Primary Science & Not fat, just fluffy FREE. Spring 2015 Newsletter 61

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1 CLEAPSS The support service for Science and Design Technology in primary schools Spring 2015 Newsletter 61 Primary Science & Technology Not fat, just fluffy FREE to all member primary schools & other members. In this issue: Which bird food mixtures are best for hungry birds? Keeping chickens Allergen information Working with micro-oragnisims Slime How do you use yours? The CLEAPSS Primary competition

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3 Observing animals can greatly enhance pupils understanding of Living things and their habitats / Animals including humans. The notes and (non-statutory) guidance in the Science programmes of study: key stages 1 and 2 National curriculum in England (2013) suggest They might observe changes in an animal over a period of time (for example, by hatching and rearing chicks), comparing how different animals reproduce and grow. Keeping chickens CLEAPSS guide L71 Incubating and Hatching Eggs provides guidance on chickens and other domestic birds. Before embarking on such a project, consider the following points to ensure the welfare of both pupils and animals: Ensure that someone involved is experienced in their housing, feeding, handling and care needs, or attends some training. Suitable and secure housing and containment must be provided for the animals and their other needs must be met. Animal care must be available at all times, including at weekends and over the holidays. Consider how long the animals will be kept. Where they will go if not kept permanently? Make sure that funding for looking after them will remain available as long as they are with you. Consider allergies and fears or phobias. Inform parents and ask about any concerns. And don t forget neighbours - not everyone likes to be woken by loud animals at the crack of dawn. Ensure the health and safety of pupils, staff and others who may come into contact with the animals. General good hygiene and good animal husbandry practice and arrangements are critical. The ASE guide Be Safe! also provides general guidance on keeping animals. membersarea/shop/details.asp?id =130 Check DEFRA web site regularly for current requirements. At the time of writing, DEFRA is not currently operating any bird flu protection zones, but does advise ensuring that kept birds are separated from contact with wild birds and their faeces. Local advice from a farmer, vet or other professional can be particularly valuable and may lead to offers of animals on loan or shared care. 4 Primary Science and Technology 61. Spring Support for Science and Technology Coordinators. Free to all LA members and other members.

4 Working with micro-organisms The Year 6 National Curriculum requires pupils to know that some living things are too small to see, these are micro-organisms. We have had several Helpline calls from teachers wishing to grow micro-organisms in agar plates to show the pupils the colonies. Each visible colony on an agar plate will contain large numbers of micro-organisms, some of which may cause disease. Primary schools generally do not have the equipment or expertise to handle or dispose of these agar plates safely. If teachers wish to carry out this activity, they must work closely with a local secondary school, so that the practical can be delivered safely. CLEAPSS can provide advice on how to deliver these practicals; phone our Helpline. Alternatives to growing micro-organisms on agar plates: For practical work with micro-organisms, several safe activities are described in CLEAPSS publications, and also the ASE/CLEAPSS publication Be Safe. - G190 Studying Microorganisms in Primary Schools - TL012b HSW and primary microbiology. For example, the activity below from TL012b HSW and primary microbiology, shows how pupils can make and then test yoghurt made using different types of UHT milk and a pot of natural yoghurt. These pictures show that yoghurt made with full fat milk supports both a plastic knife (front of picture) and a spoon (back). The other yoghurts can both support the spoon (which has a larger surface area), but not the knife. Yoghurt made with skimmed milk Yoghurt made with semiskimmed milk Yoghurt made with full fat milk This shows the effect the fat content in milk has on the texture of the yoghurt. Online resources can help pupils to learn about microorganisms, their uses and their dangers. For example, this Microbe Passports (from the Society for General microbiology) activity allows the pupils to look down a microscope, see and learn about the bacteria, fungi and viruses that are present in the world around them. The Rhinovirus passport describes the virus that causes the common cold. Website: It is important that pupils learn that it is only safe to grow useful micro-organisms, not those that could cause disease. Primary Science and Technology 61. Spring Support for Science and Technology Coordinators. Free to all LA members and other members. 5

5 On December 13th 2014 the requirement of notifying potential customers about the 14 main allergens that may be present in the food that they purchase came into force. This places a responsibility to display allergen information by anyone selling pre-packed and loose food, and to notify customers in a clear and consistent way. This should make it easier for customers to make informed decisions and safer choices when buying food or eating out. Although this does not directly affect the making of food in lessons, this could make an interesting learning opportunity for schools, as Cooking and Nutrition has now become a separate programme in the National Curriculum. Allergen information Cooking and Nutrition As part of their work with food, pupils should be taught how to cook and apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. Instilling a love of cooking in pupils will also open a door to one of the great expressions of human creativity. Learning how to cook is a crucial life skill that enables pupils to feed themselves and others affordably and well, now and in later life. Pupils should be taught to: Key stage 1 use the basic principles of a healthy and varied diet to prepare dishes understand where food comes from. Key stage 2 understand and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet prepare and cook a variety of predominantly savoury dishes using a range of cooking techniques understand seasonality, and know where and how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed. 14 Allergens Coming to a food label near you The way allergens are labelled on prepacked foods is changing because of new regulations. The Food Information Regulation, which comes into force in December 2014, introduces a requirement that food businesses must provide information about the allergenic ingredients used in any food they sell or provide. There are 14 major allergens which need to be mentioned (either on a label or through provided information such as menus) when they are used as ingredients in a food. Here are the allergens, and some examples of where they can be found: Celery 1 This includes celery stalks, leaves, seeds and the root called celeriac. You can find celery in celery salt, salads, some meat products, soups and stock cubes. Cereals containing gluten 2 Wheat (such as spelt and Khorasan wheat/kamut), rye, barley and oats is often found in foods containing flour, such as some types of baking powder, batter, breadcrumbs, bread, cakes, couscous, meat products, pasta, pastry, sauces, soups and fried foods which are dusted with flour. Crustaceans 3 Crabs, lobster, prawns and scampi are crustaceans. Shrimp paste, often used in Thai and south-east Asian curries or salads, is an ingredient to look out for. Eggs 4 Eggs are often found in cakes, some meat products, mayonnaise, mousses, pasta, quiche, sauces and pastries or foods brushed or glazed with egg. Fish 5 You will find this in some fish sauces, pizzas, relishes, salad dressings, stock cubes and Worcestershire sauce. Lupin 6 Yes, lupin is a flower, but it s also found in flour! Lupin flour and seeds can be used in some types of bread, pastries and even in pasta. Milk 7 Milk is a common ingredient in butter, cheese, cream, milk powders and yoghurt. It can also be found in foods brushed or glazed with milk, and in powdered soups and sauces. Molluscs 8 These include mussels, land snails, squid and whelks, but can also be commonly found in oyster sauce or as an ingredient in fish stews Mustard 9 Liquid mustard, mustard powder and mustard seeds fall into this category. This ingredient can also be found in breads, curries, marinades, meat products, salad dressings, sauces and soups. Nuts 10 Not to be mistaken with peanuts (which are actually a legume and grow underground), this ingredient refers to nuts which grow on trees, like cashew nuts, almonds and hazelnuts. You can find nuts in breads, biscuits, crackers, desserts, nut powders (often used in Asian curries), stir-fried dishes, ice cream, marzipan (almond paste), nut oils and sauces. Peanuts 11 Peanuts are actually a legume and grow underground, which is why it s sometimes called a groundnut. Peanuts are often used as an ingredient in biscuits, cakes, curries, desserts, sauces (such as satay sauce), as well as in groundnut oil and peanut flour. Sesame seeds 12 These seeds can often be found in bread (sprinkled on hamburger buns for example), breadsticks, houmous, sesame oil and tahini. They are sometimes toasted and used in salads. Soya 13 Often found in bean curd, edamame beans, miso paste, textured soya protein, soya flour or tofu, soya is a staple ingredient in oriental food. It can also be found in desserts, ice cream, meat products, sauces and vegetarian products. Sulphur dioxide (sometimes known as sulphites) 14 This is an ingredient often used in dried fruit such as raisins, dried apricots and prunes. You might also find it in meat products, soft drinks, vegetables as well as in wine and beer. If you have asthma, you have a higher risk of developing a reaction to sulphur dioxide. The National Curriculum states: At both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 pupils are expected to work with a healthy and varied diet healthy being the aspect that could be explored in this context of allergens in food. 8% of school pupils suffer from food allergies, some will grow out of their allergy, but for some there can be some real difficulties. There is some evidence that pupils who have food allergies may become the victims of bullying or suffer other negative attitudes from other pupils. Teaching about allergens may help to overcome some of these potential problems. Using the list of allergens to develop a healthy snack or an item for a party could be an interesting way to introduce the topic. It may also be a way of encouraging pupils to be understanding and supportive of other pupils who may suffer from allergies. A possible project for teaching could be a setting such as a party or a trip where the host would not necessarily be aware of the children attending and their possible allergies. This would be a way of getting the pupils to think about how they could develop an item for the party or trip that would not contain any of the allergens, or they could develop some way of communicating what is in their food to potential guests. As the weather should be getting a little better as we move toward Easter, the party or trip could be something that involves being outside, so the pupils could also be encouraged to think about how to transport their food items. This could involve other aspects of Design and Technology as well as Art or Science. This might also be something that could involve parents and others to support the learning in the classroom as parents of pupils with allergies may well be extremely knowledgeable about how to avoid being exposed to the hazards posed by certain foods. It may also be a way of encouraging pupils to teach each other and help to develop a positive approach to allergy avoidance. More advice can be found at the Food Standards Agency website: 6 Primary Science and Technology 61. Spring Support for Science and Technology Coordinators. Free to all LA members and other members. Primary Science and Technology 61. Spring Support for Science and Technology Coordinators. Free to all LA members and other members. 7

6 Slime How do you use yours? We have been receiving a number of Helpline calls here at CLEAPSS about the use of Slime in primary science. One of the issues with traditional slime is the use of Borax, although we gave a recipe which minimises these risks back in PST #51 (Autumn 2011), which you can download from our website. We are keen to find out how primary schools make use of Slime in teaching the Science curriculum and how you make it. We will then review where it is being used in the curriculum and how it is being made to review/adapt our method. Please send your thoughts, recipes, and ideas about slime to science@cleapss.org.uk We will send a free #CLEAPSSMug to the first 20 respondents! CLEAPSS The CLEAPSS Primary competition 2015 Dunking that doesn t take the biscuit At the end of a long healthy walk, there is nothing nicer than your favourite drink and a few biscuits to dunk in it. When you are ready for your end of walk treat it is very frustrating to find that your biscuits are just crumbs, or that they drop into your drink leaving nothing for you to taste. This year s competition could solve these annoying problems!! Healthy? Healthy? We would like the entrants to develop a biscuit that: could be carried on a long walk without crumbling contains healthy ingredients can be dunked in a drink without dropping into your drink tastes good is inexpensive The children will use their research to decide on a recipe, then make the biscuit and test it to see if it meets the brief above. We expect the entrants to submit a report that contains full information of all that they did, the qualities of the final biscuits and any modifications they made to improve the quality of the product. See the CLEAPSS website for full details. The closing date for the competition is 20th October 2015 This year s competition is sponsored by Scientific and Chemical Supplies Ltd. Primary Science and Technology is published termly by CLEAPSS. All CLEAPSS publications are available on our website. Give your school address including postcode and the name of your Local Authority if applicable, if ing. CLEAPSS The Gardiner Building Brunel Science Park Kingston Lane Uxbridge UB8 3P Tel: Fax/Ans: science@cleapss.org.uk Website: 8 Primary Science and Technology 61. Spring Support for Science and Technology Coordinators. Free to all LA members and other members.