Children think positively about ways in which we can help to improve the lives of people who lack food security. Thinking about our responsibilities as world citizens, children discuss ways of campaigning to change the causes of lack of food in Africa.

Children begin to consider issues determining food security. This session helps them to understand that food security is not only an issue for African counties but is a global issue also affecting us here. Children work in groups to discuss different causes.

Children return to the notion of a staple food. They look at uncooked couscous grain and discuss how this grain is a staple of much of North Africa and Middle East. Then children cook vegetable Tagine and enjoy eating it!

Children discuss how all cultures have celebrations and festivals – special days in which special foods are eaten and shared. In parts of West Africa a child’s 5th birthday is special as many do not live to be five. Children make fried plantain and decorate plates.

In this session, we identify and describe fruits grown in sub-Saharan Africa. The need for fruit as part of a healthy diet is discussed and children taste some tropical fruits. Children follow a recipe to make Cameroon banana bread.

Children are introduced to the idea that there are some staple foods which exist in all cultures. These are usually carbohydrates, and in many African countries they consist of foods made from Maize or corn. Children make fufu.

Investigate the climate of the UK and different parts of Africa. Consider how the weather affects our daily lives – clothes, homes, transport, food, etc. Keep a weather chart to swap with your link school or research climate change in UK and Africa. Suitable for years 5 and 6.

Consider where the food that we eat comes from. Grown at home, locally or in another country? Discuss food miles. Who does the shopping, cooking, washing up? Where does the water come from? Cook a meal/dish and write the recipe to send to your link school. Suitable for years 5 and 6.

Sketch maps of the local area and plans of homes and other places will help their link school friends understand the children’s daily lives as described in their diaries. Look at OS maps and street plans. Children use symbols and a key to clarify their maps and plans. Suitable for years 5 and 6.

Listen carefully to some children in Ghana describing their home town or use descriptions from your link school friends of their town. Imagine the teacher and some children from your link school are going to visit your town! Describe the places they should visit. Suitable for years 5 and 6.

The global well is in trouble – not enough water to go around. Take action to conserve water! Children use ‘clue stations’ to discover water-saving tips, working out how much water they would save. They are set homework to log water use at home over 3 days. Suitable for years 5 and 6.

Discover where in Africa your link school is (or use a child described in a book as your link). Imagine you are going to visit and plan the journey you would make. Draw the route on maps or create a journey timeline including distances, mode of travel, etc. Suitable for years 5 and 6.

Children research the impact of dirty water on health. They present research to the class and identify the biggest killer diseases. Opportunity here to link back to the water topic, and understanding of a preventable disease. Suitable for years 5 and 6.

Dramatic changes to people’s lives occur when access to clean, safe water and latrine facilities are brought to a community. Children discuss ‘The Long Walk Is Over’ and read Amina’s story. They make ‘before and ‘after’ diary entries for her, expressing this change. Suitable for years 5 and 6.

Using an informative and clear leaflet downloaded from WaterAid, children read and discuss how children in parts of Africa are affected by lack of clean water and sanitation. Facts are collected before creating own posters and leaflets entitled ‘Children and Water’. Suitable for years 5 and 6.

Find out about children’s experience of water all around the world using Oxfam’s Our World Of Water and compare with life in the UK. In a similar style to the book, children create a ‘scrapbook’ page comparing their lives with Khadija or Gamuchu from Africa. Suitable for years 5 and 6.

Imagine that all the water on Earth came from one well! Children learn that the amount of water on our planet never changes and that we are all connected by the way we draw water from the same source. Children then convey this understanding through poetry. Suitable for years 5 and 6.

Following their personal choices in session 1, children research the countries they identified. They mark physical features on their maps, including rivers, lakes, deserts and mountains. They also identify the oceans and seas. Suitable for years 5 and 6.

Children look closely at the continent of Africa. They recognise that it is a huge and diverse land with many different countries and widely varying landscapes and climates. They take 1/2 countries each and create a huge collage-map of Africa. Suitable for years 5 and 6.

Using Madagascan Chameleons as a model, show children how they can focus upon particularly interesting aspects of their chosen creature. They will need to write an explanation of this feature. Model this using the chameleon’s camouflage. Suitable for years 5 and 6.