Fun With Food

The Fun with Food programme originated from a need to develop more efficient and more effective services for children with disabilities who had an aversion to oral feeding.
The aims are to desensitise the child to food smells and textures, to help prepare the child for eating and to assist in developing a positive attitude to food. A number of pupils at Broadmeadow have a limited diet in terms of what they choose to eat. This can be due to sensory issues such as the look, taste, smell and texture of certain food and drink. Fun with food offers them the chance to explore food and drink at their own pace and hopefully help them to reduce any fears or anxieties they have in this area. Hopefully, this will enable them to extend and explore the range of food and drink within their diet.
How is this delivered at Broadmeadow?
Fun with food sessions takes place in a variety of ways, some classes have a daily session as part of the lunchtime, as part of our Pupil Premium strategy some children join the weekly intervention ‘drop in’ activity. Children work in small groups alongside others with similar issues, or on a 1:1.They have the opportunity to explore a variety of wet and dry foods at their own pace. The emphasis is on enjoyment and children are encouraged to touch, smell and play with the food using utensils such as paintbrushes. It is helpful for children to share ideas as well as observe each other as they play and explore. The sessions are very relaxed and always fun whilst encompassing many areas of the curriculum.