A new program from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is using science to create a program encouraging primary school children to eat more vegetables.
The Organisation said its research revealed that only six per cent of primary school aged children consumed the recommended amount of vegetables.
Sensory and consumer scientist at CSIRO, Astrid Poelman said the program, Taste & Learn, provided primary school teachers with simple hands-on lesson plans aligned with the Australian curriculum and was based on research into why people liked the foods they liked.
“Luckily, liking and eating vegetables is a learned behaviour,” Dr Poelman said.
“Research shows the number one way to get kids to enjoy vegetables is to repeatedly offer a variety of them,” she said.
“Making veggies fun in a positive, interactive environment is also critical.”
Dr Poelman said with the Taste & Learn program, children would get to explore vegetables and all their senses through fun activities and science experiments.
“The program encourages them to become ‘food adventurers’,” she said.
“It might seem counter-intuitive to adults but avoiding explicit health messages works better with kids.”
She said the program, set over five weeks, also supported student academic learning by boosting literacy and science skills.
“They learn to describe vegetables in an objective way, such as what their texture, colour or flavour is like, which helps children understand what they like or don’t like about the veggies they’re eating.”
Dr Poelman said she and her team co-developed and tested the program with over 1,600 students and 116 educators across 25 primary schools in New South Wales and South Australia.
Further information on CSIRO’s Taste & Learn program, including resources for teachers can be accessed at this PS News link.
