Gustatory Sense

Tasting Bottles
Materials 4 pairs of bottles (with droppers or squeeze style)
1 pair contains a saline solution (salt)
1 pair contains a sweet solution (sugar or honey);
1 pair contains a sour solution (lemon or vinegar);
1 pair contains a bitter solution (acacia, alum or bitters)
Two small glasses, spoon, napkin on tray, extra glasses, spoons, napkins
for guide, box, tray to hold bottles, small pitcher, bucket

Purposes  To experience the four fundamental tastes.

 The following exercise develops awareness of the relationship between
taste and smell.

Age 3.5 - 4

Presentatio
n Set-up
1. Invite the child and name the activity.
2. Walk to the shelf to show materials.
3. Have child bring tray of bottles and place in upper center of table.
4. Return, and adult and child will carry a tray with materials for tasting.
Child’s tray goes bottom-left of table, adult’s bottom-right.
5. Finally return to bring the bucket and pitcher. The bucket goes in the
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Tasting Bottles

upper-right corner and pitcher is placed just below the bucket.

6. Take the pitcher and fill with drinking water.
7. Return to table, adult will fill each glass on their tray half-full.
8. Invite child to copy with their tray, return pitcher to 1st location.
9. Take 1 of each pair of bottles, scatter on lower-right table corner.

Introduction to the Material

1. Let the child know that while all the bottles look the same, there is a
difference that we cannot see, we can only experience by tasting.
2. Choose one bottle and place in front of the child.
3. Unscrew top, squeeze bulb and release to fill dropper with liquid.
4. Place about 4 drops of liquid into your spoon. Taste.
5. Rinse your spoon in the rinsing water and return to its dish.
6. Take a sip of water from your drinking glass. Invite child to taste.
7. Once the child has tasted, tighten the lid and begin a column of
control bottles on the left side of the table.
8. Repeat with the remaining bottles.

Pairing
1. Place second set of bottles along right side of table in random order.
2. Let the child know, for every bottle on the left side of the table, there
is one on the right that tastes the same.
3. Model pairing, using the pairing technique that includes discards.
4. When finished, return bottles to their original locations and invite
child to continue pairing.
5. Before you fade, empty both of your glasses into the bucket and take
your tasting tray from the table.
6. Place the child’s tray to the right of the table.
7. Fade and observe
8. When child has completed cycle of activity, return to show clean-up.

Clean-up
1. Guide the child to empty their glasses into the bucket, to take their
tray and unload their glasses for washing and to put clean glasses on
tray and return to shelf.
2. Return the two sets of bottles to their tray and return to the shelf.
3. Empty any remaining water in the pitcher into the bucket and return
the pitcher to the shelf. Finally, empty the bucket and return to the
shelf.

Control of The last two bottles don’t taste the same

Error

Following 1. At some later time when the child has completed the exercise, ask the
Exercises child to hold his nose while tasting to see if this makes any difference in
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Tasting Bottles

the taste.

Language Sweet, salty, sour, bitter

Sensorial 1,2
Games

Pedagogical  When preparing the solutions for tasting, it is good to prepare a quart
Notes bottle for each taste to leave in the refrigerator so you have
replenishments ready.
 At the end of each day, the tasting bottles should be either emptied or
stored in the refrigerator to keep the solutions fresh.