By Thomas McCoy

If you wanted to teach young children about the value of eating fresh fruit and vegetables, would you use… balloons?

For Dr Chloe Lim, the answer is a resounding “yes”.

A medical scientist and balloon artist, Chloe combines science, creativity and hands-on learning to help children develop positive attitudes towards healthy food.

During National Science Week (August 15-23), she will present Foodie Fun Play, an interactive show designed for children aged three to eight.

Inspired by her own experiences as a parent of children who were sometimes reluctant to eat healthy foods, Chloe teamed up with Dr Ekavi Georgousopoulou, an assistant professor in nutrition and dietetics at the University of Canberra, to develop the show.

“In the show, which is informed by fussy-eating research, we use play, storytelling and balloon sculpture to help children explore fruits and vegetables, letting them touch, squish and smell foods they might be afraid of,” Chloe said.

“So children who may have been scared of seeing broccoli on their plate at the dinner table, for example, get to make friends with a lovely balloon broccoli, and that vegetable stops being their enemy.”

The one-hour session begins with children exploring concepts they are already familiar with, such as the colours of fruits and vegetables and the differences between fruits and vegetables, while Chloe introduces a range of colourful balloon creations.

The session’s star attraction is “Bob”, a hangry balloon caterpillar who is fed the various fruits and vegetables while children learn about the nutrients they contain.

“One of the things I’m passionate about is introducing scientific terms to children,” Chloe said.

“Even though they might be young, you can always learn more vocabulary.

“So I’ll talk about vitamin C, vitamin A, antioxidants and even introduce lycopene, the red pigment found in tomatoes, and folate, which is found in dark green leafy vegetables, as we all feed Bob.”

In the second half of the session, children take part in balloon art activities and can choose from a menu of fruit and vegetable creations for Chloe to make on the spot.

“They can come up to me, choose the fruit or vegetable they want, and I’ll create it while they watch,” she said.

The program also includes a tasting table featuring fresh fruits and vegetables that children can use to make colourful food art, eat during the session, or take home to enjoy later.

Beyond healthy eating, Chloe hopes the sessions will inspire children, particularly girls, to consider future careers in science.

“As a female scientist, I’d encourage people to follow this path because, in the age of AI, it’s more important than ever to develop scientific thinking skills so we can evaluate which claims are based on credible evidence and then make better decisions in our lives,” she said.

“It’s so important for children to learn about science and how the world works. If we can present it in a way that’s engaging and fun, it makes science more approachable and accessible.”

Chloe is also passionate about addressing rising rates of obesity and chronic disease through healthier eating habits established early in life.

“Because children are still developing and growing, it’s especially important that they eat high-quality, nutritious foods so their mental and physical development can thrive,” she said.

Foodie Fun Play debuted during National Science Week last year, receiving an average rating of 4.8 out of 5 from participants.

Parents praised the program’s impact, with one reporting: “I’d never seen my child touch that vegetable before, but they did it after the show!”

Ten one-hour sessions will be held across four locations during National Science Week, but bookings are essential and can be made online at: twistyfic.eventbrite.com.

In addition to Foodie Fun, National Science Week features a diverse program of free events for all ages, including dancing bees, live glassblowing and flameworking, accessible technology workshops, computing for seniors, physics demonstrations, rocket launches, gravitational waves and cosmic collisions, guided nature walks, film screenings, mathematical science activities, archaeology sessions, marine science, image processing, paint-and-play events, environmental education, chemistry in the pub, cyber security competitions, the Tower Titans Challenge, encounters with snakes and reptiles, and the Space-Faring Civilisation Film Festival.

Canberra’s major shopping centres will also join the celebrations through Science in the Centres, bringing hands-on experiments, interactive displays and science-inspired fun to shoppers at Canberra Centre, Westfield Belconnen, Westfield Woden, South.Point Tuggeranong, Majura Park Shopping Centre, Cooleman Court and Marketplace Gungahlin.

Full event information and bookings at scienceweek.net.au. Thomas McCoy is an ACT National Science Week Committee Member.

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