Play-based lessons that explore the five senses

Kid Kitchen was founded to help parents with picky eating. We bring fresh produce into classrooms, give a quick lesson about the plants, and provide lots of time for hands-on play. Each lesson focuses on a different sense, providing food as a vehicle to explore touch, taste, sight, smell, and sound with fun tools like magnifying glasses, tongs, scissors, and blindfolds. The curriculum draws inspiration from Montessori philosophy as well as TasteEd and the Sapere method, two food education programs which have seen great success in Europe.

We ask kids to share what they’re thinking and feeling — Which veggies do you love? Which veggies do you hate and why? Which veggies do you prefer cooked or raw? We talk about how it can be scary to try something new and how to address that feeling.

Tasting is optional. Perhaps surprisingly, this creates an environment in which kids end up wanting to try things, from chomping on green onions to crunching into crispy celery, just like their friends (the good form of peer pressure!). If only it was that easy at home. 

In time, children gain confidence in their abilities, their likes and dislikes, and learn how to talk about their experiences with food. They become more comfortable trying new things. At the end of the day, kids will like some foods and dislike others, just like grown-ups. The hope is to instill confidence to try new things, free from fear, so they can keep adding to that ever-changing list of favorite foods. 

Based in Brooklyn, NY.