Around 90 pupils from a Bournemouth primary school were taught the importance of vegetables for their health and the planet at an event led by BU聽academics.
The 鈥楻ainbow of Vegetable Literacy鈥� event saw 7-8 year-old pupils from Hill View Primary Academy participate in a quiz, make vegetable art, taste a selection of prepared veg and plant a crop of their own.
Dr Jeff Bray, one of the organisers of the event, said: 鈥淢any of the children we worked with didn鈥檛 have strong knowledge of vegetables or the variety of different ways that we can eat them and already by the age of 7 had formed some strong preferences.
鈥淔or example, many said they didn鈥檛 like broad bean, however, when we asked them to try this vegetable prepared in a different way they did like them.鈥�
The event was a part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science, a celebration of the social sciences committed to promoting awareness of research to new audiences.
Two BU projects - VeggiEAT and Veg+ - have researched factors related to increased vegetable consumption and the need to target primary-age children.
The ESRC Festival of Social Science funding provided gardening equipment and every child was able to plant a broad bean seed, and will be able to follow its germination and growth through to harvest in the summer.
One pupil, aged 7, said: 鈥淚 learnt that I like the fried version of a broad bean. I also learnt that a banana tree can grow as tall as me in one week.鈥�
Pupils also took part in an interactive vegetable quiz and designed a sign for their new 鈥榓llotment鈥� - 聽the best designs will be professionally printed. The academics will return to the school in December to present these signs and see how their seedlings are growing.
Dr Bray said: 鈥淭he children were all super enthusiastic about the afternoon and will enjoy seeing their plants grow through to harvest through the school year.鈥�
He added: 鈥淭he event was a great opportunity to see first-hand the impact that our research can have and has already led to discussions around the development of the next research grant application.鈥�
After the session the class had the opportunity to give their own written feedback. One 7-year-old commented: 鈥淚 learnt that if you don鈥檛 like something you can鈥檛 give up on it.鈥�
