Put on your lab coat and become a Food Detective! In this engaging STEM incursion, students investigate the science behind the food we eat through a series of exciting hands-on missions. From exploring food under a digital microscope to experimenting with simple food chemistry, students discover how science, technology and agriculture work together to produce safe, healthy and nutritious food while developing curiosity, investigation skills and scientific thinking.
Mission 1 – FarmBot Challenge
Students become agricultural engineers as they program Edison robots to navigate a farm-themed challenge mat. Using coding and problem-solving skills, they complete farming missions such as planting crops, collecting produce and transporting food from the farm.
Mission 2 – Microscopic Food Lab
Students become food scientists as they investigate a variety of everyday foods using digital microscopes. They observe textures, structures and patterns that cannot be seen with the naked eye, comparing their observations and discussing how different foods are made up of unique structures.
Mission 3 – Farm to Table VR Adventure
Students experience the incredible journey of food through an immersive virtual reality experience. From farms and orchards to factories, supermarkets and homes, students explore how food is grown, harvested, processed and delivered before reaching our plates.
Mission 4 – Kitchen Chemistry
Students investigate how different ingredients react when combined through simple, safe food science experiments. They observe changes, make predictions and discuss the science behind everyday cooking and food preparation.
Mission 5 – Sugar Detectives
Students investigate the amount of sugar hidden in a variety of popular food and drink products. By comparing nutrition labels and measuring sugar quantities, they discover how making informed food choices can support a healthy lifestyle.
Students Will
- Develop coding and computational thinking skills using Edison robots.
- Investigate the microscopic structures of everyday foods using digital microscopes.
- Explore the journey of food from production to consumption through virtual reality.
- Conduct simple food science experiments and observe chemical changes.
- Interpret food labels and investigate the sugar content of common foods and drinks.
- Strengthen inquiry, collaboration and problem-solving skills through authentic STEM investigations.
- Develop a greater understanding of how science and technology contribute to healthy food production and informed food choices.