Teacher/Educator Worksheet

Eat a rainbow: Ages - 0 to 2

What to do:

Preparation: Gather a range of fruit and vegetables, as many colours and textures as you can.

Provide the children with an opportunity to explore fruits and vegetables. Cut some up for them to taste. Encourage them to touch, taste, smell different sorts of fruit and vegetables. Cook some up and let them feel the different textures, tastes and smells of raw versus cooked. Try some unusual things such as purple carrots (do they taste the same as orange carrots?); try homegrown fruit or vegetable versus a packaged one from the supermarket, which smells or tastes better? Show them some homegrown veggies or fruits that have funny shapes or that still have roots / leaves / etc. You can also use the Student Worksheet as a stimulus tool.

Provocations:

I wonder which colour fruit / veggie you think tastes the best?
I wonder what these are ( e.g. roots; hairs or leaves on a carrot)?
I wonder if it tastes / feels / smells different if we cook it?
I wonder if this has any seeds?
I wonder where this grows?
I wonder why it has a funny shape?

Possible lines of development:

Grow some vegetables from seed.
Try some different recipes using unusual fruit or vegetables and share them with families (include some pictures of their child tasting the food).
Make some finger paint using pureed fruit.
Where do different fruit or veggies grow (trees, in the ground, on a bush, etc).

Go wonky: Ages - 2 to 3

What to do:

Preparation: You will need some carrot seeds (see if you can get a couple of different types (purple carrots; Atomic Red carrots (little round golf ball ones), baby carrots etc); seed raising mix (or free-draining sand / soil mix) a shallow pot; a deeper pot and a garden bed; straw mulch.

Plant the seeds as per the instructions on the packet, try some of each in each container / garden bed.

Don’t forget to thin them out when they are about 5cm high and 15cm high (if they stay in the ground that long!). It may be a good idea to have a few planted in an extra container or two in case little hands cannot resist pulling them out to see how they are growing. You could also try planting a couple in clear plastic bottles with the top cut off, so they can see a bit of what is going on under the ground, without having to pull them out.

See what happens when they grow in different depth containers. Hopefully, you will get some interesting shaped carrots. You could also try compressing the soil and see if that impacts the shape of the carrot.

Provocations:

I wonder which container the carrots will like best?
I wonder if the carrots will be all the same shape?
I wonder what carrots need to grow?
I wonder if different types / colour carrots taste different?
I wonder how long they take to grow?
I wonder if our carrots will look different to the ones at the supermarket?
I wonder if wonky carrots taste the same as straight carrots?
I wonder why they grew to that shape?
I wonder what these hairy bits are?

Possible lines of development:

Cooking using your carrots – what’s your favourite way to eat carrots?
Grow some other veggies.
Home grown versus supermarket (what’s the difference).
Seasonal fruit and vegetables.

Go wonky: Ages - 3 to 5

What to do:

Preparation: You will need some carrot seeds (see if you can get a couple of different types (purple carrots; Atomic Red carrots (little round golf ball ones), baby carrots etc); seed raising mix (or free-draining sand/ soil mix) a shallow pot; a deeper pot and a garden bed; straw mulch.

Plant the seeds as per the instructions on the packet, try some of each in each container / garden bed.

Don’t forget to thin them out when they are about 5cm high and 15cm high (if they stay in the ground that long!) – it may be a good idea to have a few planted in an extra container or two in case little hands cannot resist pulling them out to see how they are growing. You could also try planting a couple in clear plastic bottles with the top cut off, so they can see a bit of what is going on under the ground, without having to pull them out.

See what happens when they grow in different depth containers. Hopefully, you will get some interesting shaped carrots!

The children can measure the height of plants and the distance between them, and thin them out as they grow. You can discuss what might happen to carrots growing in shallower containers, what shape they will be, how far down do they grow. They can predict the outcomes at the beginning and compare their predictions to the outcomes.

Try some with mulch and without. What’s the difference?
Try some with some worm juice and some without. What’s the difference?

Provocations:

I wonder which container the carrots will like best?
I wonder if the carrots will be all the same shape?
I wonder what carrots need to grow?
I wonder if different types / colours carrots taste different?
I wonder how long they take to grow?
I wonder if our carrots will look different to the ones at the supermarket?
I wonder if wonky carrots taste the same as straight carrots?
I wonder why they grew to that shape?
I wonder what these hairy bits are?
I wonder what else grows under the ground?
I wonder when the best time to plant carrots is?
I wonder why carrots grow better at this time?
I wonder how the mulch helps the carrots?
I wonder if adding some worm juice will help the carrots?

Possible lines of development:

Cooking using your carrots – what’s your favourite way to eat carrots? – create a recipe book to share with families.
Grow some other veggies.
Homegrown versus supermarket (what’s the difference).
Seasonal fruit and vegetables.
What else grows in the ground?
What grows on a tree?
What grows on a vine?
What grows on a bush?
Why do we need to eat fruit and vegetables?
Why do we need to eat different types of fruit and vegetables?

Evaluation

Complete an analysis of learning listing evidence about:

Belonging	Finding something of interest
Communication	Expressing an idea or feeling
Exploration	Engaging with challenges and persisting when difficulties arise
Well being	Being involved

Embedding into daily practice

Develop an edible garden (or plant some edible plants in pots and containers).
Use your produce in your cooking or share with families.
Consider using organic or local produce for meals and snacks you provide.
Consider a rubbish free food lunchbox policy.
Involve children in cooking activities and encourage them to try new foods / flavours.

Not Every Carrot Can Be a Supermodel

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