Meat (7-11 Years)

Meat types and cuts

Show the children the Meat types and cuts presentation. Discuss how people purchase meat in the forms of cuts, joints or mince. Meat is also bought ready prepared, e.g. sausages, ham and burgers.

Question the children:

• Where is meat bought from?
• Ask them to name a range of meat types or cuts.

Explain to the children that meat comes from different parts of an animal. An easy way to describe this is to use the following examples:

• Leg of lamb;
• Chicken drumstick or leg;
• Pork belly.

Activity ideas

• Using the Meat types and cuts presentation, ask children to complete the Meat types worksheet. The sheet asks them to link origin of different types of meat to the animal. In addition, children are challenge to suggest the uses in cooking for different cuts of meat.

Animals are reared for food

This activity focuses on animals being reared for food. Popular animals that are reared for food in the UK include beef cattle, pigs, sheep and chicken.

Show children the Rearing animals presentation. Take them through the ways in which animals are reared, as well as the different jobs that are undertaken by the farmer.

Explain to the children that knowing where the meat has been reared is important – this is called tractability. There are a number of schemes that operate which help to show where the meat is from, as well as the standards in which the animals are kept and raised.

Note: Most children at this age will be able to state that the animals are humanely killed for food. While a sensitive issue for some, it is important that children appreciate where food originates and how it is produced. Some children maybe vegetarian or vegan as they and their family do not believe in raising or consuming animals for food.