The sensory awareness method is made up of modules that form the basis for delivering lessons around taste and the five senses, linked to the various aspects of schooling.
The taste class programme includes 10 modules. From the first session about the five senses, to the little educational feast that ends the course, children discover and experiment with flavours, they smell, taste, touch familiar and unfamiliar foods, and discover regional specialities.
The nine key stages of the original method:
1. Children learn that tasting a food uses all five senses both before and during eating.
2. They isolate the sense of taste, identify reference flavours and the role of the taste buds; they discover differences in taste perception, and go beyond “I like it/I don’t like it”.
3. They learn about dominant tastes, experiment with mixing flavours, and test spicy or cold preparations.
4. They explore smell recognition and memory, build their smell repertoire and learn about the difference between smells and aromas.
5. They learn about the importance of sight and colour, which can sometimes be at odds with taste perceptions.
6. They discover the importance of touch and hearing in tasting foods.
7. They learn about changes to the intensity of aromas, the mechanisms of smell, the importance of chewing, and the interesting properties of hot and cold foods.
8. They are introduced to cultural diversity and the variety of regional specialities.
9. They share their taste experiences and enjoy the conviviality of a shared meal with their classmates.
The method can also be easily adapted for special needs classes, an area SAPERE Classes du Goût is starting to work with.