The Coles Healthy Kicks lesson plans teach students about healthy eating in a fun and engaging way. Students learn how to make good food choices before and after exercise, understand the benefits of a balanced diet, and practise meal planning and recipe writing. They will also explore foods from around the world and how food connects to culture.
The program includes healthy recipe cards for students to try at home with their families, helping them build confidence in cooking and creativity. Lessons can be taught on their own or as a sequence.
This program focuses on nutrition, balanced eating, and meal planning. However, some students may find parts of the content harder to relate to based on their home life or access to food. Please adapt activities or recipes as needed so all students can take part and enjoy the lessons.
This program has been developed for teachers of Foundation to Year 6 students. Suggestions have been given for modifications to support and extend the learnings and suggestions on how to differentiate between stages/year levels have been provided at the start of each lesson. In each stage group, verbs have been bolded to indicate the increasing levels of complexity inherent within the lesson. The verbs, in-line with Bloom’s Taxonomy, move from demonstrating Knowledge to Evaluating.
They also serve to indicate what students need to do in order to demonstrate their learning within the lesson. Finally, implementing a buddy system approach may be useful to engage students in the content; simultaneously providing younger students with an opportunity to learn from older ones whilst also offering leadership opportunities for those students in the upper primary years.
Application
Introduction to basic nutrition principles and knowledge about the characteristics and properties of food. Focuses on the importance of food selection and preparation, as well as contemporary food related issues.
Connection
Understanding how food can foster connection and interaction with others and t he importance of building these for social wellbeing. Students will also explore the link between healthy eating, self-esteem, and body image in order to support them to effectively handle their emotions, sleep well and cope better with stress.
Experimentation
Encouraging students to develop their own creations with food through learned design processes and production skills. Supports students to foster independence when making their food/meal related decisions and take the desired actions to improve their health.
The Coles Healthy Kicks classroom activities are curriculum-aligned to deliver key learning outcomes across all Australian Education curriculums. For more information, download the curriculum guide for each lesson below.
In this lesson, students learn about the five major food groups and discuss the importance of these to overall health and wellbeing. Each student is then given the task of developing their own diagram of the five major food groups. This lesson includes a food tracking worksheet where students have the opportunity to score goals/points related to the five food groups.
Learning objectives
1. Participate in the discussion of the five food groups.
2. Recognise meals that incorporate the five major food groups.
3. Develop a creative representation of the five food groups.
Stage 1 (Foundation - Year 2) | Stage 2 (Year 3-4) | Stage 3 (Year 5-6) |
Learning Intention | Learning Intention | Learning Intention |
Students demonstrate their knowledge of the five food groups and are able to identify and name the foods that belong to each group. | Students are able to show knowledge and understanding of the five food groups by reinterpreting the groups into a design mode of their own choosing. | Students are able to apply their knowledge of the five food groups and can formulate ways to maintain a balanced and healthy diet. |
Success Criteria | Success Criteria | Success Criteria |
I can list and name food from the five food groups. | I can creatively interpret the five food groups and recognise the nutritional benefits of each group. | I can apply my knowledge of food nutrition and healthy eating and formulate ways to maintain a balanced and healthy diet. |
Students discuss the key foods they should eat before physical activity and why it is important to fuel themselves before and after a game. This is followed by a creative activity that asks students to develop a healthy pre and post-game menu for a footballer.
Learning objectives
1. Understand the importance of eating before physical activity.
2. Identify low GI foods that provide slow release energy and are best to give the body sustained energy while playing sport.
Stage 1 (Foundation - Year 2) | Stage 2 (Year 3-4) | Stage 3 (Year 5-6) |
Learning Intention | Learning Intention | Learning Intention |
Students are able to list the most beneficial foods to eat before and after exercise and can demonstrate their understanding of fueling their body for energy production. | Students are able to convey their knowledge of fueling the body pre and post exercise and demonstrate their understanding creatively. | Students are able to demonstrate their understanding of fueling the body pre and post exercise and are able to justify why some foods are more beneficial choices for a footballer than others. |
Success Criteria | Success Criteria | Success Criteria |
I can list pre and post training snacks. I can state how fueling my body is needed for energy production. | Know the importance of eating the right foods pre and post exercise and can demonstrate this creatively. | I know the importance of eating the right foods pre and post exercise and can justify why some foods are more beneficial to a footballer than others. |
Students discuss the importance of meal planning and the role it plays in leading a healthy lifestyle, such as that of a professional footballer. They are then given the task of developing their own weekly meal plan for their lunchbox.
Learning objectives
1. Participate in the discussion of meal planning.
2. Know how to incorporate the five major food groups when devising a weekly lunchbox plan.
3. Identify healthy snacks and recognise their nutritional benefits.
Stage 1 (Foundation - Year 2) | Stage 2 (Year 3-4) | Stage 3 (Year 5-6) |
Learning Intention | Learning Intention | Learning Intention |
Students are able to predict what a professional footballer would eat in a single meal and communicate these predictions. | Students are able to experiment with creative ways to encourage healthy eating. | Students are able to creatively demonstrate the role meal planning plays in leading a healthy life and are able to critique the work of a peer. |
Success Criteria | Success Criteria | Success Criteria |
I can predict the foods a footballer would eat in a single meal. I can communicate my predictions. | I can experiment with creative ways to demonstrate the importance of healthy eating. | I can creatively demonstrate the importance of healthy eating and meal planning. I can critique my peer’s work by offering words of encouragement and providing suggestions to improve. |
In this lesson students will be introduced to cuisines from around the world. Through discussion, research and a presentation task, students will understand the connection between food and cultural identity.
Learning objectives
1. Discuss the connection between food and culture/identity.
2. Research and deliver a short presentation on a chosen cuisine.
Stage 1 (Foundation - Year 2) | Stage 2 (Year 3-4) | Stage 3 (Year 5-6) |
Learning Intention | Learning Intention | Learning Intention |
Students will be able to describe their favourite cuisines and explain why food is important to them. | Students will understand the connection between food and cultural identity in addition to being able to describe traditions/ customs, ingredients and cooking techniques specific to a cuisine of their choosing. Students will also examine what food means to them in a design mode of their choosing. | Students will be able to explain the connection between food and cultural identity.
Students will be able to formulate an informed response to the focus question: What role does food play in shaping our identity? |
Success Criteria | Success Criteria | Success Criteria |
I can describe my favourite cuisine. I can explain why food is important to me. | I can describe the typical customs, traditions, ingredients and cooking techniques of a cuisine. I can examine what food means to me. | I can explain the connection between food and cultural identity. I can formulate an informed response to the question: What role does food play in shaping our identity |
Students participate individually or in small groups, to develop their own healthy recipe. They will learn about the process of writing a recipe and compare this to playing a game of football. Students will have the opportunity to write and/or storyboard their ideas, complete a peer editing session and will reflect on the process of recipe writing in addition to the benefits of cooking and healthy eating.
Learning objectives
1. Demonstrate an ability to write in the form of a recipe.
2. Take part in peer editing.
3. Understand the importance of healthy eating.
Stage 1 (Foundation - Year 2) | Stage 2 (Year 3-4) | Stage 3 (Year 5-6) |
Learning Intention | Learning Intention | Learning Intention |
Students will be able to design a recipe for healthy living. | Students will be able to design a clear, logical and healthy recipe of their own creation and organise their ideas in a mode of their choosing. | Students will be able to design a clear, logical and healthy recipe of their own creation and organise their ideas in a mode of their choosing. Students will also be able to conduct a peer editing session and reflect upon the process of writing their own recipe. |
Success Criteria | Success Criteria | Success Criteria |
I can design a recipe for healthy living. | I can design a clear, logical and healthy recipe. I can organise my ideas through storyboarding, flowcharts, writing or a combination of these modes. | I can design a clear, logical and healthy recipe. I can organise my ideas through storyboarding, flowcharts, writing or a combination of these modes. I can reflect upon the process of writing my own healthy recipe. |
These student-facing presentations provide direct slide content for learning to support the teaching of all five lessons in the Coles Healthy Kicks unit. Presentations are split into the three stages.