Unit 2 Science Experiments & Discussion

Tummy Mindfulness and Experiential Eating Protocol

Unit 2

Instructions

• Direct children to wash their hands before their taste testing.

• Food should be served to the children with gloved hands.

• After washing their hands, the children are presented with fruits and vegetables from the garden (or grocery store if needed) to sample. Images of a body with an empty belly, too full belly, and just right belly will be available for the children to compare. The teacher describes the feelings of hunger and fullness to the children to increase their understanding of these concepts. They then discuss how every person eats a different amount of food to get a just right tummy and that it is important to pay attention to your body.

• Lay out or hang up the Tummy Dolls, images of a body with an empty belly, too full belly, and just right belly

  • • • • • •     Before sampling the fruits and vegetables, the teacher asks the children if they are too full, just right, or hungry by asking them to point to the matching images.

            • The teacher then calls on a few children and asks them to describe what hunger or fullness feels like. The teacher tells the children to pay attention to if they are feeling hungry or if they are feeling just right. If they are hungry, the teacher lets the children know that eating more food will give them  energy they need for the day. If they are just right, then that means their body already has the energy it needs, and they do not need to eat more at that time.

            • After sampling the fruits and vegetables, the teacher asks the children if they are too full, just right, or hungry (point to the images).

• While the children are tasting, encourage positive conversation by making statements and asking questions that prompt the children to identify the color, smell, taste, and texture of the fruit or vegetable they are tasting, the sounds they make when they bite and chew, and what do they feel happening inside their mouths while they are chewing. Avoid statements that are coercive, like “just take a polite taste,” or “everyone has to try it.”

For example:

• “What sound was made when you chewed the celery? What do you feel happening inside your mouth while you chew? [That celery was really crunchy and juicy.]” 

• “How does the tomato taste?”

• “What does the bell pepper smell like?”

• “What does the cucumber feel like in your hand? [It’s nice and cool.]” 

• “What color are the strawberries that we are tasting?”

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