The activity is in two parts, and in the second half, they design and make a salad and learn how to be creative with food colour, texture and flavour. Don't tell them about part two until they get to it. The reason for this is that the less adventurous children are then free to choose from a wide range of foods for their plant creation, rather than choosing what they already know they like. This activity works best when the children are able to sample a range of foods without pressure, fear or prejudice. Part One Show the children as varied a selection of plants that could be included raw in a salad as possible and identify their origin - root, stem, shoot, fruit, leaf, flower or seed.
Ensure foods are available to represent all plant parts.
A cultural mix is important. Check that no one has an allergy to any of the foods. Avoid using nuts or nut oils in dressings. Create as much variety and colour as possible, perhaps using yellow and orange peppers, radishes, sweetcorn, carrots, red cabbage, cherry tomatoes and differently coloured lettuce varieties. Fruit can also be included to good effect.