School-age 2 chose the activity of making their own Tropical Fruit Salad to allow the children an opportunity to discover new flavors, textures and aromas of some fruits. It was an engaging experience to watch the children taste and smell fruits like papaya, mango, and natural pineapple. With this activity, the children developed a variety of important aspects for their overall development, such as sensory implementation. When you engage children in a new experience that they may not have discovered before, you allow opportunity for growth in various ways.
The children learn to associate smells with memories to identify what their likes and dislikes may be. The exploration of flavors and smells is accompanied by other sensory experiences, such as touch, texture and shape. Laura, Sloane and Claire exclaimed to the group “Papaya tastes like something I have never had before. The texture is very different”. The types of activities also provide the children with an opportunity to expand their vocabulary.
This is an activity that we may implement again, next time introducing different fruits!
