It seems crazy how quickly those weeks have passed but that shows the strength of the campaign and resources provided.
innocent’s mission was to get kids to eat healthily. They partnered with the not-for-profit organisation GIY whose mission is to encourage people to grow their own food.
The reason I love this campaign is the educational message the companies present. Both innocent and GIY know children who grow their own food are more likely to eat fruit and veg, show higher levels of knowledge around nutrition and are more likely to continue healthy eating habits throughout their lives. With this in mind they aimed their message at primary school aged children; perfect for William and James.
To start the process GIY produced growing kits to send to 6,666 schools across the country, 1/4 of UK’s primary school children (all kits have now been requested!).
Each kit contains enough materials for a class of 32 and a resource booklet.
In addition to the growing kits, innocent and GIY worked closely with teachers and educational specialists to develop detailed lesson plans. Each one highlights the national curriculum subjects and with a cross age range for adapted abilities.
As an experienced teacher I know it takes time to plan and cover one class with the range of abilities and as a key stage leader it is harder to create content that covers it all but they managed it brilliantly.
Each week built upon prior learning and allowed us to explore in a fun, creative and interesting way!
In the first few weeks we planted seeds, measured their growth, explored the conditions required to grow effectively and explored different ways to identify a variety of fruit and veg. In the following weeks we created images with the fruit, got dirty planting and explored how we can create a healthier lifestyle as well as visiting Fruit Towers. In that time we managed to apply what we had learnt to gain greater food empathy.
What did the last weeks of the campaign entail?
Week 9
We spent a long time investigating growth, environments and taste, but there seemed something missing, the history behind the food; this week addressed this. We looked at the history of fruit and veg in the UK and Ireland and how and why people from all ages grew different things.
The boys created a colourful timeline of some key points. For example, potatoes were introduced in 1586 by Sir Francis Drake and in the 1840 a potato crisis hit Europe and destroyed most of the crop.
Creating a timeline was fun and like every lesson, it incorporated different subjects within the curriculum. In this instance we used our ICT time to research different fruits and vegetables and place them appropriately.
Week 7 and 8 focused on planting and gardening, and week 9 expanded on this by researching historically famous gardeners and looking at more modern famous gardeners.
Week 10
This week focused on recapping and putting our understanding into practice.
As mentioned the aim of the campaign was to enable children to develop food empathy. This was the moment to evaluate what we had learnt and how we could use this.
William is a budding cook; so much that he has his own series, My Little Chef. We decided to create some recipes using as much veg as possible but first we had to shop.
With a selection of varied vegetables William got to work making a list of vegetarian recipes.
The next step was to cook.
This week we have only eaten vegetarian meals. Starting the week with Leek and Potato soup then Vegetable Stir Fry and finally Carrot and Coriander Soup.
William and James also suggested we make vegetable Lasagne, red pepper or spinach pasta which would link this campaign with our pasta topic (insert link). We also discussed making a parsnip mash and maybe a smoothie with leftover fruit!
Overall Summary
This campaign has honestly been amazing! It fitted perfectly with us as a family educationally and morally.
The Teacher
I have 12 years teaching experience in the primary sector and this topic is ideal for any primary school to take part.
The lessons provided the opportunity for themed weeks with cross-curricular activities and lessons. Week on week it allows children to build upon their understanding, through doing, exploring and seeing real results first hand. I would advise any teacher undertaking this campaign to sit, read through the resources pack and plan as I keep looking at each lesson and coming up with more options and activities for us to explore. This comes down to skills of the teams that created the pack.
It creates a sturdy grounding to fully educate at a high standard.
The Parent
We were quite good as a family before this campaign at growing our own vegetables. We always had a fruit bowl available and we needed to fill it up every week. Although the boys had their individual likes and dislikes they were always willing to try everything that I put in front of them. Even with this positive start I have seen a massive difference in their attitude to food.
They are more interested in learning where food comes from, if it's possible to grow it ourselves and are willing to try more unique vegetables in their meals. They were even caught chatting to an employee at our local shops about the topic and how they’re trying to eat more healthily now.
The fact that the boys took an interest and it has impacted in our lives and our meal plans is a massive achievement. Add to that learning small things about being greener, self-sufficient in growing food to eat and developing some of the moral green attitude that innocent had and showed us on the tour made this campaign very worthwhile for us.
I KNOW this won’t be a phase. We will push forward and have a better relationship with healthier foods because of what we've done over the last 10 weeks.
So how well have you got on?
What have you thought of our journey?
Is your school signed up? If so then upload your photos at https://innocentsowandgrow.com/ to be in with the chance to win monthly prizes from innocent and see your classroom crowned as Sow & Grow champions! Following the repackage of innocent kids drinks, consumers can also win seed packs by following the instructions on pack. Available nationwide now in most major supermarkets.
Good luck!
(This is a collaboration with Innocent and GIY. My opinions are my own and I am under no obligations to give a positive review! Please see my full disclosure at the bottom of my blog)
2 comments:
I loved it when we've grown our own fruit and veg at home, annoyingly Harry started to just pull them all up when he fancied so we've not bothered this year.
I've been enjoying seeing the boys food creations
It all looks like so much fun & tasty too!
Post a Comment