Wave 1 - various themes 1

Here's a range of activities, each divided into less/more time and complexity: Everyday learning, Keep active, Finding out and exploring, Worksheet activities, Interactive games and quizzes, Cooking, Being creative, Activities to do over a few days and Something to do together.

Less time / Less complex

1. Maths and activity: Count how many steps it would take to walk around your kitchen, bedroom or living room. Calculate how many times you would have to walk around a room to reach 10,000 steps. Ask a family member to do the same thing. Are the number of steps different?  If so, why might this be?

2. Food and geography: Pick a recipe you have made recently or find one in a recipe book/online. Choose one of the ingredients used and state whether it is from a plant or an animal. Name the plant or animal. For example, cheese on toast: cheese is made from milk which is from a dairy cow. Explain how the ingredient has been produced and processed for use in the recipe.

3. Health and wellbeing: We all need to have 6-8 drinks a day – do you? Keep a drink diary to see how you get on over a day or week. Maybe keep one as a family? Here’s two diaries (example 1 and example 2) – but why not make your own? Want more info, take a look here.

More time / More complex

4. Science: Have a look in your fridge. Is the food covered and stored in the correct place?  Is everything in date?  Why not take it all out, give the fridge a clean and then put it back in the right place? To find out more information about the safe storage of food, click here.

5. Literacy and food hygiene: Use the Food labelling information sheet to see what information is required on a food label in the UK. Find three labels on food you have in the house. Make a note of each piece of information that is on the label and identify if it is required by law or information for the consumer.

6. Around your kitchen: Have a look in your kitchen and find six different pieces of equipment that can be used to either prepare or cook food with. (Here's some images, just in case!) Suggest a food or dish that could be made using each piece of equipment.  Why not find a recipe and make one of the dishes you suggested, if you have ingredients available?

Less time / Less complex

1. Family fun: Plan and build an indoor obstacle course that includes 4-6 activity stations. Activities could include walking with a cushion or pillow balanced on your head, throwing balled up socks into bowls placed at different distances, and hopping across the room. Time your family as they complete the course. Keep a chart of times. Who is the fastest?

2. Play: Create a scavenger hunt!  Hide items around your house and challenge your family to find them. The items could be themed, e.g. plastic bricks that when all found, you could build a model with.

3. Play: If you have any balloons, why not blow one up and challenge yourself to keep it in the air for as long as possible or knock it back and forwards between you and someone else (you live with) across the floor or a table? Why not set up a competition?

More time / More complex

4. Dance! Turn on your music and dance on your own or with your family. Come up with a new dance routine and perform it.

5. Challenge yourself! If you have some cotton balls, put a pile on the floor in one room and then see how quickly you can move the balls one by one to another room using a spoon or chopsticks.

6. Create and play: Make a physical activity dice! Make a dice and write different type of activity on all six sides. Then roll the dice and do the activity! Here’s an example.

Less time / Less complex

1. Science: Did you know that a single stalk of celery is known as a ‘rib’ and a single banana is called a ‘finger’?  Find out the interesting names for a single piece or a group of other fruit or vegetables.

2. Literacy: Fruit and vegetable alphabet: find a fruit and/or vegetable for each letter of the alphabet. Choose two from your list and find out where and how they are traditionally grown. (Here’s an example using a range of foods.)

3. Geography and literacy: Watch these videos about where food comes from. Write or draw a story which show other children how one or more of these foods is produced.

More time / More complex

4. Food and geography:  Look in your kitchen cupboards.  List the ingredients that could be used to add flavour to food, such as herbs, spices, stock cubes, mustard or tomato purée. Choose one and research where it is grown and how it is made or produced.  Name as many recipes as you can where it could be used.

5. Science: Toast a piece of bread.  How has the flavour, colour and texture of the bread changed? Find out why and how these changes have taken place. Click here for information about using dry heat to cook food.

6. Health and wellbeing: Government advice is to base our meals on starchy carbohydrates. Name five examples of starchy carbohydrate food. Explain why we need starchy carbohydrates in our diet. Create a menu for a day to show how starchy carbohydrates can be included at each meal time. Watch this video to find out more about starchy carbohydrates.

Less time / Less complex

1. Numeracy and literacy: Using the What can you see? Poster, answer the following:

• How many types of fruit can you find? Name each type.
• How many vegetables can you find? Name each type.
• How many dairy foods can you find? Name each type.
• How many starchy foods, such as potatoes, bread, rice and pasta, can you find? Name each type.
• Choose some of the items from the poster to create a healthy lunchbox.

2. Geography and literacy: How much do you know about what happens on a farm? Read through the Down on the farm presentation and write down some key points about what happens on a farm. Then complete the Down on the farm worksheet. What have you learnt? Write down five things you have learnt from the presentation and worksheet.

3. Numeracy and art: Have fun with some dot-to-dots! Choose more or more of the food based dot-to-dot activities here.

More time / More complex

4. Health and wellbeing: Think about what you like to eat, and what you think people should try and eat to be healthy. Watch the Eatwell Guide videos. Create a menu showing food and drink for a day that reflects the Eatwell Guide, but including foods that you enjoy. Draw some pictures to bring your menu to life! Use the Menu planner worksheet and the Eatwell food list worksheet to help. Why not show your plan to someone you live with?

5. Ingredients: Do you know that beans and pulses count towards your 5 A DAY? They are also versatile, tasty and easy to cook with. Investigate beans and pulses and complete this worksheet.

6. Cooking and literacy: Choose one  recipe from the recipe videos. List the steps involved in the recipe and write down any ‘top tips’ that you might have for people who might make the recipe. Complete this for two other recipes.

Less time / Less complex

1. Health and wellbeing: Play the Eatwell challenge interactive game. Record your score. Did you get all 20 correct? If not, make a note of what you didn’t get correct and try again. Did you improve?

2. Literacy: Look at the Dairy farming presentation/video. Make a list of three pieces of information you have learnt from the videos. Imagine that you were a dairy farmer. Write a small story of your day working on a dairy farm. You can include some pictures to bring it to life! (Here's some information - a frieze, poster and booklet.)

3. Literacy: Who in your house wants to play a game of food bingo? Just print the bingo boards, or have your board up on a screen and play along at home. First one to get bingo wins! You can play fruit and veg bingo and green vegetable bingo.

More time / More complex

4. ICT and numeracy: Make a list of all the food and drink you eat today or that you had yesterday. Use Explore food to calculate the energy and nutrients provided. Ask someone else in your house what they had too.

5. PE: It is good to be active, even if you can’t get outside and play your usual games or sports. Find out about the importance of physical activity and test your knowledge using the multiple choice quiz.

6. Health and wellbeing: Why not test your family’s knowledge about healthy eating with a Kahoot! quiz. The answers can be found here. Have a look at the Kahoot! user guide before you start.

Less time / Less complex

1. Lunchtime challenge: Have a look in your fridge and food cupboards and create an interesting sandwich that  includes at least one portion of fruit or vegetables . Stuck for ideas – use our sandwich generator! Make and enjoy your sandwich. Use five descriptive words to explain how it tastes, looks, smells and feels.

2. Keep it toastie! Make some tasty toast and enjoy with your family for breakfast or a teatime treat.

3. Sounds fishy! Bake some terrific tuna tarts! If you haven’t got all the ingredients be creative and use what you have! (Here's a poster too!)

More time / More complex

4. Scone-tastic! Watch this video and make some scrummy scones. Add dried or fresh chopped fruit, grated carrot, apple, pear, courgette, or grated cheese.  Invite a family member to have tea with you and enjoy your freshly made scones together.

5. Food skills: Practice dicing an onion using the bridge and claw. Ask someone to take photos of each stage or create a video. Create a resource to show others how to use knives safely and correctly. Use the diced onions to make dishes such as, spaghetti bolognaise, soup, or spicy bean burgers. Other recipes idea can be found here.

6. Pizza pronto! Make your very own pizza, using this quick recipe! Make the base, and use whatever toppings you might have!

Less time / Less complex

1. Literacy: What is your favourite food? Write a sentence to explain why you like it so much. Describe how it tastes, feels and looks. Write an email to someone to persuade them to like your favourite food. Why not use this booklet and make it your own?

2. Art and safety: Create a health and safety poster for your kitchen at home. Include information on personal hygiene, food hygiene, and safety.  Make it bright and colourful so that it attracts the attention of your family or carers! Here’s an example!

3. Literacy: Have fun writing jokes about food.  For example, “Knock, knock.” “Who’s there?” “Lettuce” “Lettuce who?” “Lettuce in and we’ll tell you!”

More time / More complex

4. Science and literacy: Describe the life, growth and death of a food poisoning bacteria. You could write a story or poem, draw a cartoon, or story board, or illustrate a thermometer or time line.

5. Art: Look at the faces the artist Arcimboldo creates with fruit and vegetables. Create a drawing, painting or collage of a face made with fruit and vegetables.

6. Food and nutrition: Use Gourmet Burger Builder to create your own burgers. Be creative and try different ingredients, toppings and bread! If you have the ingredients, use the recipe produced to make your burgers and enjoy them with your family.

Food route – a journey through food!

A pack of resources and activities to help children and young people learn about diet and health, shopping/consumer awareness, cooking, food safety and active lifestyles. There is a guide for each age range.

• Resources for 5-7 years: Five charts, one for each learning area, a target chart (similar to one that is often used in schools for literacy and numeracy) and a certificate. There are also 11 worksheets.
• Resources for 7-11 years: Five charts, one for each learning area, a target chart (similar to one that is often used in schools for literacy and numeracy) and a certificate. There are also 12 worksheets.
• Resources for 11-14 years: Five journals to complete, one for each learning area and a certificate.
• Resources for 14-16 years: Five journals to complete, one for each learning area and a certificate.

Learn with stories 5-11 years

Join Alisha, Jordan, Nicola and Ronnie as they explore healthy eating, cooking and where food comes from through seven stories.

The stories have been designed to support cross-curricular/ inter-disciplinary learning (with a focus on literacy and numeracy). Each story is supported by a guide, a presentation, and child friendly worksheets. The reading level/ability and associated tasks becomes more complex as you progress through the stories.

The stories are:

• The colourful present - with a focus on 5 A DAY
• The bucket garden - growing fruit and vegetables
• The farm visit - looking at life on a dairy farm
• The amazing lunchbox - with a focus on healthy eating
• The bread stories - looks at bread from around the world
• The seaside adventure - looks at fishing and fish dishes
• The exciting guests - explores aspects of Chinese culture

Making sure you sleep well is a vital part of healthy living. Show your family the sleep information and sleep presentation. Write a list of five reasons why sleep is important and five things you can do to make sure you all sleep well. You could watch the sleep well video for tips (skip to 20 minutes for some tips!). Complete the sleep diary and write down how you have been sleeping. Make a note of any tips that could help you sleep better in the future.