17/08/2026
🔬🌈 National Science Week: Science You Can Eat... Eventually! 🌿
This National Science Week, we're celebrating one of our favourite ways to explore food—with science, curiosity, and a little bit of colour!
In our Food Scientists feeding group, we became plant scientists by placing celery into coloured water and watching the leaves slowly change colour over time.
🧪 The big question was:
How does the colour get all the way from the water to the leaves?
As we observed our experiment, we talked about how celery uses tiny tubes inside its stem to transport water from the roots to the leaves—a process that keeps plants healthy and growing.
But what does this have to do with feeding therapy?
💚 Quite a lot, actually!
For some children, simply being asked to taste celery can feel overwhelming. It's crunchy, stringy, sometimes bitter, and has a distinctive smell—all of which can be challenging for children with sensory sensitivities or feeding difficulties.
Instead of focusing on eating, we focused on exploring.
Together we:
🌈 Watched the colours move through the celery.
✋ Felt the different textures of the stems and leaves.
👃 Smelled the celery.
🔎 Looked closely at the tiny veins carrying the coloured water.
💬 Talked about where celery grows, what it looks like inside, and why it's good for our bodies.
By removing the pressure to eat, children had the opportunity to build positive experiences with a food that might otherwise feel intimidating.
In feeding therapy, these moments matter. Every time a child touches, smells, observes, plays with, or talks about a food, they're building familiarity and confidence. Those positive, low-pressure food exposures help lay the foundation for trying new foods when they're ready.
After all... today's science experiment might just become tomorrow's snack. 🌿💚
