Year 1 Teachers

 

Introduction

The Kids section of this website is aimed at Key Stage 2, but aspects of it could be used as part of Year 1 teaching. The Food Technology section could help deliver the QCA D&T unit Eat more fruit and vegetables (Unit 1C). In this unit children learn there is a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, and learn to describe their appearance, texture and taste. They learn that some fruit and vegetables need prepared before they are eaten (e.g. cooked, peeled), and should be washed if they are to be eaten raw. Children then make a fruit or vegetable product for an occasion.

Children may be exposed to the balance of good health plate where food is split into five categories and shown according to how much of the diet they should make up. This plate shows:

  • bread, cereals, potatoes, rice, pasta (33%)
  • fruit and vegetables (33%)
  • milk and dairy foods (15%)
  • meat, fish, eggs, pulses, beans, nuts (12%)
  • treats high in fat and/or sugar (8%)

The eatwell plate

The key message is that a healthy diet contains a balanced mix of food types. Children should not worry about achieving the balance shown on the plate at every meal, but should aim to eat food in these quantities over a week. The aim is to get children to eat a wide variety of foods and include lots of fruit and vegetables and few sugary or fatty foods. 		 
 

Lesson suggestions

After allowing children to touch, smell and taste different fruit and vegetables, show them how important fruit and vegetables are in making up a balanced diet by showing them the balance of good health plate (either projected, or on an interactive whiteboard) in the 'What should I eat?' page in the Food technology D&T section of this site. Help children to understand that about of a third of their food should come from fruit and vegetables. As a plenary activity, children can try the drag and drop activity in the 'Making a meal of it' page.

Children in Year 1 may also like the Apple scrabble activity in the English section and the Apple dot-to-dot, Apple puppet and Apple Halloween mask activities in the Art section.