Introduction
Improving the health of the nation is a hot topic. School children are a natural starting point for education initiatives to help improve health; teaching children about good nutrition and healthier lifestyles will help them make more informed and better choices in the future.
Some messages are already making an impact. Children now are more aware that they should be eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. What remains less clear to children is the origin of food that has been prepared, as discovered by the British Heart Foundation – one in three children did not know that chips are made from potatoes.
The Potato Story
The Potato Story is an initiative by McCain Foods (GB), a company passionate about potatoes and simply preparing great tasting food.
The Potato Story focuses on food provenance using the journey a potato makes from 'field to fork' to teach children in a fun, interactive and engaging way. The story focuses on how potatoes are grown and harvested, as well as the nutritional benefits of potatoes and the role they play as part of a balanced diet.
Did you know that all our potatoes have a Potato Passport, why don't you download yours here.
This website contains four interactive and easy-to-use modules about plant and potato growth, and healthy eating too, covering a wide section of the KS2 Programme of Study for Sc 2 – Life Processes and Living things and Sc 1- Experimental and Investigative Science.
The resource will also allow for cross-curricular links through ICT (Exploring simulations), literacy (with VAK opportunities including drama) and numeracy (measuring, collecting and presenting data).
The Potato Story supports a larger, government led, campaign called 'The Year of Food and Farming', from September 2007 – July 2008. A number of organisations like us will do their bit across the year to get kids interested in and experiencing all aspects of the countryside, farming and food.
McCain sincerely hope that The Potato Story will become an invaluable teaching resource for you and your pupils.