National Guidelines Scotland 5-14, P4-7

The curriculum area Environmental Studies brings together the main ways in which pupils learn about the world. In the course of their exploration of environmental studies, pupils will encounter aspects of a range of subjects, including science (particularly living things and the processes of life) and technology (through aspects of home economics).

Science provides a context for stimulating and encouraging pupils' curiosity to explore and understand the world around them.

Pupils are taught aspects of plant and animal, including human, characteristics, development and life cycles. These materials support the teaching of Science by:

• Promoting health understanding through the context of a healthy balanced diet, using the Balance of Good Health as a model.
• Providing practical examples of recipes and activities to support food choice in relation to health.
• Understanding the type, role and function of energy and a range of nutrients provided by food in the diet.
• Giving a context to the investigation into plants for the study of their structure and life cycles.

Technology provides the opportunity for pupils to creatively interact with their environment, using knowledge and understanding, together with practical skills, to solve a problem or need.

These materials support the teaching of Technology by:

• Developing their technological capability through designing and making activities with fruit and vegetables.
• Encouraging pupils to taste, handle and find out about a variety of fruit and vegetables.
• Classifying different fruit and vegetables into groups, e.g. vine, stone and berry.
• Investigating food preferences and making food products to meet a need.
• Developing a range of practical food skills.
• Learning about food and nutrition issues.
• Implementing realistic and effective food hygiene and safety procedures.
• Designing and making food products – fruit and vegetable based recipes.

The 5-14 Guidelines for Teachers and Managers gives non-statutory guidance on how aspects of science and technology can be developed and implemented into the primary school curriculum. The two subjects often combine together with them having a major or minor focus. For example:

Primary 3: Things we eat – Rainforest Recipes: Create a healthy and appealing dish from fruits found locally and in other places; producing a booklet for the recipes. (Major: technology, Minor: science)

Primary 4: Our bodies – Smart Eating: Helping to produce healthier food that pupils and others of their age will eat, e.g. design and make a pizza with fruit and vegetables. (Major: science, Minor: technology)

Health education embraces physical, emotional and social dimensions, which include healthy eating and physical activity. Health Education is best addressed through contributions from a range of teachers, connecting different areas of the curriculum together. Health Education includes the study of:

a) Physical health

• Food and nutrition, including healthy eating
• Physical activity

b) Emotional health

• Personal and interpersonal skills, e.g. working together in a Bash Street activity

c) Social health

• Social aspects and cultural influences on health, e.g. different foods and physical activity patterns.

These materials support Health Education by:

• Promoting a healthier lifestyle through diet.
• Encouraging informed choice through fun and appropriate activities.
• Developing positive views towards physical activity.

In schools, activities may include:

• Keeping a personal diary of fruit and vegetable consumption, and feeding this back to the class for discussion.
• Organising fruit and vegetable quizzes or activity days.
• Participating in school or community events with a 5-a-day theme.
• Allowing pupils to make choices given to them in school about food.
• Exploring the reasons why a healthy lifestyle is important.
• Developing a whole-school food policy, looking at food choices throughout school.

The 5-14 Guidelines for Teachers and Managers gives non-statutory guidance on how aspects of Health Education can be developed and implemented into the primary school curriculum. The guidance includes:

• Examples of different primary schools' long term plans, e.g. for physical health:
• P1: physical activity and different foods
• P2: hygiene and dental health
• P4: food hygiene, physical activity and a balanced diet
• P7: Nutrition / malnutrition
• Advice on nutrition education in schools, linking to the Eating for Health: A Diet Action Plan for Scotland
• Competence statements on pupil attainment for nutrition from Level A to F

These materials have been developed to be flexible teaching tools, enabling you to dip in and use them to support different aspects of the school day. For example, they may also be useful in:

• Mathematics – for example weighing and measuring, recording data, calculating costs or reading temperatures and timings.
• Language – for example writing and following recipes/instructions, producing creative works (poems).
• ICT – for example recording the number of fruit and vegetables eaten in class and displaying this data as a series of graphs using a spreadsheet, undertaking basic nutritional analysis, using the internet to aid research.
• Geography – for example finding out where different fruit and vegetables come from around the world and how they are grown in different climates.

• You may also wish to use these materials to support extra-curricular activities – for example a school cookery club that operates after school.
• Parents may also be interested in having some of the activity sheets, or the web address, for use at home with their children.
• The recipes, information sheets and Bash Street figures can be used to make a bright, colourful display in school. This could be in the entrance hall, helping to inform visitors that yours is a healthy school, or within a classroom, perhaps with a fruit and vegetable display.
• School catering staff may also be interested in the recipes and display materials, perhaps organising a Bash Street Kids menu for a special day or week.