TastEd
TastEd is a charity that provides practical support to UK primary schools to deliver sensory food education.
5 step guide
Read the guide to start your own TastEd
Apply for ChangeX funding
If ChangeX have an active fund in your area be sure to apply and work through the 30-day challenge! Once you successfully complete the challenge, you'll have access to funding which you can use for:
- Fresh fruit and vegetable produce for your lessons
- Kitchen equipment for your lessons
- Specific TastEd equipment:
- A set of ear defenders (these are good for TastEd HEAR lessons as they amplify the sounds of the foods as you're eating them)
- A pack of long socks (these are good for TastEd TOUCH lessons, you can hide fruit and veg inside to remove the sense of sight and just focus on touch)
- Flour dredgers/fine mesh shaker (these are good for TastEd SMELL lessons, you can put herbs or spices inside and guess what they are just using your sense of smell)
- You'll need to commit to running 5 of the TasEd lessons if you receive funding
Create your TastEd account and watch the TastEd training video
- Go to: https://www.tasteeducation.com/schoolresources-signupform/
- Sign-up to create a TastEd account
- You'll receive an email that allows you to log-in and access all the resources
Watch the training video and have a look at the other resources:
- Log-in to watch the 30 minute training video to better understand what TastEd is and how to run a lesson
- Have a look at some lesson plans and Powerpoints to help you plan your TastEd delivery
Meet with other staff and plan how and when you're going to run the lessons
- Discuss which class you will run the lessons with and who will be delivering them
- Plan when you will run the 5 x 1-hour sessions (if you've received funding from ChangeX which requires 5 lessons to be run) This could be one a day for a week or one a week over a half-term
- Is there anything else you need to do before running the sessions, e.g. do you want to let parents know they will be taking place? This all depends on which lessons you've decided to go for!
Make sure you have some basic equipment to get going
- Ensure the school has basic cooking equipment to allow you to prepare for the lessons, for example, a chopping board, knife and colander
- Buy specific TastEd equipment as mentioned in Step 1:
- A set of ear defenders (these are good for TastEd HEAR lessons as they amplify the sounds of the foods as you're eating them)
- A pack of long socks (these are good for TastEd TOUCH lessons, you can hide fruit and veg inside to remove the sense of sight and just focus on touch)
- Flour dredgers/fine mesh shaker (these are good for TastEd SMELL lessons, you can put herbs or spices inside and guess what they are just using your sense of smell)
Deliver your first lesson
- Download the first lesson plan and corresponding PowerPoint
- Use the lesson plan to prepare for the lesson and see what you need
- Buy the fruit and veg that's needed
- Prepare the fruit and veg
- Deliver your first lesson
- Let us know how you go on!
About TastEd
""TastEd lessons are fun and engaging to teach, children from Reception to Year 6 are always excited to learn about and taste new foods. The lessons are well planned and resourced, resulting in no extra workload! We've found that teaching regular TastEd lessons has improved children's relationship with food and has encouraged our pupils to be mindful about what they eat and where it comes from, as well as the work it takes to grow, package, ship, prepare and cook these foods. I am proud to facilitate TastEd lessons, they are improving our student's emotional and physical health - Food Education is so important and TastEd lessons are accessible and enjoyable.""
Great for
- Primary school teachers or groups of practitioners working with early years children
- Someone that wants to give the children at their school the opportunity to experience more fruit and veg
- Someone that is passionate about food education
Time
TastEd lessons are run in blocks of 5 (one for each of the senses), preparation time for the lesson should take approximately 20-40 mins and the lessons themselves last up to 1 hour. Prior to running a TastEd lesson, there is a 30-minute training video available to watch. Additional time might be required for meeting with other members of staff to discuss how you might choose to run TastEd in your school.
Resource checklist
- Permission from the school to run TastEd lessons
- A FREE TastEd account to access resources (you'll get this!)
- Basic kitchen equipment (chopping board, knife, colander, etc.)