Activity ideas – secondary (11-16 years)
To support your Healthy Eating Week, here are lots of exciting activities (with links to resources) that you could undertake.
Theme: Food origins - where does food come from?
1. Food assurance recipe challenge
Use the Food assurance PowerPoint presentation to encourage students to begin thinking about where their food comes from.
How many different food assurance schemes are they aware of in the UK? For example, LEAF, Lion eggs, Quality Meat Scotland, Farm Assured Welsh Livestock, Scottish Quality Cereals, Freedom food, Organic certification, Farm quality assurance, Fair trade, Red tractor.
Next, set students the challenge of creating a recipe using an assured food and a small five point factsheet outlining the merits of the food assurance scheme associated with the recipe.
2. Responsible farming
Ask students what their main considerations are when they are purchasing foods.
Show students aged 14-16 years the eSeminar recording about responsible farming.
3. Where does your food come from?
Use the new Healthy eating week poster Where’s your food from to stimulate a group discussion about what and where food is produced in the UK.
Divide the class into five different groups and ask them to spend 20 minutes on the internet searching for UK food products associated with their particular food group from The eatwell plate.
Ask the students to re-group and feedback their findings, explaining the type of food and where in the UK it was being produced.
4. Meet a food producer
Invite a farmer, local butcher or chef to come and present at your school or plan to visit them in their workplace. Ask the presenter to explain:
·their work history and any training they have undertaken;
·their typical working day;
·why they enjoy their job;
·any considerations young people might need think about before undertaking this career path.
5. Grow or rear it?
From growing a small pot of herbs, to rearing pigs, what opportunities do you have at your school to produce food? Challenge the students to create a recipe using the recipe template which incorporates a school-grown/reared ingredient.
6. Create a seasonal food calendar
Divide the class into the four different seasons and set them the task of researching their season and creating a collage of ingredients and recipes which could be created with their season’s foods.
7. New product development
Use the product development resources to explore product development with the class. Challenge the students to design a burger for young people to celebrate Healthy Eating Week.
8.Food and farming
Students aged 16-18 years can be allocated one of three interactive PowerPoint presentations which are embedded with further reading, websites, videos and multiple choice questions.
9. Get out and explore!
Do you know a local farmer or food producer who would like to share their knowledge with students? Ask the students to develop a set of questions to ask the farmer or food producer before you visit. Send these questions to the host ahead of the visit.
10. Grow your own potatoes
Join the live Health Eating Week eSeminar and learn more about potato farming in the UK. A recording of the event will be made available if you are unable to attend the event live.
Theme: Healthy active lifestyles - The eatwell plate, 5 A DAY, 8 tips for healthy eating
1. Healthy eating
Introduce the topic of Healthy eating by showing the Healthy eating video podcast (10 mins). The Healthy eating video podcast guide will provide you with different activities you can set in the classroom including interactive whiteboard activities.
2. Food route
Challenge students to complete the Food route board game using the question cards for 11-12 year olds. The board game focuses on diet and health, shopping, cooking and food safety.
In addition, use the Food route resources to support learning around Diet and health.
3. Nutrients - foundation
The NutrientsPowerPoint presentation can be a useful introduction for students to the variety of nutrients, considering the source and function in the body.
Nutrients – extension
Share the eSeminar recording presented by David A Bender, Emeritus Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry, University College London on the topic of Vitamins: How much is enough and can we have too much? with students aged 14-16 years.
4. Get active!
The Energy PowerPoint presentation can be used help student to understand the importance of energy balance. Why not get active? Plan walk to a local food retailer. Plan how much energy the class might and then ask them to identify a food or a meal in the supermarket which would equate to the amount of energy they have used.
5. The eatwell plate and 8 tips for healthy eating poster
Display new Healthy eating week poster The eatwell plate and 8 tips for healthy eating poster in the classroom. Ask students to think about how many of the 8 tips for Healthy eating they have achieved consistently over the past week.
Organise the class into groups, assign each group a tip and challenge them to organise a small promotional factsheet or poster which will be placed around the school to encourage their peers to meet this tip.
The fact sheet or poster should include:
·reasons why it is important to achieve this tip;
·5 ways students could achieve the tip;
·sources of further information for support.
6. 5 A DAY
View last year’s Healthy eating week podcast about eating 5ADAY. Set the students the challenge of eating at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables each day for a week. Ask them to complete a diary which records the amount and type of fruit and vegetables consumed as well as their thoughts and feelings about reaching 5 A DAY. Students can create a class record of the types of fruit and vegetables consumed and calculate the percentage of students in the class who were able to achieve the target.
7. Game on!
The Multi-purpose teaching tool(poster) can be used in three different ways (question and answer, bingo and board game) to help students understand more about energy and nutrients.
9. Healthy active lifestyles eSeminar
Join the live Healthy active lifestyles eSeminarand learn why healthy eating, hydration and activity levels are important for good health. A recording of the event will be made available if you are unable to attend the event live.
9. Healthy active lifestyle booklets
Copy the booklets for students to use throughout the week. These look at issues linking to being active, drinking plenty and overcoming barriers to being active.
Theme: Food and drink choice.
1. Diet analysis
Provide students with the Diet diary for them to record their food and drink intake for one day. Next, provide students with the Mydiet diary instruction sheet which supports students to analyse their diets using the Explore foodtool. Students can review the information and make suggestions for improvement or changes in their diets.
2. Mywellbeing
Introduce the importance of being aware of the food and drinks consumed and activity undertaken before implementing healthy lifestyle changes. Ask students to complete a one or three day food and activity diary before entering the data on mywellbeing. At the end of the activity students will have the opportunity to create their goals. Students could be invited to reflect on these goals a few weeks later or at the end of term.
3. Healthy hydration
Set students the task of creating a smoothie. Show the Healthy hydration podcast from last year’s Healthy eating week. The podcast helps students to understand more about the importance of being well hydrated. A worksheet is also available to help students create a summary of the key concepts.
A simple smoothie recipe can be found here:
4. Alcohol
Alcohol, although not essential for life, does provide energy. The PowerPoint presentation Alcohol can be used to explain this to students. Set student the task of designing and making a selection of ‘mocktails’ (non-alcoholic cocktails) which could be served at a celebration event. The Drinkaware website with health information and statistics may help you prepare for this session.
5. Product analysis
Set students the task of analysing a specific food product. Aspects of the product analysis should include: undertaking sensory evaluation tests, e.g. appearance, odour, taste and texture; performing nutritional analysis; investigating ingredients used, e.g. type, source, weight and percentage; researching preparation or manufacturing techniques; considering shelf-life issues; reviewing its target group; looking at packaging, e.g. type, function and material.
6. Healthy eating around the clock poster
Show students the Healthy eating around the clock poster. Ask themto think about different meal occasions and what can influence their food choice at these times. Challenge the students to list these factors.
Use the Factors affecting food choice PowerPoint presentation to help summarise student discussions.
Use the poster to begin a discussion about what types of food can be served at breakfast. Plan a classroom breakfast to help celebrate Healthy Eating Week. Ask students to use The eatwell plate and the 8 tips for healthy eating as tools to help plan the menu. In addition, students can make a list of the cooking skills could be used in order to showcase what they have learnt in the classroom.
8. Food and drink choice eSeminar
Join the live eSeminar to hear from a British Nutrition Foundation Nutritionist about how to make healthy choices. A recording of the event will be made available if you are unable to attend the event live.
Take a look at these other food choice resources:
- Food price and choice:
- Religion and food choice:
- Factors affecting food choice (female):
- Factors affecting food choice (male):
Theme: Meal occasions - breakfast, lunch and dinner!
1. Base your meals on starchy foods
Introduce the Healthy Eating tip Base your meals on starchy foods before playing the video podcast Concentrating on carbohydrate. The podcast investigates the functions and sources of carbohydrate as well as providing practical ideas on including starchy carbohydrates in the diet. Ask students to think about the last meal they ate and how this met the tip or could be modified to meet the tip next time.
2. Breakfast
Why eat breakfast? Students can watch last year’s Healthy Eating Week Breakfast eSeminar and complete the associated worksheet to create a summary of reasons why breakfast is an important meal. Students could plan and cook a breakfast.
3. Let’s do lunch
Invite the Head of the school canteen to visit your class with a view to them explaining how they plan the food provision for the school. Use the Love Your Lunch poster and resources to support your work.
4. Guess who is coming for dinner
Asked students to plan an evening meal for a guest who follows a diet associated with a particular religion. Use the Religion and Food choice PowerPoint presentation to provide an overview of the different food choices.
Assign students the following religions:
·Islam;
·Hinduism;
·Judaism;
·Sikhism;
·Buddhism (strict);
·Seventh-day Adventist Church;
·Rastafari Movement.
Set students the challenge of planning an evening meal which would cater for the person from the designated religion. Students may like to research traditional dishes associated with the religion. If time permits, ask students to prepare a dish from their menu and set up a class luncheon to share the different dishes.
5. Digestion
What happens to food after it has been ingested? The journey can be followed with these Digestion videos.
You may wish to display and use The digestion system poster to help with related discussions.
6. Balancing meals
Using the photographs in the cards (links to the resources below), encourage pupils to describe changes that could be made to the meals to bring them in line with healthy eating guidelines, based on The eatwell plate. Discuss a few examples with the whole class. Ask for feedback from the class, allowing pupils to talk about the changes they have made to the meals in the photographs and the benefits the changes may have.
7. Make me a meal!
Assign the four corners of the room the headings Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Snacks. Ask students to collect a Food card(link to the cards below) and randomly group students into the four corners of the room. Challenge students to use the food cards in their group to plan a meal for their food occasion. Ask the different groups of students to feedback their meal ideas. Finish the activity by reinforcing the importance of consuming a wide variety of foods in their diets.
8. Fish eSeminar
Join the live broadcast of the fish eSeminar during Healthy Eating Week. The focus will be on how fish can be included in different meals.
9. What have you eaten?
Ask students to record everything they eat and drink for a day. Use Explore foodtool to analyse their diet. Look at where energy and the main nutrients are provided at different meal occasions.
Theme: Food preparation and cooking - let's all get cooking!
1. Nutritional analysis of a recipe
Select a recipe which you will be cooking during Healthy Eating Week and challenge students to analyse a recipe using the Nutritional Analysis tool Explore food. Ask the students if they were surprised by any of the results. Ask them to suggest modifications to the recipe. Students can enter these changes in and comment on the nutritional changes.
2. Sensory evaluation
Set the students the challenge of conducting sensory evaluation of an item from the school food menu.
3. Heating it up
To help emphasise the importance of safety a series of short videos about using the cooker can be used. Students could cook an Indian Express, Mama Mia! or Back to Basics with their peers assessing their safe use of the cooker.
4. What role is the food playing?
Ask students to complete the interactive activity Overview of the functional properties of food.
5. How to…
Explain how to perform a variety of specific tasks and tests. Students could link the equipment cards with the different how to fact sheets as they begin to understand each process.
6. Food photography
A lot of work can go into cooking a recipe, but how can you make it look as good as it tastes in a photograph. Students can view the eSeminars recording and then have a go at planning the style and photography of a recipe they will be making next lesson.
7. Food waste
This eSeminar recording explains the five strategies which can be used to help reduce and prevent food waste. Ask students to discuss how these could be used in the food classroom or in their homes.
8. Special diets
Some people are unable to consume certain foods due to allergies. Show students the eSeminar recording. Challenge them to plan a healthy lunch for a student with Coeliac disease.
9. Get ready to cook poster
Ask students what tips they would expect to find on a poster outlining the important steps in getting ready to cook. Reveal the new Healthy Eating Week poster Get ready to cook poster. Did they miss any? Ask students to discuss why each step is important when getting ready to cook.
10. Cook-a-long
Get involved in the cook-a-longs during Healthy Eating Week! The recipes will be provided in advance of the live broadcast. If the timing does not suit, use the recording of the event at a later date.
11. Focusing on foods!
Try making some recipes based around these foods.
Potatoes:
Meat:
Fish:
© British Nutrition Foundation 2014