Ancient Oil:
Activity ideas to
support the
Online Field Trip
LESSON ACTIVITY PLANS
Age group: 5 - 7 years
1
Age 5-7 Activity ideas to support the Online FieldTrip for oil
Activities
Here is a set of activities to work alongside the Online
Field Trip about ancient oil. The intention is to provide
a range of activities that span the curriculum and motivate
children to have an interest in cooking oils, where they come
from, the different varieties, and the various ways in which we
use them. After the introduction, the activities are listed in a
structured order to progress children through the topic and end
with extension ideas. Feel free to select the activities that suit the
needs of your children.
Ensure parental/guardian permission has been sought prior to tasting
any foods and that you are aware of any allergies or intolerances.
Key words
Ancient, oil, press, extract, centrifuge, olive, grapeseed, sesame, rapeseed, fruity, strong, mild, sweet, peppery, spicy,
bitter, myth, legend, liquid, vegetation, aroma, flavour, texture, vitamin E, antioxidant, moisturiser.
Introducing cooking oils
• Start by giving each child a small amount of cooking oil in a bowl. Ask them to smell it, feel it between their fingers and
taste it. Invite the children to describe the oil. Explain that it is a liquid we use for cooking and that we can eat it hot or cold.
See if the children can tell you any dishes that might be prepared using oil or whether they have ever eaten it on salad or
dipped bread into it.
• Show the children a selection of bottled oils including at least an olive oil and a vegetable oil such as rapeseed.
Invite comments about how they look different, including descriptions of their different colours, textures and how
transparent they are. Explain that oils are made from different foods such as fruit, seeds or nuts. The oil is inside either the
fruit or seed which must be pressed in order to get the oil out. Talk about how the oils may look similar but they can have
very different tastes and that different oils are used for various types of cooking and food preparation.
Oil and Water
• Provide each child with an olive and a small bowl and ask them to crush the olive between their
fingers carefully but with some force. Explain that when oil is pressed from a fruit to make
cooking oil, the fruit is crushed for around 40 minutes under heavy machinery or sometimes
under heavy millstones.
• Discuss what comes out of the olive once the children have crushed it. They will see liquid.
Explain that the liquid is a mixture of vegetation water and oil. What is left of the crushed
olive is called the pulp and there will also be some seeds.
• Explain that the next step for making olive oil would be to separate the liquid into vegetation
water and oil. Ask the children how difficult they think this would be. Explain that it is possible
to separate oil and water easily because, although they are both liquids, oil and water don’t
mix. This is because they have different weights and thicknesses.
• Explain to the children that a machine called a centrifuge would normally separate the
oil and water but that we can see how oil and water don’t mix by conducting a simple
experiment. Give out copies of the oil and water experiment sheet [Ancient_Oil_oil_
and_water_5-7]. Read through the instructions together as a class and then encourage
the children to carry out the experiment. This involves pouring a few drops of oil into
a bowl of water. The children should clearly see that the oil sits ontop of the water,
and that even stirring it will not make the two liquids mix together. Ask them to
record their results and then discuss their findings as a class.
2
Baking with grape seed oil
• Explain to the children that different cooking oils are particularly good for certain types of food preparation. Grape seed
oil has been found to be very good for baking because it has a clean, light taste and so does not overpower the taste of
what you are making.
• Tell the children that cakes are often made using butter as a main ingredient, but that it is an option to use oil instead
of butter.. It is also good to use oil instead of butter in your baking if you are allergic to dairy products. Grape seed oil can
help to make light and fluffy cakes, just as butter does.
• Give the children copies of the grape seed cupcakes recipe sheet [Ancient_Oil_grape_seed_cupcakes_5-7] and follow
the instructions. Explain that if they have ever helped to make cupcakes before, this recipe will similar only they will be
using grape seed oil instead of butter.
Ingredients:
• 105ml of grape seed oil
• 140g of caster sugar
• 170g of self-raising flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
Equipment:
• a large mixing bowl
• a small bowl
• a whisk
• a sieve
• weighing scales
•
•
•
•
12 cupcake baking tray
12 cupcake cases
a teaspoon
a wire cooling rack
Method:
1 Pre-heat your oven to 350ºF/180ºC
2 Take a 12 cupcake baking tray and line it with 12 cupcake cases
3 Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat them
4 Sieve the flour into a large bowl
5 Add the beaten eggs and the rest of the ingredients to the large bowl and whisk until the mixture
is light and creamy
6 Use a teaspoon to divide the mixture up into the 12 cupcake cases
7 Place in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes until the cakes have risen and are firm to touch
8 Place the cakes on a wire rack to cool
9 When they are cool, enjoy eating your cakes!
Where is olive oil produced?
• Explain to the children that olive oil is one of the most popular cooking oils in the world. We don’t produce olive oil
in Britain so we import it from other countries. The countries that produce the most olive oil in the world are Spain,
Italy and Greece.
• Talk about how all olive oils are not the same. Some may have a sweet and light flavour, whilst others may have a bitter
flavour. The reason for this is that there are over 300 different varieties of olive trees in the world. Different trees
will produce olive oils of different flavours.
• Show the children a small variety of olive oil bottles. Look together at the labels to see if you can find out where the oil has
come from. Sometimes a label will say the oil is from one country, such as Spain. Others may have a label saying the oil is
a blend of several oils from several countries. Occasionally a label will say that the oil is from Europe.
• Pour a small amount of a few different oils into cups for the children to compare. Encourage them to smell the oil and to
dip a small amount of it onto bread to try. Explain to the children that to smell the oil as well as tasting it helps describe it
because our noses are even more sensitive than our tongues and help us to taste.
• Ask the children to describe the scent and taste of the olive oils. Write some words on the whiteboard to help the children
describe the oils. Are they fruity, strong, mild, sweet, spicy or bitter?
• Give out copies of the European map [Ancient_Oil_where_is_olive_oil_produced?_5-7_]. Read through the sheet
together as a class and ask the children to complete it. As an extension activity some of the children might like to find out
where the other countries on the map are, and label them.
3
Myths and legends
• Tell the children that olive oil is called an ‘ancient oil’ because it has been used throughout
history, even before Roman times (more than 2000 years ago). Discuss that olive oil has
always been regarded as precious and because of this, has been used in religious ceremonies
and as a way of healing people.
• There are many stories throughout history that are about olive trees too, as they have
always been considered to be special. Share with the children the myths and legends
cards [Ancient_Oil_myths_and_legends_5-7] and discuss the stories and
information it contains. Talk about how a ‘myth’ or a ‘legend’ is a traditional story
that is historical but not necessarily true.
Consider the following information:
1 Noah’s Ark - In the Old Testament of the Bible there is a story about Noah. He built an
ark to save his family and creatures of the Earth from a great flood. Noah sent out a dove
to find dry land and the dove came back with an olive branch in its beak, showing that
the floodwaters were going down. It is believed that this story began the idea of the
olive branch being a symbol of peace and goodwill.
2 King David’s Lute - Outside the walls of the old city of Jerusalem there is a grand olive
tree that is over 2,000 years old. It is said that King David used to rest under it and play
his lute. It is now believed that whoever sits under the tree will be able to hear King
David’s lute playing.
3 Athena and Poseidon - There is a legend that Greek god of the sea, Poseidon, and Greek
goddess of wisdom, Athena, were competing with each other to find the best gift to give
to mankind. Poseidon offered the horse and Athena offered the olive tree. It was decided that
the olive tree was the most valuable gift because it had many uses including food, medicine,
heat and perfume. Athena was rewarded for her great gift by having Greece’s most powerful
city, Athens, named after her.
4 Indestructible Trees - In 86B.C. a Roman General called Lucio Cornelio Silla commanded that all olive trees should be
cut down and made into weapons. This was seen as a bad omen by the Greek poet Solon, who decided to plant new olive
trees and place them under the protection of Zeus, the god of the sky and thunder. Since then, it has been believed that
olive trees are indestructible.
5 The Great Cure - Olive trees are very strong and even during harsh summer and winters they can grow strong and bear
fruit. It is because of this that throughout history, olive oil was believed to give strength and youth to those who drank it.
In the Middle East, olive oil was seen as the cure for any illness and even to this day, people drink olive oil to keep their
bodies healthy.
6 Ceremonies - Throughout history, olive oil has been used during religious ceremonies such as baptisms. In Ancient
Greece, winners of the Olympic games were given victory wreaths made from olive branches. In 480B.C. the
Greek Spartans buried their dead on beds of olive branches to protect their souls
and anyone who attended a funeral wore a crown made from olive branches
to protect them from evil.
• Encourage the children to choose which of the stories about olive trees
or olive oil is their favourite and to recount it in their own words.
Ask them to draw a picture of the story and to write a few
sentences about it, explaining what the story is about.
Share these with the rest of the class.
• As a class, use the stories to form a timeline.
Tell the children to ask each other which story they
have chosen and the date. If they find a child with
a date before or after the story they have chosen,
form a link. See how many links can be created, and
if a whole complete timeline can be formed.
4
Extraordinary facts
• Invite the children to think about ways in which we use olive
oil and other oils, apart from than in cooking and food
preparation. See what suggestions the children can
contribute. You should discuss that oils are sometimes
used in burners to make nice aromas, in massage oils,
in skin or hair care products, as an alternative medicine
or as household cleaners.
• Share together the extraordinary fact cards about
ancient oil [Ancient_Oil_extraordinary_facts_5-7].
Each card has two facts on it. Read both facts and discuss
what they mean. Then ask the children to vote for which of the
two facts on each card they think is the most extraordinary.
Ask them to give reasons for their choices.
• Discuss with the children why olive oil and other oils are good for us. It is a source
of vitamin E, which is good for our skin and is often found in skin cream. Some people put oil onto their
skin instead of cream because it can also be a good moisturiser.
• Sesame oil, pressed from sesame seeds, is sometimes called the ‘Queen of Oils’. It can be used on the skin as a
moisturiser. Give the children a few drops of sesame oil each to massage into their hands. Allow the oil to soak into the
skin and then ask the children for their opinion. Does their skin feel soft?
• Invite the children to design posters advertising sesame oil as a skincare product. Encourage them to include the
benefits of using sesame oil on the skin and to include positive images such as smiling, happy faces and a bottle with an
attractive label. It would be good to show the children photographs from the Internet of sesame seeds and plants, as this
could inspire their poster design.
Olive oil crossword
• Review how much information the children have retained about olive oil by asking them to complete the fun
crossword [Ancient_Oil_olive_oil_crossword_5-7].
• To make the crossword more challenging, you can cover the answers in the box at the
top, so that the children have to generate the answers themselves.
Clues across:
1. Olive oil is sold in one of these.
2. This king played his lute under an olive tree.
3. The fruit that oil is pressed from.
4. The best quality olive oil.
5. When olives are pressed, this comes out.
6. The country that makes the most olive oil.
7. This bird carried an olive branch to Noah.
Clues down:
1. Separating oil from olives is called this.
2. Olives grow on these.
3. This Goddess gave the olive tree to humans.
4. Olive oil has lots of this, which makes it good for the skin.
5. Lots of olive trees growing together.
5
Spoken
Language
Writing
Art and Design
Design and
Technology
Science
History
Geography
ENGLAND
SCOTLAND
Ask relevant questions to
extend their understanding
and knowledge
Use relevant strategies to
build their vocabulary
Maintain attention and
participate actively
in collaborative
conversations, staying on
topic and initiating and
responding to comments
Use spoken language to
develop understanding
through speculating,
hypothesizing, imagining
and exploring ideas
I can show my
understanding of what
I listen to or watch by
responding to and asking
different kinds of questions
Listen and respond
appropriately and
effectively with
growing attention and
concentration
Extend their vocabulary
through activities that
encourage their interest
in words
Express thoughts, feelings
and opinions in response
to personal experiences,
imaginary situations,
literature, media and
curricular topics and
activities
Present ideas and
information with some
structure and sequence
Devise and ask questions
to find information in social
situations and across the
curriculum
Develop positive attitudes
towards and stamina
for writing by writing for
different purposes
I can describe and share my
experiences and how they
made me feel.
Play with language, as a
means of developing their
interest in language
Understand and use
a range of vocabulary
by investigating and
experimenting with
language
To develop a wide range of
art and design techniques
in using colour, pattern,
texture, line, shape, form
and space
Inspired by a range of
stimuli, I can express and
communicate my ideas,
thoughts and feelings
through activities within art
and design
Explore and experiment
with a variety of techniques
and materials
Explore the visual elements
of colour, tone, line, shape,
form, space, texture and
pattern to express ideas
Use the basic principles of
a healthy and varied diet to
prepare dishes
Understand where food
comes from
I experience a sense
of enjoyment and
achievement when
preparing simple healthy
food and drinks
I explore and discover
where foods come from as
I choose, prepare and taste
different foods
Observing closely, using
simple equipment
Performing simple tests
Through exploring
properties and sources
of materials, I can choose
appropriate materials to
solve practical challenges.
Find out by exploring and
experimenting
Making observations
and measurements and
keeping records
Changes within living
memory. Where
appropriate, these should
be used to reveal aspects of
change in national life
I can compare aspects of
people’s daily lives in the
past with my own by using
historical evidence or the
experience of recreating an
historical setting
Sequence events, routines
and changes
Recognise the changes
caused by time
Begin to identify
differences between ways
of life at different times
How people and places
have changed over time
Name and locate the
world’s seven continents
and five oceans
By exploring a natural
environment different from
my own, I can discover
how the physical features
influence the variety of
living things.
Use and make simple
maps, to find where places
are and how places relate
to other places
Features of the immediate
world and comparisons
between places
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