Duration: 45-60 minutes
SPIRIT Skills:
- Empathy
- Valuing people and nature
- Emotional awareness/communication
Brief Description:
Students share family recipes and compare homemade vs store-bought through a guided tasting and observation chart, focusing on respectful language and mindful choices.
How does this develop particular SPIRIT skills:
- Strengthens empathy by honouring different family/cultural recipes and taste preferences without judgment
- Develops valuing people and nature by noticing ingredient lists and discussing packaging waste in a concrete way
- Builds emotional awareness and communication by practicing respectful taste-language (“I prefer…”, “I notice…”) instead of rude reactions.
What do we want to achieve regarding SPIRIT skill development (student understanding and/or behaviour)?
As a result of this activity, students (will be able to/understand/do …):
- Record at least three observations comparing homemade and store-bought (taste, sweetness, ingredients, packaging).
- Use respectful language to express preferences and respond to others’ preferences calmly.
- Identify one sustainability choice (e.g., fewer bottles, compost peels, reusable cups).
Academic/Curriculum Objective connection
Observation + simple data recording; early health and sustainability reasoning.
Materials and tools needed for implementation
Homemade + store-bought samples (pre-checked), tasting cups, observation charts, allergy list.
Preparation notes
No blindfolding required—safe tasting routines matter more than “game effects.” Provide rinse water.
Guided Questions
- “What do you notice about the ingredients?”
- “How can we talk kindly if we don’t like something?”
- “What happens to the bottle or carton after we drink it?”
Stage Debriefing Questions (Optional)
- What did you learn about preferences and respect today?”
Tips and Tricks for dealing with stage challenges
- Challenge: Students make dramatic “yuck” reactions.
Tip: Use a taste-language protocol: “I notice… / I prefer… / I wonder…” - Challenge: Data recording becomes messy.
Tip: Keep the chart simple: 3 columns (taste / ingredients / packaging).