Really enjoy food
Make a colorful snack plate and a taste journal; try sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami, then record your favorite flavors.
Step-by-step guide to make a colorful snack plate and taste journal
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Step 1
Wash your hands with soap and water until they are clean.
Step 2
Place your plate five small bowls napkin cup of water paper pencil and colouring materials on a clean table.
Step 3
Label five spots on the plate or the bowls with the words sweet salty sour bitter and umami using the pencil.
Step 4
Ask an adult to help cut or portion any food that is hard to bite or needs sharp tools.
Step 5
Put one small portion of a sweet food a salty food a sour food a bitter food and an umami food into the matching labeled spots.
Step 6
Make the plate colorful by arranging the foods in a fun pattern on the plate.
Step 7
Take one small bite of the sweet item.
Step 8
Draw or write one word or a quick picture in your taste journal about how the sweet bite tasted.
Step 9
Drink a sip of water to clear your mouth.
Step 10
Repeat Step 7 to Step 9 for the salty sour bitter and umami items one at a time.
Step 11
Circle or star the tastes you liked the most in your journal.
Step 12
Share your finished snack plate and taste journal on DIY.org.
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can we use instead of five small bowls or a taste journal if we don't have them?
If you don't have five small bowls, use a large plate divided into five labeled sections or cupcake liners or spare paper cups, and make the taste journal on plain paper or a notebook with your pencil and colouring materials.
What should we do if flavors mix together or a child can't tell the tastes apart?
If flavors mix or a child can't tell tastes apart, follow Step 8 and drink a sip of water between samples, wipe the mouth with the napkin, and eat a plain cracker between bites so each small bite from Step 7 stays distinct.
How can I adapt the steps for younger toddlers or older children?
For toddlers, use tiny soft portions and ask an adult to help cut or portion in Step 4 and swap the written taste journal for stickers or smiley faces, while older children can add a blindfold and a 1–5 rating in their taste journal before sharing on DIY.org.
How can we extend or personalize this snack-tasting activity for more learning or fun?
To extend the activity, have the child invent a new snack combining two tastes they circled in Step 10, rearrange the foods into a colorful pattern on the plate as in Step 6, photograph the plate and journal, and share it on DIY.org.
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Facts about taste and sensory exploration for kids
🍭 Babies are born preferring sweet flavors — that’s one reason breast milk and sweet fruits are so appealing!
🥦 Bitter flavors often warn of plant chemicals; kids can be extra sensitive to bitterness, which is why veggies sometimes get a no-thanks!
🧂 Salt helps regulate nerves and muscles and can make other flavors in a snack plate pop.
🍋 Sour tastes come from acids (like vitamin C) and can make your face pucker — lemons are super sour!
🍣 Umami is the savory taste discovered in 1908 by Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda when he identified glutamate as a flavor booster.
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