Recipe Following Fun

Overview

This vibrant 60-minute session invites Year 3 students to engage practically with a simple oat-based snack recipe, reinforcing their skills in measuring, cutting, and teamwork while linking closely with UK national curriculum standards in Design & Technology (DT). This hands-on lesson nurtures practical life skills, a taste for healthy eating, and reflective thinking through evaluation.

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Curriculum Links

Design & Technology – Key Stage 2 (Years 3 & 4):

• Develop practical skills to prepare and cook dishes safely and hygienically with a wider variety of ingredients.
• Understand seasonality, and know where and how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught, and processed.
• Apply understanding of nutrition and healthy eating to design and make healthy products.
• Evaluate ideas and products against design criteria.

Mathematics – Measurement (Year 3):

• Measure, compare, add and subtract: lengths/masses/volumes/capacities.
• Use standard units for volume and mass within simple contexts.

Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE):

• Understand the importance of a balanced diet and making healthy choices.
• Foster collaboration and responsibility within groups.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, pupils will:

1. Follow a simple oat snack recipe, applying measuring and safe cutting techniques.
2. Collaborate effectively in pairs or small groups.
3. Understand basic food hygiene and safety.
4. Evaluate the outcome, discussing taste, texture, and possible improvements.
5. Reflect on how following a recipe supports making healthy food choices.

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Resources Needed

• Oat base ingredients (oats, honey, dried fruit, seeds, etc.) – pre-portioned
• Bowls, spoons, mixing utensils
• Measuring scales (g) and measuring spoons
• Plastic knives and chopping boards
• Individual small snack containers or paper cases for their groups’ creations
• Cleaning supplies (wipes, hand sanitiser)
• Printed recipe sheets with visual cues for each step
• Voice timer or visual timer

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Lesson Structure

Time	Activity	Details & Teacher Guidance
0-5 min	Engage & Review	Recap what they know about oats and healthy snacks from previous lessons. Use quick Q&A. Highlight today’s focus on following a recipe.
5-10 min	Safety & Hygiene Briefing	Demonstrate handwashing, explain knife safety rules, and hygiene while cooking. Emphasise teamwork and taking turns.
10-20 min	Measuring Ingredients	Model how to measure oats, honey, seeds using scales and spoons. Pupils work in pairs to measure out their ingredients precisely. Teacher circulates to assist and encourage accurate measuring.
20-40 min	Snack Preparation & Assembly	Pupils use plastic knives and chopping boards to prepare any dried fruit (e.g. chopped dates or apricots) using safe techniques taught previously. Mix and combine all ingredients as per the recipe. Encourage adult volunteers or teaching assistants to help monitor safety and hygiene.
40-50 min	Snack Sharing & Tasting	Pupils present their snacks in their groups. Encourage tasting with reflection prompts: “What do you like about the texture?”, “Is it sweet enough?”, “What could we add or change next time?”
50-60 min	Evaluation & Reflection	Lead discussion based on taste and texture observations. Record simple feedback on their recipe sheet: thumbs up/down, smiley face scale. Summarise how following a recipe helps make healthy snacks. Link to the upcoming final lesson where they’ll create their own healthy oat recipes.

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Thinking Outside the Box

• Mystery Ingredient Twist: For groups who finish early, challenge them to suggest and draw a mystery healthy ingredient they’d like to add next time. This sparks creativity and planning skills.
• Recipe Relay: Turn preparation into a fun relay where pairs pass measured ingredients to each other before mixing. This builds teamwork and coordination.
• Texture Science: Brief hands-on exploration of textures before tasting — e.g., feel oats vs. chopped fruit — linking to sensory learning.
• Digital Recipe Snapshot: Use a tablet or camera to capture a photo of their finished snack. Display in the classroom or print as a recipe card for the children’s digital portfolio, encouraging a sense of pride and ownership.

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Assessment

• Informal assessment through teacher observation of measuring skills and safe handling.
• Use the evaluation reflections to gauge understanding of taste and texture concepts.
• Observe peer collaboration and communication during practical tasks.

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Differentiation

• Support: Provide visual step-by-step cards with pictures for pupils who need additional support.
• Extension: Encourage more confident pupils to assist in explaining recipe steps or measuring quantities in grams and millilitres, reinforcing numeracy.
• Inclusion: Offer adapted tools (e.g., adapted knives) for children who need them and pair mixed ability groups to encourage peer support.

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Cross-Curricular Links

• Science: Discuss briefly how oats come from oats plants and the journey from field to table, connecting to plant life cycles studied in science.
• Maths: Practise measurement and number skills while weighing/mixing ingredients.
• PSHE: Enhance understanding of healthy lifestyle and making positive food choices.

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Notes for the Teacher

• Ensure all allergies are accounted for before the lesson: prepare ingredient alternatives where necessary.
• Reinforce patience and listening skills by modelling clear, calm instructions.
• Maintain hygiene rules firmly as this is crucial for health and safety.

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This lesson inspires practical engagement with food technology while embedding maths, science, and PSHE in an active, collaborative environment aligned with UK curriculum expectations. It builds valuable life skills and enthusiasm for healthy eating through hands-on experience and reflective thinking.