°ä°ù³Ü²Ô³¦³ó&²¹³¾±è;³§¾±±è®

​Student with a tomato

​​​Developing healthy habits can help kids have better health an​d wellbeing throughout life. It can also help them do their best at school. Research suggests students who eat a healthy diet are more likely to:

  • ​concentrate better and retain more information
  • perform better academically
  • have better emotional, physical and social wellbeing.

However, many students are not eating nutritious meals each day or drinking enough water.

°ä°ù³Ü²Ô³¦³ó&²¹³¾±è;³§¾±±è® helps primary schools do this by supporting them to set a time each day in class for students to eat vegetables or fruit and drink water.​​

​"​​°ä°ù³Ü²Ô³¦³ó&²¹³¾±è;³§¾±±è® is having an impact on students’ learning and making a difference to children’s lunchboxes, which now often contain much healthier options."

​- Primary school teacher, ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø

How your school can get involved in Crunch&Sip

Your school can choose to have °ä°ù³Ü²Ô³¦³ó&²¹³¾±è;³§¾±±è® whenever it best fits your class timetable. Some schools hold °ä°ù³Ü²Ô³¦³ó&²¹³¾±è;³§¾±±è® at the same time across the whole school.

In other schools, teachers hold it when it suits their class schedule. Teachers can hold °ä°ù³Ü²Ô³¦³ó&²¹³¾±è;³§¾±±è® time while students continue their work. Or they can stop work and hold °ä°ù³Ü²Ô³¦³ó&²¹³¾±è;³§¾±±è® inside or outside the classroom. A dedicated local Health Promotion Officer (HPO) can help you put °ä°ù³Ü²Ô³¦³ó&²¹³¾±è;³§¾±±è® in place at your school. 

Contact ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Health’s Live Life Well @ School team on ²Ñ°¿±á-±ô±ô·É²õ°ª³ó±ð²¹±ô³Ù³ó.²Ô²õ·É.²µ´Ç±¹.²¹³Ü​ to connect with your local Health Promotion Officer to get started.​​

​"​​It’s well worth the time it takes to have °ä°ù³Ü²Ô³¦³ó&²¹³¾±è;³§¾±±è®, to improve students’ concentration for the remainder of the morning."

​- Primary school teacher, ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø

​Download the  °ä°ù³Ü²Ô³¦³ó&²¹³¾±è;³§¾±±è® School Implementation Checklist to help guide you through to becoming a fully implementing °ä°ù³Ü²Ô³¦³ó&²¹³¾±è;³§¾±±è® school!​

​Resources for schools promote °ä°ù³Ü²Ô³¦³ó&²¹³¾±è;³§¾±±è® to families and your community

​ ​Your school can help families engage with °ä°ù³Ü²Ô³¦³ó&²¹³¾±è;³§¾±±è® by sharing information about eating vegetables and fruit and drinking water.

This brochure explains how parents and carers can pack vegetables, fruit and water for their children to take part in °ä°ù³Ü²Ô³¦³ó&²¹³¾±è;³§¾±±è®:

Encourage your students to eat more vegetables and fruit and drink water with our free resources. Use the °ä°ù³Ü²Ô³¦³ó&²¹³¾±è;³§¾±±è® classroom poster to track class participation and achievement. You can use it with stickers or marker pens.

How to help all students have vegetables or fruit for °ä°ù³Ü²Ô³¦³ó&²¹³¾±è;³§¾±±è® ​

Some students may not always bring vegetables or fruit for °ä°ù³Ü²Ô³¦³ó&²¹³¾±è;³§¾±±è®. There are several ways to help students take part such as:​

  • ​place a reminder in the school newsletters, messages or app
  • provide vegetables and fruit for students who forget or can’t bring it in
  • offer free or low-cost fruit and vegetables at the canteen
  • partner with local stores to receive donated or discounted fresh produce (you can offer free advertising in newsletters) or ask for sponsors 
  • work with local farmers and markets to supply fruit and vegetables to the school
  • connect with food relief programs such as food banks and charities that provide fresh produce
  • grow fresh produce on-site for students to eat during °ä°ù³Ü²Ô³¦³ó&²¹³¾±è;³§¾±±è®
  • encourage families to bring in an extra piece of fruit or vegetable to share with a friend
  • make °ä°ù³Ü²Ô³¦³ó&²¹³¾±è;³§¾±±è® part of your school policy to help make it a normal part the school day. 

You can also find ideas and tips to help the whole class participate in °ä°ù³Ü²Ô³¦³ó&²¹³¾±è;³§¾±±è®:

Current as at: Thursday 16 November 2023
Contact page owner: Centre for Population Health