Rainbow Food Explorers

This class is a play-based feeding group for children ages 3-6 years old who have a limited or rigid diet of decreased variety of foods. This group provides opportunities to interact with nutrient dense foods in a gentle and inviting way through play with the additional benefit of peer modeling. Using principles of the SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) Approach to Feeding, Andria has developed a program that focuses on fun ways to achieve repeated exposures and promote the exploration of new foods. Playing with food takes away the pressure or expectation of eating, and gives a child more freedom to explore on their terms in a non-stressful way. Over time, this process leads to increased tolerance of a variety of textures, smells, and tastes.

Taking age and developmental levels into account, Andria incorporates her health coaching background to teach about the specific nutritional benefits of targeted foods (e.g. carrots help our eyes to see, broccoli helps us to fight germs to keep us strong and healthy). When children understand the power of fruits and vegetables, exploring them becomes a meaningful and purposeful experience. Discussions are positive and focus on eliminating comparison of foods as healthy vs. unhealthy/junk food to encourage a positive relationship with non-preferred foods and mealtime routines. Learning new ways to objectively describe sensory properties of foods (e.g. crunchy, spicy, gooey, bitter, etc.) is another key component of this group that aims to decrease negative language (ie. "EW!" "Gross!" "I HATE vegetables!") relating to certain foods.

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This 6 week series is unique and tailored to the needs and food preferences of individual group members as much as possible.

Organic, fresh produce is provided each week and will be cleaned and prepared before the start of each group meeting.

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To find out if this class is a good fit for your child, click here to sign up for a free call with Andria.

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Caregiver & Me Food Explorers 

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In this class, a parent or caregiver will support their child ages 18 months to 4 years through various play stations that focus on the foundational skills necessary for optimal eating and overall development. After play stations, children will sit a the table where organic foods will be explored using our 5 senses. This class aims to expand sensory preferences to foods and support parents/caregivers in using strategies at home to prevent picky eating in the early years. Class is led by Andria Procopio, a licensed pediatric occupational therapist trained in the SOS approach to Feeding. 

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