Edible Astronomy Demonstrations for People with Visual Impairments

Description

Astronomy demonstrations with edible ingredients and tactile and sensory hands-on activities can help the BVI community better understand astronomy concepts.

Meteorites – Nestle Crunch (Chondrules) (Nestle Crunch), Three Musketeers (fusion crust), and Rocky Road (pallasite);
Lunar phases – Black and white cookies;
Martian structure – Salsa (Surface rock layer) with grated cheese (dust), sour cream (permafrost layer), and bean dip (interior) scooped up to analyze with taco chips;
Comets – Hostess Snowballs;
Sun – Cookie or muffin with sprinkles (granulation), jelly beans (sunspots) and liquorice (prominences);
Planetary formation – Starburst candy;
Differentiation – Marshmallows, chocolate, and nuts;
Constellations patterns – Chocolate chips on cookies;
Blackhole accretion disk – Bagels, ice cream cones, and liquorice sticks;
Open curvature of space – Pringles;
The expansion of the universe – Chocolate-chip cookies with M&Ms;
Bending of space – Jell-O;
Radioactive dating – Popcorn.