​How does our food affect the planet?

DAILY NEW FREE ONLINE CONTENT AIMED AT KIDS, FOR JUNE 2020​
​
We set up the Take a Bite out of Climate Change (TakeABiteCC) project to share widely the scientific consensus about how food and agriculture contribute to climate change. We try to provide easily accessible information and fun activities, and help citizens understand how they can help.  You can find out more about who is involved and the resources we have created throughout these webpages.

Check out the schedule

 Find out more about the plan - a flyer to share! 

Theme 1: From Planet to Plate

How can what we humans eat affect the climate of the future?

Theme 1 - Go monday
get curious

Theme 1 - Work-it-Out Tuesday
Get Active

Tell me how it works!
understand the activity worksheets

ACTIVITY WORKSHEET
print it out and have a go

Worksheet walkthrough video 
follow estefani doing the acti​vity

Winner of the week
Callum Scott, Age 13, Kingussie High School

​We love your completed Work-it-out Tuesday activity sheet! Congratulations! We're really impressed at how you've then made comparisons and even thought about how you can help reduce emissions. So you get the prize of a pack of Climate Food Flashcards.

Theme 1 - INTERVIEW Wednesday
Hear from world experts

Theme 1 - From planet to plate interview with James Hand

Theme 1 - From planet to plate interview with Prof Pete Smith

Theme 1 - From planet to plate interview with Prof Dave Reay

Interview video 
​with Prof Pete Smith (University of Aberdeen)​

Theme 1: Q&A Thursday

 Answering your great questions with Dave Reay (University of Edinburgh), Lucy Yates (Public Engagement Manager for the Wellcome funded Livestock, Environment and People project, University of Oxford) and James Hand (Co-Founder of Giki)!

Theme 1: Showcase Friday

Showcasing your work with Takeabitecc Team members Fran Harris (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine), Melissa Lord (former physics teacher), Alana Kluczkovski and Beckie Lait (both University of Manchester).

details and references

For details and references for Theme 1 facts you can find more here.

Theme 2: at the farm

Crops, cows and chickens - how growing our food can make a difference
Monday 9th June to Friday 12th June

 Theme 2 - Go Monday
Get curious

Theme 2 - work-it-out Worksheet
Get active

Activity worksheet
Print it out and have a go

Worksheet walkthrough video
Follow Pablo doing the activity

WINNER OF THE WEEK
Year 6 - Lunt’s Heath primary school

Congratulations year 6! Well done for the amazing rap song as well as the pictures with the balloons!!!  It looks like such a fun way of using balloons to represent different amounts of methane. They have also done the activity sheet too! You have done so much brilliant work this week that Mr Crook had to cut it into a collage! We'll be sending you some professionally printed Climate Food Flashcards!

 THEME 2 - INTERVIEW WEDNESDAY
HEAR FROM WORLD EXPERTS

Theme 2 - At the farm interview with Matt Holl

Theme 2 - At the farm interview with India Langley

Theme 2 - At the farm interview with Dr Michelle Cain

INTERVIEW VIDEO 
with Dr john lynch (University of Oxford)

Theme 2 - Q&A Thursday

 We put your questions to experts Michelle Cain (University of Cranfield), Maia Elliot UK Global Food Security Programme), Harriet Henrick (National Farmers Union), Katherine Denby (University of York) and Dave Johnson (University of Manchester).

Theme 2 - Showcase friday

Showcasing your work with Takeabitecc Team members Zoe Woffenden (teacher, Fairway Primary School), Joanne Cook , Alana Kluczkovski and Beckie Lait (all University of Manchester).

details and references

For details and references for Theme 2 facts, you can find more here.

Theme 3: At the shops

Can we make our shopping trolley more climate-friendly?
​Monday 15th June to Friday 19th June

THEME 3 - GO MONDAY
​Get curious

THEME 3 - WORK-IT-OUT WORKSHEET
Get active

ACTIVITY WORKSHEET
PRINT IT OUT AND HAVE A GO

WORKSHEET WALKTHROUGH VIDEO
Follow Estefani doing the activity

WINNER OF THE WEEK
 fairway PRIMARY SCHOOL

Thank you very much for completing the activity sheet, the bonus activities too and for sending over all the amazing pictures!!! Congratulations! We see that is important to know when things grow and where. We can not only reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with transport but also we could potentially avoid some food packaging. If we don’t need to transport food from long distances, then some packaging can be avoided.

THEME 3 - INTERVIEW WEDNESDAY
HEAR FROM WORLD EXPERTS

Theme 3 - At the shops interview with Monia Niero

Theme 3 - At the shops interview with Rene Meijer

Theme 3 - At the shops interview with Christina Potter

INTERVIEW VIDEO 
​with Dr Monia Niero
​Aalborg University

THEME 3 - Q&A THURSDAY

We put your questions to experts Ximena Schmidt  and Eleni Iacovidou (Brunnel University London), Christina Potter (University of Oxford) and Laurence Stamford (University of Manchester).

THEME 3 - SHOWCASE FRIDAY

Showcasing your work with Takeabitecc Team members Mr Matt Crook (teacher,  School), Xime Schmidt (Brunel University London), Alana Kluczkovski and Jade Ajagun-Brauns (University of Manchester).

DETAILS AND REFERENCES

For details and references for Theme 3 facts, you can find more here.

Theme 4: at home

Making lunches that are better for the planet.
​Monday 22 June to Friday 26th June

THEME 4 - GO MONDAY
​GET CURIOUS

THEME 4 - WORK-IT-OUT WORKSHEET
GET ACTIVE

ACTIVITY WORKSHEET
PRINT IT OUT AND HAVE A GO

WORKSHEET WALKTHROUGH VIDEO
FOLLOW PAblo and ESTEFANI DOING THE ACTIVITY

THEME 4 - INTERVIEW WEDNESDAY
HEAR FROM WORLD EXPERTS

Theme 4 - At home interview with Angelina Frankowska

Theme 4 - At home interview with Christian Reynolds

Theme 4 - At home interview with chef Az Ahmed

INTERVIEW VIDEO 
​WITH chef Az Ahmed

THEME 4 - Q&A THURSDAY

We put your questions to experts Ro Randall (psychotherapist on climate change), Christian Reynolds (City University London), Jacqueline Silva (University of Sao Paulo), Angelina Frankowska and Sarah Bridle (both University of Manchester).

THEME 4 - SHOWCASE FRIDAY

Showcasing your work with Takeabitecc Team members Xime Schmidt (Brunel University London), Alana Kluczkovski and Beckie Lait and Carla Martins (all University of Manchester).

DETAILS AND REFERENCES

For details and references for Theme 4 facts, you can find more here.

WINNER OF THE WEEK
YEAR 6 - LUNT’S HEATH PRIMARY SCHOOL

Thank you very much for sending in the amazing video kids made using the Food Climate Flashcards!! Congratulations! Mr Crook also sent in another video made to think about the use of plastic bottles. This is a great way of telling an important issue. Check it out here. Kids also worked on a story highlighting the damage being caused to the natural world by plastic consumption and plastic pollution by the human population. Check it out here. 

Final week

wrap-up q&A

This Q&A we’re focusing on questions that go beyond what we can do as individuals - to talk about what we can ask of the people who run the country. We put your questions to experts Lynne Bianchi (Great Science Share for Schools Director) and Sarah Bridle (University of Manchester), Julian Huppert (Jesus College Cambridge), Ian Boyd (Chief Scientific Adviser, Defra 2012-2019).

WRAP-UP Showcase

Showcasing your work and discussing what we've learnt with all Takeabitecc Team members and Mr Crook (Lunt's Heath Primary School), Mrs Woffenden (Fairway Primary School).

two stories from Ro Randall

This activity sheet provides tips on talking to family members about climate and dietary change using stories to help getting us to understand when is a good time to approach adults and/or decision makers about these issues.

More...

We're taking part in the Great Science Share #GreatSciShare by releasing a bonus worksheet! Try it out and tell us how you got on via #TakeABiteAtHome or [email protected] 

Mental health warning

We asked Dr Chantal Basson her thoughts on how these materials could adversely affect the mental health of young people. We are very grateful for her advice. 

Dr Chantal Basson
Lead Consultant Clinical Psychologist for Children
Healthy Young Minds (CAMHS)
Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust

Chantal says: "Understanding the environmental impact of how we live our day to day lives, including what we eat, is becoming increasingly important. Feeling able to impact the world in which we live can be empowering for young people, especially at a time during lockdown where young people have very little control. It has also been of paramount importance to understand the impact that the coronavirus lockdown has had on the mental health of children and young people.

​If food and eating feels like it's taking over your life then it may be becoming a problem. If a member of your family has difficulties with food, especially if they are currently restricting their food intake or have done so in the past then, from a mental health perspective, we would recommend that you don't use these resources."

Chantal adds "If you are worried, you can talk to your GP surgery over the phone or look at these resources for help.
https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/for-parents/parents-guide-to-support-a-z/parents-guide-to-support-eating-problems/

Here is a really good resource for childhood anxiety during corona-virus
https://www.annafreud.org/media/11544/coronavirus-research-bite-1-self-management-for-anxiety.pdf "

The TakeaBiteAtHome project is coordinated by the following Takeabitecc Team members: Beckie Lait (videos), Alana Kluczkovski (worksheets), Melissa Lord (schools liaison), Sarah Bridle (theme 1), Joanne Cook (theme 2), Ximena Schmidt (theme 3), Carla Adriano Martins (theme 4), with input from the Takeabitecc Team. We are grateful to Ben Dare for proofreading and Carys Lavin for making the calendar, Estefani and Pablo Guimaraes for starring the walking throughout videos, as well as everyone who contributed to developing the materials so far  - see our acknowledgements page for more details, including our funders.

Why now?

Now we’re locked-down at home we are  thinking more about food than ever before. We want to help you learn how food reaches our plates, and how different choices contribute to how the climate changes in the future. We have taken our ideas to many places, such as India and Brazil, but now want them on line with you in your home 

Who we are

The Takeabitecc Team is a group of scientists who are all concerned about how food contributes to climate change. We are not pushing for a particular solution, but would like everyone who decides to produce or to buy a particular food to be able to know about its greenhouse gas impact.