Tasting Exercise: Drop Bottle
Made by Nienhuis Montessori · shipped by Heutink International (Netherlands) About the maker
A glass drop bottle for the tasting exercise, sold on its own. The tasting work uses solutions rather than foods, so the bottle has to be glass: glass takes no flavour from what it held last, and a bottle that remembers yesterday's salt would quietly ruin the exercise. One drop on the tongue is all the work needs. The dropper with its coloured cap and the full tasting set are separate items.
“Children display a universal love of mathematics, which is par excellence the science of precision, order, and intelligence.”
The Drop Bottle for Tasting Exercise introduces children to gustatory discrimination through precise, controlled exploration.
- Gustatory discrimination and taste identification
- Fine motor control through precise dropper manipulation
- Scientific observation and comparison skills
- Vocabulary development for describing taste sensations
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This amber glass dropper bottle enables children to isolate the sense of taste by dispensing exact amounts of liquid onto the tongue, eliminating variables that might confuse sensory perception. The dropper mechanism requires careful finger coordination, integrating fine motor development with sensorial refinement. By using the Drop Bottle to experience pure tastes, sweet, sour, bitter, and salty, children build conscious awareness of flavor distinctions. The amber glass protects taste solutions from light, ensuring consistent sensory experiences across multiple uses. This precision tool transforms abstract taste concepts into concrete, repeatable experiences. The Drop Bottle's controlled dispensing prevents overwhelming the palate, allowing children to focus on subtle differences between solutions. Through systematic tasting exercises with this bottle, children develop vocabulary for describing sensations and build foundations for scientific observation. The careful ritual of using the dropper, filling, dispensing, tasting, creates a mindful approach to sensory exploration that extends beyond the classroom.
How to present it
Follow the Montessori method of presentation for optimal child development.
Prepare four dropper bottles with basic taste solutions: sweet (sugar water), salty (salt water), sour (lemon water), and bitter (tonic water). Place bottles on a tray with small glasses of water and a cloth for cleaning the dropper between tastes.
- 1
Demonstrate drawing liquid into the dropper by squeezing the bulb, inserting into solution, and releasing
Show slow, deliberate movements to emphasize control - 2
Show how to dispense one drop onto the tongue by gently squeezing the bulb
Let the child see you taste and describe the sensation - 3
Invite the child to try the first taste, guiding their hand if needed
Start with sweet or salty as these are most familiar - 4
Rinse the dropper in water and wipe with cloth before trying the next solution
Emphasize this cleaning step to maintain pure tastes - 5
Continue with remaining tastes, discussing each sensation
Use simple descriptive words the child can understand and repeat
Every Child Is a Little Creator
Heritage
Since 1929
In classrooms
Around the world
European brands
Nienhuis, GAM, Educo
AMI approved
To the association standard
Tasting Exercise: Drop Bottle
