Crunch Test

In early elementary, relating foods using simple categories is a developmentally appropriate way to explore food while nurturing a safe food environment. This can include classifying food based on shape, colour, temperature or texture. This activity helps students explore different foods and sort them based on if they crunch or do not crunch.

How to conduct a crunch test in your classroom:

1. Download and print one worksheet for each student.
2. Provide several foods with various textures for students to investigate. Examples include:
   • Cheese
   • Carrots
   • Apples
   • Bananas
   • Crackers
   • Strawberries
   • Pumpkin seeds
   • Chickpeas
   • Hard boiled eggs
   • Tomatoes
   • Pasta
   • Popcorn
3. Invite students to sample the foods that they would like. Assess each food for crunch and draw a picture of it under the appropriate heading (crunch or no crunch). If students do not want to taste a food, they can attempt to “snap” it in half to determine its crunch.
4. Have students share their completed worksheets with the class.

Optional Extension Ideas:

• Connect to learning outcomes in math by counting the number of foods in each column and creating a graph of foods that did or did not crunch.
• Have a class discussion about the foods that they tried:
  • Did they like any of the foods?
  • Did they discover new foods?
  • Did they prefer crunchy or soft foods?
  • Brainstorm other foods that may fit into each category.
  • Would any of the foods move to a different category if they were cooked?
  • Would any of the foods move to a different category if they were peeled?