Parents will try just about anything to get their kids to eat their veggies.
A giant balloon broccoli, capsicum or carrot might just do the trick.
Foodie Fun Play! is the new show by Canberra molecular biologist and balloon artist Chloe Lim.
She is performing the free shows during National Science Week, August 15 to 23.
Dr Lim is known for bringing science alive with balloons in her popular presentation The Twisty Science Show.
Foodie Fun Play! is her latest work - and already proving to be just as popular, with weekend shows during Science Week already booked out.
The free show uses balloon art, storytelling and a tasting table run by dietitians from Nutrition Australia ACT to get children curious about fruit and vegetables.
Dr Lim, who is also a mum of three, developed the show with fellow mum Dr Ekavi Georgousopoulou, an assistant professor in nutrition and a dietician at the University of Canberra.
Their collaboration, like the best veggies, happened organically.
"I actually did a party for Ekavi's son and she said, 'Oh, maybe you should do something on nutrition'," Dr Lim said.
"Then when the next National Science Week grants came around, I thought, 'Oh, I'd like to do something different from The Twisty Science Show, maybe I can do something with fruits and vegetables'."
So, Foodie Fun Play! was born.
Informed by fussy-eating research, the event features a 30-minute science storytelling show, a balloon fruit-and- vegetable twisting station, and a tasting table run by dietitians from Nutrition Australia ACT.
The fun approach appears to be working.
Dr Lim said they ran the show as a pilot last year to gauge its effectiveness.
Parents rated the experience an average of 4.85 out of 5 and were encouraged to see their children try new vegetables after attending the show.
"Children are natural scientists - they want to touch, squish, smell and ask why," Dr Lim said.
"When you let a child play with a balloon broccoli and meet a real one at the same time, the vegetable stops being the enemy at the dinner table and becomes something curious and fun. That's the serious business of joy, play is how children learn."
Foodie Fun Play! received grant funding through Inspiring Australia - a Commonwealth government initiative, as part of National Science Week.
The August shows are being delivered free to families in partnership with four community organisations - Initiatives for Women in Need, YWCA Canberra, Communities at Work, and Kippax Uniting Church - reaching families across the ACT region.
Nutrition Australia ACT chief executive Leanne Elliston gave the show her tick of approval.
"For many families, getting children excited about fruit and vegetables can be a challenge," she said.
"By combining nutrition science with storytelling, play and creativity, Dr Chloe is helping children build positive connections with nourishing food that can last a lifetime."
Foodie Fun Play! is free but bookings are required at https://twistyfic.eventbrite.com
