This activity is designed to help pupils become more aware of plants and how we use or interact with them in our everyday lives, by discussing the range of plants available to us and the different parts of the plant that are eaten.

It is based on an activity for KS1 pupils that takes place at Wakehurst Place. In the activity, pupils:

• see and become familiar with a range of fruit and vegetables
• handle and observe the texture, smell, and colour of different fresh plant foodstuffs
• relate some food sources to structures in the plant
• start to appreciate the names used by scientists and shopkeepers for some of these foods (e.g. “runner bean” – is it a fruit or a vegetable?)

Here we describe the activity in a way that you can adapt for use in your school, using food sources that are available in your area. The emphasis is on plants and the parts of plants, but plenty of other “cross-curricular” issues may be covered in the discussions.