My go-to food safety educational game for open houses and health fairs is my refrigerator game. When you only have a minute or two with people, I’ve learned you have to make food safety eye-catching, interactive, and understandable for young kids to older adults.
I made my own mini-refrigerator out of junk Styrofoam and rubber. I have my audience role a dice, and if the number is positive or negative I’ll ask them to tell me one way food was stored correctly or incorrectly in the refrigerator.
Most people walk away learning that you shouldn’t keep your eggs in the refrigerator door despite how most refrigerator are designed, and that an appliance thermometer is important to have. My audience also learns that the refrigerator should be 40°F or lower, and that meat should be wrapped and placed on a lower shelf.
About the author:
Shauna Henley works for the University of Maryland Extension as a Family & Consumer Sciences educator. She focuses on teaching food safety, nutrition, and physical activity to the great Baltimore community.