentiate foods when blindfolded.

Angélique Boissonneault

has a Bachelor's Degree in Biological Science. She has worked in a laboratory and tested her knowledge. She has taught Math, Chemistry, and Physics. She has also developed a simplistic and innovative approach designed to introduce young children to scientific experiments, old and new. She created her friend Globule. This character is sometimes red, and sometimes white. He guides little ones through their scientific experiments and discoveries. It is clear to see Angélique is passionate about children and science. Globule's Approach.