Session 8

Leaders' Guide


Session 1

Super smoothie

Session 2

Tasty toast

Session 3

Delicious dips and dippers

Session 4

Scrummy scones

Session 5

Perfect plant salad

Session 6

Picturesque pizza

Session 7

Fabulous fruit salad

Session 8

Great green soup

Session 9

Pleasing pasta

Session 10

Brilliant bread

Session 11

Fantastic fish

Session 12

Splendid sandwich

Great green soup

Session overview
The aim of this session is to help children understand that there are many different types of vegetables, and that eating lots of different vegetables helps to keep us healthy. They will learn that soup is a dish which can be made from vegetables. The main activity, ‘Have a go’, involves the children helping to make a vegetable soup by washing and preparing a selection of different vegetables.

Listen and respond
In advance of the session, ask each of the children to bring in a vegetable to be added to a soup. Referring to the Great green soup recipe, make a list of vegetables for the parents/carers to sign up to. This is a good way of involving the parents in what the children are doing and giving the children ownership of their work. However, if it is not possible, you can always provide the vegetables. The children will be making the soup in groups of 4, so it might be useful to place the children in these groups, in advance, to ensure each group has the correct vegetables. Bring in a few additional vegetable in case any of the children forget.
In addition, bring a few unusual vegetables, not in the recipe, for discussion, e.g. butternut squash. Prepare any cooking ingredients and equipment in advance.
What you will need is listed on the Great green soup recipe. Explain to the children that you will be making a vegetable soup. Question the children:

  • What is soup?
  • What does it look like?
  • What does it taste like?
  • What is soup made from?
  • How is it made?

Explain that vegetable soup is made with chopped vegetables and water. It is easy to make. Soup is a healthy meal because vegetables are good for our bodies and help us to stay healthy.

Show the different vegetables which have been bought in. Question the children:

  • What is this called?
  • What shape is it?
  • What does it feel like? (Allow some of the children to touch the vegetable being shown.)
  • What does this taste like?
  • How can it be prepared?

Explain that in this session we are looking at green vegetables, but to be healthy we need to eat a rainbow of different colour vegetables. This means we need vegetables of every colour, e.g. red, orange, purple, yellow and green. Go through several colours and ask the children to name vegetables which are this colour. Show some of the unusual vegetables you have bought in and repeat the questions above.

Explain that it is always important to wash fresh vegetables before we eat them. Demonstrate how to wash and prepare the vegetables.
Cover the following points:

  • Cut the courgette in half lengthways and show the children how to use a table knife to cut the courgette into semi circle slices. The courgette should be placed on the chopping board, flat side down, and they should keep their fingers away from the blade. They need to slice the courgette into similar sized pieces.
  • Slice the celery in half lengthways. The children can use kitchen scissors to snip
    the celery or use the knife as above.
  • Quarter and core the cabbage and show the children how to separate the
    leaves and cut strips using the scissors.
  • Explain that the stock cube will add flavour to the soup.

Have a go
Organise the children into groups of 4. Each group can take turns to work with an adult to make a soup. Make sure the children are ready to cook. Help the children wash the vegetables. Make the soup with the children following the techniques above. Allow the children to eat their soup when it is ready. Ask the children to describe what the soup tastes like. Do they like it? Ask the children what other vegetables they think would taste good in the soup.

Cut out the 4 bingo boards and laminate. You will need 16 counters. Give each player a bingo board showing 4 green vegetables. Check that the children can name all the vegetables on their board. Using the list below, call out each vegetable then pause to allow anyone with that vegetable to cover it with a counter. The winner is the first person to cover all their vegetables. Vegetables: Peas, courgettes, cabbage, celery, broccoli, beans, sprouts, leeks, bok choi.

At home

Pre 3
Use vegetables and paint to make some vegetable prints.
Read children stories about vegetables, e.g. I will not ever never eat a tomato (Lauren Child).
