Food for thought.

Impact to My Classroom

# of Students Impacted: 58

The concept we wanted to explore was to allow the students in our pre-k through 5th grade ESE program to have access to foods in a sensory format. We have many students that bring in lunch boxes that are filled with cookies, crackers and chips and will refuse to even touch items with which they are unfamiliar. Through this grant we have introduced food exploration through sight, touch, taste, smell and sound. The students get very excited for "Cooking Friday" and have been introduced to opening containers, using buttons to operate blenders and popcorn machines, play with their food lick it bite it or even kiss it if they did not want to eat it.  We have been amazed by the things they liked that we were not anticipating ( black licorice, olives and pickles) and refusing to try things we thought were childhood favorites ( icecream, yogurt and fruit). They have used core boards, communication devices and speech and language to indicate the items they needed.  Some have had to learn to finish their project before they can eat it or refrain from taking the food from their classmates. They have learned to hand out napkins, share tools, take turns, and follow the creation through to completion. They have practiced using spatial concepts using on, under, in, out, next to, bigger, smaller to name just a few.

Two of my favorite achievements are that one student is so resistant to trying new items but he wants so badly to make us proud of him that he will now bite on the side of his teeth and chew food. His facial expression does not say he loves it but he is so happy with his efforts. The second is that during an IEP the parent of one of our non verbal students understood why her son now wanted to try and make his own PB and J sandwich. 

 Of note we had to be mindful of those students who have alternate feeding means and also those with allergies, but be sure there was a way to make the experience inclusive. 

I would like to express our heartfelt thanks for funding this project and want you to be reassured that the grant was used to enrich the lives and promote the health and development of our students. We used the money to buy food items and also to fund kitchen supplies in order for us to be able to continue this program into the future. 

• NIH nutrition
• Nutrition
• Gut and mental health