Help your pupils learn science through the context of food

How about making frothy milk to demonstrate forming foams, make butter to show physical and chemical changes, caramelise onions to show denaturation of enzymes, or challenge your pupils to reformulate a well-known biscuit?

Using food as a context is a fantastic way to help pupils understand key science principles by using everyday experiences.

This could be through teaching food and nutrition, e.g. functional properties of food, nutrition, sensory science, and food spoilage and hygiene, or through the science curricula.

Food – a fact of life has a wide range of resources designed to teach science through the context of food. Many of these materials were developed as part of the pHood futures project in collaboration with The Royal Society of Chemistry, aimed at sparking interest in chemistry among pupils aged 11-14 and encouraging them to pursue it further.

The teaching materials can be used to supplement your current food and nutrition or science curriculum resources or alternatively as part of extra-curricular activities, such as drop-down days or STEM clubs.

It is hoped that these resources will help pupils transfer their knowledge between science and food and nutrition, providing practical links to science through the food they buy, cook and eat. Pupils interest and enjoyment will also be improved through opportunities to see and feel science in action.

The teaching materials include a number of ‘science packs’ which cover a range of science principles (in the context of food).

The ‘packs’ are PowerPoint presentations which provide information and stimulus for the pupils about the particular principle and then more detailed support for food and nutrition teachers and science teachers, along with links to resources to use in the classroom. The science teaching resources have been written with the support of a practising science teacher so provide guidance around planning, setting up and managing lessons using food as a context.  There are also prompt sheets, worksheets and homework tasks.

In addition, there are four activities designed for parental engagement, that can be used at home or for extra-curricular activities with parents/carers and pupils. There is also information to encourage pupils to consider using their science knowledge as a future career choice.

Visit the Science through the context of food area to find out more.

For more resources for teaching and learning around the science of food, explore the 11-14 years Cooking and 14-16 years Food science areas of the Food – a fact of life website.