Food Tools

Activity Overview

People around the world have developed all kinds of tools to use to feed themselves. There are so many options, and it’s incredible to get to know how cultures everywhere have thought about what they need to pick up and deliver food into their bodies. In this activity, students will explore some different cuisines from around the world and some of the food tools associated with them. Then they’ll be challenged to try these tools out themselves.

What You Need

• Family Food Portraits Slideshow

• Fork and spoon

• Chopsticks, flat-bottomed spoon, skewer, fondue fork

• Utensils from Around the World slideshow

• Various flatbreads available to you

• Bowl

• Fine motor loose parts: pompoms, cotton balls, beads

• Food to practice tool use with: beans, rice, vegetables, soup

Steps

1. Begin the activity by viewing the Family Food Portraits Slideshow with your student. Have students observe and note which foods they recognize and point out foods from different countries that they might not be familiar with. What connections can your student make about what their family eats and what other families around the world eat in one week?

2. Place the various utensils you have collected on a flat surface. Look through Utensils from Around the World to deepen the student's understanding of how and why different utensils are used in different countries, reinforcing the idea that the way in which we eat and what we eat is unique, but we all need utensils to eat our food. Match the images in the slideshow to the tools in front of you.

3. Place a bowl in front of the student filled with loose parts - now it’s time to practice! Try out each of the tools - how do they work? What shape does your hand need to make to hold it successfully? Model as needed to help play the game with your student.

4. When ready for a challenge, bring the tools to meal time and practice eating your meal with a variety of the tools you have explored.

Guiding Questions

• What foods look familiar to you?

• What are some foods you want to know more about?

• What is your favorite tool to use when eating?

• What tool are you curious about?

• How does this tool work? What shape does your hand need to make to hold it successfully?

• Which should we try tonight at dinner?

Extensions

• Gather specific foods such as soup with noodles, cooked beans, and rice for the student to practice eating with the utensils.