Teacher Guide
From Seed to Table
Bonne Maman is proud to offer teachers the ‘From
Seed to Table’ suite of resources. The activities have been
specifically designed to offer pupils aged five to nine a
wealth of cross-curricular learning opportunities around
the theme of fruit origins, growing and fruit use.
This guide includes lesson ideas and extension tasks based
around the supporting activity sheets. The activities main
link is to the Science curriculum topic of ‘Plants’ but also
develop knowledge and skills in English, Mathematics,
Art and Design Technology.
Activities cover three key topics:
•
•
•
Where does fruit come from?
What does fruit need to grow?
What can fruit be used for?
The activity sheets can be used flexibly, but one topic per
term is recommended and suggestions for an engaging
programme of learning for each can be found below. We
hope you and your pupils enjoy using these resources.
The competition 2017
Pupils are challenged to create a picture on
the theme of ‘Growing’, which is made up of
fruit pictures, on a piece of A4 paper.
They can create their fruit pictures by:
•
drawing
•
painting
•
taking and printing your own photographs,
then using these to make a collage
Pictures can feature fruit at any stage of the
growth cycle (seed, leaf, flower, ripened fruit).
Topic 1 (5–7 years) – Where does fruit come from?
Resource
Description
Introductory activities
• Ask pupils to name and describe fruits that they already know.
• Show the class images (or real-life examples) of fruits of which they may not have heard
and ask them to describe these. You could use the ‘Where do fruits come from?’ poster to
show different types of fruit.
• Talk about all the different ways that fruit could be sorted into groups, e.g. by size, colour
or shape.
• Show and discuss pictures revealing how different fruits grow – trees, plants, bushes or vines.
• Model and discuss the activity sheets.
Activity Sheet 1 –
Identify the fruit
Pupils label different types of fruit and read about the types of plant from which we get fruit.
Activity Sheet 2 –
How fruit grows
Pupils sort different fruits into three groups, according to whether they grow on trees or on
another type of plant (e.g. vines, bushes).
Homework activity
Encourage pupils to go on a ‘plant walk’ with a family member around the local park
or forest (or on their own in the garden). They could draw the plants they see and make
observation notes about where these are growing.
Supported by
Topic 1 (7–9 years) – Where does fruit come from?
Introductory activities
• Ask pupils to name and describe fruits that they already know.
• Show the class images (or real-life examples) of fruits of which they may not have heard
and discuss the different ways that they grow.
• As a class, create an identification key for different types of fruit, e.g. Does it grow on a
tree? Is it yellow? Is it a sour fruit? Yes – Lemon, No – Banana.
• Model and discuss the activity sheets.
Activity Sheet 1 –
Fruity finds
In groups or pairs, pupils use books, the Internet or printouts to collect information about
how fruit grows and where it grows.
Activity Sheet 2 –
Fruit origins & fruit
origins grid
Pupils sort pictures of fruit into a Carroll diagram, using the headings to decide where the
fruit should go. They then answer questions about the results.
Homework activity
Pupils could select a fruit and find out information about the country that produces it, in
terms of location, climate, population and how the fruit is grown.
Topic 2 (5–7 years) – What does fruit need to grow?
Introductory activities
• Ask pupils to discuss, with a talk partner, the different foods in which fruit can be used,
e.g. pies, salads, sauces, ice cream, smoothies, jam, cake. Share ideas as a class and create
a mind map.
• You could play a game of ‘Fruit Salad’, in which one chair is removed. Pupils are
allocated one of four different fruits and must swap chairs if their fruit is called out –
everyone swaps if ‘fruit salad’ is called.
• Model and discuss the activity sheets.
Activity Sheet 3 –
Plant growth pairs
Pupils work with a partner to play a game of ‘Pairs’ or ‘Concentration’ using the cards with
pairs of things that either help or hinder plant growth. When they find a pair, they should
discuss whether the thing is good or bad for plants and why. You may choose to cut out
the cards ahead of the lesson or ask your pupils to do this as part of the activity, remember
to print one-sided.
Activity Sheet 4 –
Design a poster
Pupils create a poster showing the things that help fruit plants grow.
Extension Sheet –
Bees and pollination
Pupils learn about the role of bees in pollinating plants, then answer comprehension
questions.
Homework activity
Pupils could find out three interesting facts about strawberries in order to learn more
about the fruit before planting strawberry seeds.
Supported by
Topic 2 (7–9 years) – What does fruit need to grow?
Introductory activities
• As a class, discuss the names of the different parts of a flowering plant.
• Talk about what pupils think plants need to grow and why, you may wish to show the
‘What do Strawberry Plants need to grow’ poster to support the discussion.
• Watch the strawberry growth cycle video.
• Model and discuss the activity sheets.
• When they have a good understanding of the factors that help plants grow, pupils
should watch the video and plant their strawberry seeds.
Activity Sheet 3 –
Growing factors
Using the picture clues, pupils draw one picture showing the factors that help fruit plants
to grow and another showing factors that hinder growth. Pupils then choose three factors
and write the reasons they think each one helps or hinders the growing process.
Activity Sheet 4 –
Fruit board game
Pupils create their own board game, writing down some of the factors that help or hinder
plant growth.
Extension Sheet –
Bees and pollination
Pupils learn about the role of bees in pollinating plants, then use their maths skills to
guide a bee through a grid to a flower.
Homework activity
Pupils could create their own fact files about strawberries in order to learn more about the
fruit before planting strawberry seeds.
Topic 3 (5–7 years) – What can fruit be used for?
Introductory activities
• Talk about what pupils think plants need to grow and why.
• Talk about the things that prevent a plant from growing.
• Play a game – ask pupils to curl up in a ball and pretend to be tiny seeds. Share a
narrative involving some factors that would help the seed to grow and some that would
hinder it, e.g. “It’s beginning to rain and water is falling on the soil.” “Along comes a
snail. It begins to eat the plant’s leaves.” When the pupils hear a positive factor, they
grow a little more. When they hear a negative factor, they shrink a little.
• Model and discuss the activity sheets.
• When they have a good understanding of the factors that help plants grow, pupils
should watch the video and plant their strawberry seeds.
Activity Sheet 5 –
The making of jam
Pupils label different types of fruit and read about the types of plant from which we get fruit.
Activity Sheet 6 –
Fruit uses
Pupils circle the different foods that they think contain fruit.
Homework activity
Pupils could make a list or draw all of the fruit and fruit products that they can find in
their kitchen.
Supported by
Topic 3 (7–9 years) – What can fruit be used for?
Introductory activities
• Ask pupils to discuss, with a talk partner, the different things for which fruit can be
used, e.g. foods like pies, salads, sauces, ice cream, smoothies, cake; or products like
shampoos or perfume. Share ideas as a class.
• You could show pupils that fruit can even be used for power, by creating and demonstrating a lemon battery.
• Model and discuss the activity sheets.
Activity Sheet 5 –
The making of jam
Pupils are given a series of pictures and imperative verbs from which to write instructions
about how to make jam.
Activity Sheet 6 –
Fruit uses
Pupils research different foods and products that contain fruit, then create a mind map of
drawings and labels to show these.
Homework activity
Pupils could go to the supermarket with a grown-up and make a list of as many products
containing fruit as they can find.
Cross-curricular extension ideas
English / Literacy and English
Computing / Technologies
•
•
•
•
Design an information leaflet about how to grow a
strawberry plant.
Create a non-fiction book about the fruit bat.
Create a class story inspired by fruit characters,
e.g. Sally Strawberry, Rodney Raspberry.
•
Using digital media, create an advertisement about
the benefits of eating fruit.
Research an unusual or exotic fruit and present
information to the class.
Art & Design / Expressive Arts
Mathematics / Numeracy and Mathematics
•
•
•
•
Research class/school/staffs’ favourite fruits, collect
data in a tally chart and present the results in a bar
chart or pictogram.
Ask pupils to write their own word problems around
buying fruit of different prices.
Use fruit in a practical demonstration of fractions,
cutting it into different segments to share between
different numbers of children.
Science / Sciences / The World Around Us
•
•
•
Create a still-life drawing of fruit bowl or fruit that has
been cut open.
Create a display of fruit pop art or fruit portraits in the
style of Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s Vertumnus.
Use different fruits in printing.
Design & Technology/ Technologies
•
•
•
Design a new jam container and packaging.
Prepare and make a new range of fruit kebabs.
Create an exciting fruit smoothie.
Carry out a fair test to determine the best conditions for
plant growth, e.g. changing the amount of water or light
it receives (while keeping all other factors the same).
Supported by
From Seed to Table
Teacher Guide
Bonne Maman is proud to offer teachers the ‘From Seed to Table’ suite of resources. The activities have been
specifically designed to offer pupils aged five to nine a wealth of cross-curricular learning opportunities around
the theme of fruit origins, growing and fruit use.
This guide includes lesson ideas and extension tasks based around the supporting activity sheets. The activities
main link is to the Science curriculum topic of ‘Plants’ but also develop knowledge and skills in English,
Mathematics, Art and Design Technology.
Activities cover three key topics:
•
Where does fruit come from?
•
What does fruit need to grow?
•
What can fruit be used for?
The activity sheets can be used flexibly, but one topic per term is recommended and suggestions for an engaging
programme of learning for each can be found below.
We hope you and your pupils enjoy using these resources.
The competition 2017
Pupils are challenged to create a picture on the theme of ‘Growing’, which is made up of fruit pictures, on a piece of A4 paper.
They can create their fruit pictures by:
•
drawing
•
painting
•
taking and printing your own photographs, then using these to make a collage
Pictures can feature fruit at any stage of the growth cycle (seed, leaf, flower, ripened fruit).
Supported by