Running Healthy Eating Activities in school
Learning about a Healthy Eating
The Eatwell Plate
The eatwell plate is our national model of a healthy diet and is used by health professionals
throughout the NHS. Most of us need to eat more foods from the bread, cereals and potatoes group and also from the fruit and vegetables group. However the model is realistic. It shows that fatty and sugary foods can be part of a balanced diet.
Guidance from the food standards authority on eating a healthy diet including tips on healthy snacks and ideas for a healthy packed lunch
Postcards and other eatwell resources including A3 colored posters can be obtained from . At VTFourS we have some large Eatwell plate floor mats that you can borrow just email to arrange to collect.
5 a day
Children need to eat more fruit and vegetables. A recent survey showed that on average British children are eating less than two portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
The Food Awareness Week pack contains lots of fun ideas on how to get children interested in trying lots of different fruit and vegetables and eating their 5 a day. For more information and free 5 a day resources visit
British Heart Foundation
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has some excellent free resources for schools to use in teaching children about healthy lifestyles.
They have online resources and a great selection of games, posters, books and DVD’s linked to healthy lifestyles. All resources are free and can be ordered directly online at or by phone on 0870 6006566.
School milk Project
Dairy Co’s School Milk Project is a non commercial, non profit making organization providing free educational resources, class talks and promoting the availability of milk and the health benefits with regard to children’s teeth and bones. Visit for more information.
VTFourS can support schools in setting up milk scheme run by
Water
The Water is Cool in School campaign aims to improve the quality of provision and access to fresh drinking water in UK schools. The site has links to suppliers can resources for schools to use in educating children on the importance of drinking water.
Most local water boards can provide educational talks and visits on the importance of water in schools:-
Sutton and East Surrey Water on 07824 635581 for more information. .
South East Watercontact Janet Kemp on .
Veolia Water (formally 3 Valleys Water)ccontact Ted Casey through .
Thames Water speakers can be booked through .
Food Preparation
Children love to get hands on with food whether preparing or tasting practical food sessions will add a lot of fun to learning about food.
There are many other free resources/ websites offering advice n practical food sessions. The ones we have found most useful are listed below:-
Let’s get Cooking
Supported by the School Food Trust, lets get cooking is a national network of cooking clubs across England, helping children, their families and the wider community to learn and develop new cooking skills. It launched in Surrey last year with 36 new cooking clubs starting up in schools across the county. If you were one of these schools running a Food Awareness Week will give you a great opportunity to showcase your club. If you don’t have a club but are interested in starting one up or getting access to some extra funding, recipe ideas and resources visit for more information on becoming an associate club.
Food a Fact of Life
This site provides a progressive approach to teaching about healthy eating, cooking, food and farming by key stage from 3- 16 years. It provides a wealth of free resources including recipes, cooking videos and interactive games.
Focus on Food
The focus on food campaign is the leading practical food education program in the UK. The campaign focuses on the making and cooking of food as the key experience in learning about food. It also a wealth of practical resources and cooking buses that can be booked for visits.
Breakfast Club
Informative site on how to set up a breakfast club
More information on how to set up a breakfast club on the Kellogg’s site
Farmhouse Breakfast Week, free resources, recipes, stickers and posters
Packed lunches
Packed lunches: Ideas for making a Healthy Lunchbox - a guide for parents
The flour and grain authority have an education program with a great website and teacher resources for use in the classroom which have been developed to cover all key stages
.
CommercialResources
Quantum Theatre for Science: Captain Cholesterol show, Tel: 0171 733 8150
Comic Company Posters, stickers, etc.
Phunky foods primary school program to teach healthy eating and physical activity through art, music and hands on food experience
Growing Activities
Free Seeds!
We have enclosed free carrot and lettuce seeds for you to get planting.
A step by step guide to running a growing project in school can be found at
The Food for Life Partnership
The Food for Life Partnership is a network of schools and communities across England committed to transforming food culture.
Led by the Soil Association, all schools in England can join the Food for Life Partnership, who can help schools and their communities transform their food culture. Using practical food education, young people in your school will learn all about foodand its origins and caterers will be given help to serve up fresh, local, organic and seasonal school meals. For more information contact the SE representative Caroline Chambers, .
Morrison’s – Lets Grow!
- Morrison’slaunched ‘lets grow’ in September to give schools access to some great teaching resources for each key stage including a series of ‘how to’ guides and vouchers for gardening equipment. Schools can still register for the scheme at
Garden Organic
Herb Growing activity pack
Garden Organic has worked with Let's Get Cooking to produce an activity pack based around growing and cooking with herbs, which is full of recipes and growing advice. This resource is only available to schools that have a Let's Get Cooking club, but if your school already has a cookingclub you can apply to join Let's Get Cooking as an associate member.
Fruitfull Schools
Garden Organic is also working with the national charity Learning through Landscapes (LTL) who have developed an exciting new national project enabling thousands of children to establish heritage fruit orchards within their school grounds and in partnership with their local communities. The project, Fruit-full Schools, was recently awarded a National Lottery Local Food grant and started in January 2010.For more information contact
Free Online Resources
- Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming (Consumer information group)
- Think Food and Farming, the legacy of the Year of Food and Farming, can help arrange school farm visits etc.
- Learning Through Landscapes
- Organic gardening information and resources
- Growing your own grub, teacher resource web site
Food Safety
A Food Safety week is run each year by the food standards agency who have a range of ‘GermWatch’ materialsincluding leaflets and posters, balloons and stickers and activity sheets for available to schools on the topic of food safety.
Orders can be placed by registering your details at:.
Food Safety Training
Training for staff running cooking, breakfast or other food related activities to achieve a basic food hygiene qualification can be provided by Chris Philpott at school on an inset day. Contact Chris at .
Promoting your healthy eating event
MADGe
Developed by the School Food Trust MADGe is the one-stop toolkit for schools to use in promoting school food. It is a personal online marketing and design generator developed to help you tailor make marketing campaigns specific to your school. You can create anything from a simple poster to a newsletter advert. It is free to use but schools must be signed up to million meals to use it. See for more details
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