Today we started our three week science unit on the human body. This morning, we investigated the five basic tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami. We tasted one example of each taste and described it. We also tried to guess what we were tasting, and talked a little bit about how the purpose of taste is to help us figure out what to eat and what not to eat.
Everyone liked the sweet taste of sugar. Most of us liked the pink lemonade mix we tasted for sour, and we also agreed that although the bitter cocoa we tried smelled yummy, it didn’t taste good. Some children loved tasting salt, some didn’t. The Parmesan cheese we tried for umami was a big hit, though. And we thought umami was a fun word to say.
If you (like us) went to school when they taught only four basic tastes, you might not be familiar with umami. It’s the savory, meat-like taste found in soy sauce, tomatoes and cheese, and it helps us detect foods with protein in them.
We’ve got many works around the classroom that children can explore to learn more about the digestive system. In addition, we are talking about the five food groups.
They can brush a set of teeth, or explore what the inside of each tooth looks like. They can sort foods by food group or even set a place for a table. Interested in having your child help set the table in your household? You’ll notice we provided a photo which helps the child know what the place setting should look like. Simply provide a photo of your own, and you’ll have help at meal time!
