Food Detectives KS2 toolkit

Includes a lesson plan, extension activities and a homework task.

"These materials have been an excellent resource to further develop our Food Education curriculum."
Jason O’Rourke, Headteacher, Washingborough Academy, Lincoln

Get parents involved!

Tell parents you are teaching their children about 5 a Day and sugar. You could send out a newsletter, post on social media or blog on your website.

Curriculum

Supports the science, design and technology, mathematics, computing and English curricula

Science

• Gathering, recording, classifying and presenting data (including results) in a variety of ways to help in answering questions
• Identify that animals, including humans, need the right types and amount of nutrition, and that they cannot make their own food; they get nutrition from what they eat
• Recognise the impact of diet, exercise and lifestyle on the way their bodies function

Design and Technology

• Investigate and analyse a range of existing products
• Understand and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet

Mathematics

• Read, write, compare and order numbers, solving problems
• Solve problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
• Complete, present, read and interpret data/information in bar charts, pictograms and tables
• Solve one-step and two-step questions and comparison, sum and difference problems using information
• Presented in scaled bar charts and tables, and other graphs
• Calculate and interpret the mean as an average

Computing

• Use logical reasoning to explain how some simple algorithms work and to detect and correct errors in algorithms and programs
• Use a variety of software (including internet services) on a range of digital devices

English – spoken

• Articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions
• Give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes

In the classroom

Developed by educational experts the Food Detectives toolkit offers a wide range of fun and engaging activities that can be used within the classroom and at home. These resources have been designed to be flexible – you can choose how to fit them into your timetable.

The toolkit includes:

• lesson plan - made up of starter activities, a main activity and plenary
• accompanying PowerPoint presentation
• Spying on Sugar classroom activity
• Sugar Towers classroom activity. You might also like to play the Sugar Boy video at the start of this activity.
• Fruit and Veg Put to the Test classroom activity
• Fruit and Veg Favourites classroom activity
• Smooth Algorithm classroom activity
• Drink Rethink classroom activity. (Download the Sugar Smart app to use with this activity from App Store* and Google Play).
• Sugar Smart Promise homework activity

Learning objectives

By the end of these activities, pupils will be able to:

• explain why too much added sugar in foods is bad for you
• recall the new recommended daily maximum sugar intake for their age range
• identify how much sugar is contained in food and drink products by looking at labels
• calculate sugar amounts based on quantities and serving sizes
• compare the sugar content in a variety of food and drink products
• explain 5 a Day and why fruit and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet
• investigate the properties of fruit and vegetables, describing their appearance, smell, taste and texture
• select healthy alternatives to sugary foods, including fruit and vegetables