And they lived happily ever after

Thinking about how to extend the 'lifetime' of food to help save waste. 

Students:
•    Learn how to appreciate food 
•    Learn practical strategies on how they can extend the lifetime of food
•    Know the differences between the 'best-before date' and the 'use-by date' 
•    Learn new sustainability practices

1 or 2 lesson units 

•    Flashcards or printed images of different foods (e.g., fruits, vegetables, bread, dairy products)
•    Flashcards can be created by pupils, or cut out from magazines
•    Flashcards or images showing different preservation methods (e.g., cooling, freezing, drying, canning)
•    Assorted food items (packaged goods) are also usable.
•    Papers and pens

Icebreaker: 

Share facts about the most wasted foods in class, during the day or in your households. Which foods or products are wasted the most and why? Discuss common methods of preservation.

Activity:

1.    Arrange the class into smaller groups. 
2.    Prepare a set of flashcards with pictures of various foods and another set with pictures of different preservation methods for each group.
3.    Each group has to match their food cards with the most appropriate preservation method cards within a set time.
4.    After the time is up, review the matches with the class and discuss why certain methods work best for specific foods.

Brainstorming: 

5.    Give each group a specific food item (e.g., bananas, bread, milk).
6.    Groups have 15 minutes to brainstorm as many ways as they can to extend the shelf life of their given food item.
7.    Encourage them to think creatively and use any prior knowledge.

Presentation:

8.    Each group presents their ideas to the class.
9.    The teacher can add additional suggestions and correct any misconceptions.
10.    Write the ideas and share the game results on how to extend the 'lifetime' of food and products by proper storage and treatment. Share the ideas on school social media.
11.    Discuss common examples from your family or community.
12.    Examples:

Christmas cookies leftovers - add cream cheese and honey into left over pastries and mix into small balls with leftovers, coat the balls in cinnamon.

Other examples:

• Herb pesto - wipe the edges of the jar / bottle and cover the surface with oil
• Daily snack you won't eat – create sharing table in your classroom and offer your daily snack to someone who would like to eat it
• Cooked pasta - put pasta leftovers in to the food storing box and provide it with the label with date the food was cooked 
• Tomato salsa - do you have any ideas?
• Fresh chopped veggies or fruits - do you have any ideas?

Chemistry - Prevention of mould formation.

Cooking lesson - Active learning

Ethics - Ecological topics