Whether you like tennis, cricket, horse racing or football, there’s a sport for everyone in June. This blog links food and fun to produce exciting lesson plans and ideas.

Plan a World Cup themed lesson

It seems like the whole world has gone football crazy, so why not treat your class to a food technology lesson with a world cup theme.

You could use our breakfast poster, which you can get your hands on by emailing grainchain@nabim.org.uk, to   teach children about the different breakfasts that are eaten around the world.

Explain that England Captain, Steven Gerrard and the lads, will most likely be eating a South African breakfast of porridge, cereal, eggs or fruit- perfect for giving them enough energy to take on the world!

England coach, Fabio Capello on the other hand may still favour his traditional Italian breakfast of coffee with milk and a bread roll with butter, jam or fruit marmalade.

If you are a food technology teacher looking for some fun practical ideas, why not cook popular flour or bread based meals that people like to eat in some of the World Cup countries? You could try creating an Italian pizza using our recipe for pizza dough which can be found at the following link www.grainchain.com/Recipes/perfect-pizza. Simply create a basic Margherita (cheese and tomato) pizza, chop some cherry tomatoes in half or use chopped red peppers instead and place onto the pizza in the shape of a cross to create the England Flag.

Alternatively you could make a Swiss fondu (a pot of melted cheese in which diners dip pieces of bread) or Mexican flour tortillas, which you could use to make fajitas. For something a bit more exotic, you could try baking Ghanaian gari biscuits or Slovenian potica (nut bread).

Wicked Wimbledon!

If football isn’t your thing, and you prefer something a bit more leisurely, then the Wimbledon Tennis Championships have just kicked off. It’s a typically British affair, where strawberries and cream, picnics with soggy cheese and tomato sandwiches, rain and of course, Cliff Richard, all come into the public eye again. So this fortnight, why not focus your food technology lessons around traditional English picnic food – soggy sandwiches not included!

Designing a sandwich using pre-sliced wrapped loaves makes a fun activity for younger children or alternatively, older children may enjoy the challenge of baking their own bread, then using that to make their sandwich recipe. Our “Super Sandwich” worksheet which is aimed at children aged five to seven, can be found by clicking the following link www.grainchain.com/Downloads/5-7/Fun/SuperSandwiches_5-7.pdf.  Furthermore, it’s in a Microsoft Word format, which can be edited to suit the age and ability range of your class.

Did you know?

• Sliced bread was first introduced into the UK in the 1930s.
• Bread provides useful amounts of carbohydrates, B vitamins, protein and calcium. White flour is fortified with calcium, iron, thiamin and niacin. So despite some claims in the media, bread is really good for you – it’s the spreads and fillings which can increase the calories and fat content.

And the Inspire! winners are…

We were really pleased with the quality of the entries that we received from entrants of our Inspire! competition. It was great to see so many inspiring entries in such a range of media and from across the whole of the UK including the Channel Islands. However, our finalists are…

• Ralph Allen School in Bath (England)
• Ysgol uwchradd caergybi in Holyhead (Wales)
• Hitchin Girls School in Hertfordshire (England)
• Braeview Academy in Dundee (Scotland)
• St Louise’s Comprehensive College in Belfast (Northern Island)
• Le Murier School in Guernsey (Channel Islands)

All are in with the chance of winning £1500 for their school. To find out who wins, be sure to come back to this page.

Join us on Twitter!

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Food baffles children

A study by the British Trust of Conservation Volunteers has shown that this generation of children do not know how their food grows or where their food comes from. Eight out of ten adults worry about how little children know about their food. It means that many children are growing up not knowing what is in the foods that they are eating- which is a shame as bread is not only really tasty but also really healthy and a great source of many different vitamins and minerals.

Under all of the age group sections on our website, we have resources including information sheets, videos and interactive whiteboard activities to teach children about how grain is grown and made into bread. We also have bread making recipes in our recipe section which you could use to create a follow up lesson: www.grainchain.com/Recipes/bread-rolls.

Did you come to the School Farm and Country Fair in Ipswich on Wednesday 21st April?

It was a great day out for children and grown-ups alike with a wide variety of interesting displays and stands. There was no chance of going hungry as our young visitors learnt how to make bread rolls with the Grain Chain team and our master baker, Anthony Kindred. Our grain art stand, where children could make pictures using a variety of different grains, also proved popular with the schools who visited the fair.

If you didn’t get the chance to come, why not try our recipe for bread rolls which can be found by clicking here: www.grainchain.com/Recipes/bread-rolls.

Bank holiday activities for children

The early spring bank holiday is only a week away and the weather looks set to be great so why not spend some time outdoors. Activities such as Frisbee or kwik cricket are great fun for all the family- why not pack a picnic and make a day of it?

Baking is also a fantastic way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. Our recipe section on the website, www.grainchain.com/Recipes has some great, easy to make, recipes ranging from tasty treats and cool snacks to brilliant breakfasts and yummy meals. Why not try them out?

Short of cash? Did you know that many museums and art galleries in London are free? If on the other hand you fancy something a bit more lively, there are loads of vouchers about for theme parks and other attractions. An internet search for vouchers should do the trick. Make sure you take a healthy packed lunch with you to avoid the expensive, shop bought options.

You now have even longer to submit your Inspire! Entries

We’ve extended the deadline for entries to 5 May, so you now have even longer to perfect your lesson plans and send them to us for your chance to win £1500 for your school. See www.grainchain.com/inspire for more information.

Don’t miss the chance to win £1500 for your school

You have just nine days to enter our Inspire! Competition for a chance to win £1500 for your school! Entries need to be received no later than 20 April. The winner and five finalists will be invited to an awards ceremony and BBQ lunch at Kensington Roof Gardens in London on 25 June where celebrity baker Paul Hollywood will be giving a baking demonstration so you could learn from one of the best! Take a look on www.grainchain.com/competition to find out more and download an entry form.

Are you going to the School Farm and Country Fair?

It’s the 10^th anniversary of the School Farm and Country Fair, which is taking place on 21 April at Trinity Park, Ipswich. Since it began in 2001, more than 40,000 7–9 year olds have enjoyed getting their hands dirty and learning about where their food comes from. The Grain Chain will be there on the day doing a baking demonstration where children can get involved and make bread rolls with us. Children will also be able to make grain art. To find out more visit www.suffolkshow.co.uk. We hope to see you there!

St George’s Day is on Friday 23 April

St George is the Patron Saint of England. He is believed to have been born in A.D. 270 in Cappadocia, which is now known as Eastern Turkey. At the age of 17 he joined the Roman army, where he was known for his bravery. Although he served under a pagan emperor, he never forgot his Christian faith and when the emperor began persecuting Christians, he pleaded with him to stop. The emperor ignored his pleas and it is thought that St George was tortured before being beheaded in Palestine on 23 April A.D. 303.

Did you know…?

• That St George is also the patron saint of several different countries including Ethiopia, Albania, Greece, Portugal and Russia as well as cities including Beirut, Genoa and Moscow. St Georges Day was a major feast and national holiday in England from the 15^th century which was on a par with Christmas. However this tradition stopped in the 18^th century.

Super suggestion…

Why not celebrate by creating your own feast? You could cook traditional English food such as roast beef and Yorkshire puddings or steak and kidney pie.

Have you entered our Inspire! competition?

You’ve only got a couple of weeks left to enter our competition to win £1500 for your school. It’s simple to enter – all you have to do is submit an inspiring lesson plan based around cooking with flour. Take a look on www.grainchain.com/competition to find out more and download an entry form.

It’s Easter!

We all know and love hot cross buns but what is the history and tradition behind them?

Some people used to believe that a hot cross bun eaten on Good Friday (the day that Jesus was crucified) would protect their homes from fire. Some Christians believe that the cross on the top of the bun represents the cross that Jesus died on.

Did you know…?

Every year on Good Friday, a hot cross bun ceremony takes place at The Widow’s Son pub in London. A Royal Navy sailor hangs a bun from one of the old wooden beams. A religious service then takes place which is followed by singing and drinking. But why do they do this? The story is that a widow and her only son who was a sailor in the Navy lived in a cottage on the site of the pub. He was due to return home on Good Friday (said to be in 1824) and had asked his mother to bake him some hot cross buns. Sadly he never returned.

But every Good Friday from then on, his mother had a new bun waiting for him. She kept all of the buns from previous years and when she died, the buns were found hanging from a beam in her cottage.

Have you entered our Inspire! competition?

There’s just over a month to go so don’t forget to send us your entries by 20 April to be in with a chance of winning £1500 for your school. Take a look on www.grainchain.com/competition to find out more and download an entry form.

St Patrick’s Day is on Wednesday 17 March

On 17 March, the Irish celebrate St Patrick’s Day. St Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and is one of Christianity’s most widely known figures. Historians know that he was born to wealthy parents at the end of the 4^th century. It is thought that he died around 17 March 460 A.D.

For several years he was held captive by Irish raiders and it was during this time that he became a devout Christian. He tried to incorporate native Irish beliefs into the religion to encourage people to follow it, for example, lighting a bonfire to celebrate Easter as traditionally the Irish honoured their gods with fire.

Why don’t you join in the celebrations and bake some Irish soda bread? You can find the recipe here.

Super tip!

Try adding two teaspoons of cinnamon, one teaspoon of nutmeg and half a teaspoon of allspice for a spicy treat, or adding currants or herbs.

Have you reserved your tickets for the Education Show 2010?  Now in its 20^th year the show will take place between 4-6 March at the NEC Birmingham.  For further information and to register visit www.education-show.com

With less than two months to go, don’t miss out on the opportunity to enter the Inspire! competition!  With a closing date of 20 April, now is the perfect opportunity to enter this exciting competition to ensure your school is in with a chance to win a prize of £1500.  It is extremely simple to enter, and to find out more and download an entry form visit www.grainchain.com/competition.

Mothering Sunday 14 March has been celebrated in the UK on the fourth Sunday in Lent since at least the 16^th century.  It is a time when children say thank you to their mothers by giving them a gift and a card or perhaps take them breakfast in bed.  Did you know that Mothering Sunday is also sometimes known as Simnel Sunday because of the tradition of baking Simnel cakes?

This year Mothering Sunday is on 14 March but is not on a fixed date each year because it is always the middle Sunday in Lent (which lasts from Ash Wednesday to the day before Easter Sunday).  Around the world, the most popular date for celebrating Mother’s day is the second Sunday in May, but many countries have their own traditions with different dates.

For more ideas on the perfect breakfast click on the recipes below:

Scrambled egg and bacon baskets

Fruity porridge