Parts of a plant
The main parts of a flowering plant are the roots, stem, leaves and flowers. Each part has a job, from soaking up water to making food and producing seeds.
Science · Ages 6–8 · 50 minutes
The healthy eating plate
Children sort foods into the main food groups and explain that a balanced meal includes a variety of foods, with plenty of fruit and vegetables.
Success criteria
- I can sort foods into groups
- I can say what each group helps my body do
- I can plan a balanced plate
Key vocabulary
- balanced
- food group
- fruit
- vegetables
- protein
- carbohydrate
- dairy
- variety
You will need
- paper plates
- food pictures cut from leaflets or drawn
- empty clean food packaging
- glue
- a large plate drawn on the board
Practice sheets
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Missing letters: Fruit and vegetables
Food and drink word search
Unscramble the words: Fruit and vegetables
Children hear a lot about "good" and "bad" food. This lesson replaces that with a more useful idea: different foods do different jobs, and a balanced plate has some of each, with fruit and vegetables taking up a big share. There is no calorie counting, no talk about body size and no food is banned.
1.Starter
7 minutesShow five foods (pictures or real packaging): an apple, a slice of bread, an egg, a carton of milk and a carrot. Ask: "Which one gives you the most energy for running around? Which one helps your bones? Talk to your partner." There is no single right answer yet; you are finding out what they already know. Seven minutes.
2.Teach
10–15 minDraw a big circle plate on the board and divide it into sections. Introduce each group with one job:
- "Fruit and vegetables help keep our bodies working well and help us fight off illness. They get one of the biggest parts of the plate."
- "Starchy foods, like rice, bread, potatoes, yam and pasta, give us energy. They get another big part."
- "Protein foods, like beans, eggs, fish, meat and lentils, help our bodies grow and repair."
- "Dairy and alternatives, like milk, yoghurt and cheese, help build strong bones and teeth."
Then add: "Foods like cakes, crisps and sweets are fine sometimes. We just have them in small amounts, not every meal." Countries draw their plates a little differently (England uses the Eatwell Guide, the US uses MyPlate), but they share the same big ideas.
apple
carrot
bread
egg
milk
rice
