This little experiment is a tad bit of science mixed with biology, making it one of those ideal learning activities that can be administered to accompany theory in a classroom or can be done just for fun at home. 

Ever wondered why food tastes different, or has no taste at all when we have a blocked nose or a cold? 

This activity helps to teach kids how some of the senses work together in the tasting process and contrary to what one might think, it’s not just your tongue that scoops up all of the flavours!

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Age appropriateness:

I’d say this activity would suit kids from ages 3 and up, but primary school aged kids would most probably understand the science and biology parts slightly better, instead of simply munching away on the goodies and enjoying the actions.

Preparation:

I love this experiment for many reasons, mostly because the ingredients required are easy on the pocket and are likely to be found in your kitchen at all times. I also think this activity is brilliant  in that it demonstrates how the senses work together to give you the end result of what you taste on your tongue.

For this experiment, you will need the following:

• Apples
• Potatoes
• A plate
• Cutting Board
• A sharp knife (for adult use)

Peel the potatoes and apples and then chop them into bite-sized pieces. Mix them up so that no one would be able to tell the difference between which one is which.  

The experiment:

Hand out the pieces to your students. They will easily be able to identify which piece they have popped into their mouths as soon as it hits their tongues. But in the next step, ask them to hold their noses closed and grab another piece from the apple and potato salad. This time they will find it much harder to identify what it is that they are tasting and a few might even get their guess wrong!

Why is this?

Holding your nose while tasting the potato and apple makes it hard to tell the difference between the two. Your nose and mouth are connected through the same airway which means that you taste and smell foods at the same time. Your sense of taste can recognize salty, sweet, bitter and sour but when you combine this with your sense of smell you can recognize many other individual 'tastes'. Take away your smell (and sight) and you limit your brains ability to tell the difference between certain foods. - http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/experiments/smelltaste.html

Source Link: http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/experiments/smelltaste.html

Make the experiment more challenging!

If you would like to take this experiment a step further, add a few other snacky items to the mix, like some strawberries, sliced banana, cucumber or grapes etc. Ask your students to cover their eyes with a blindfold. Then give them something to taste at random. While they will possibly still be able to taste what they are eating and guess what it is correctly, the taste reaction might not be instant. 

This is because the sense of sight also plays a role in the tasting process, since it sends signals to the brain that alerts it as to whether the food you are about to eat is familiar or not. This is why you can often taste the food you are about to eat before it even hits your mouth.

Quite the nifty “trick” right? Your students will enjoy this active activity will love this activity and will enjoy being a part of the experiment and learning process. - especially since all of the delicious treats will make it feel more like a party than an actual lesson!

Much love - @sweetpea

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