Nova says, "Use only your nose. No peeking, no tasting!"
Your nose smells. Air carries smells inside.
Your nose warms and cleans the air.
Your tongue has taste buds on its bumps.
There are five tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, savory.
Smell helps taste. Together they make flavor.
◇ FAMILY SMELL MATCH
A grown-up cuts orange, banana, apple and cucumber pieces. Put each piece in its own cup. Cover each cup with paper. Poke a few holes in it. Take turns sniffing each cup. Guess which food is inside. Lift the lid to check your guess.
Safety first
A grown-up does the cutting and poking. Sniff only. Nothing goes in your mouth. Sniff gently, one cup at a time.
For a grown-up
Ask: which smell was easiest to guess? Ask: which smell was tricky? Praise careful sniffing, even for wrong guesses.