Hungry Ears - A Lesson In Action
Why This Whole-Setting Approach Works
Hungry Ears is a story-led programme built on established evidence of how young children learn and develop positive eating behaviours. Its inclusive design is also perfectly suited to SEND environments.
This unique approach makes new foods feel safe and meaningful. Repeated, no-pressure exposure and sensory play build the autonomy children need to explore foods in their own way.
Our whole-setting framework seamlessly connects the classroom to the canteen and the home. This creates a consistent environment that reinforces healthy eating habits, reduces lunchtime food waste and actively works to close the gap on health inequalities.
Hungry Ears reporting tool aligns with the Well Schools and Healthy Schools Rating Scheme and is being developed to help schools track behaviour change and gather evidence for national awards and local authority requirements, with full functionality launching from September.
Impact Achieved Over 3 Years: Pilot Data from 1,000 Children
Lettuce Week
Example: Week 19 – Lettuce (Reception)
All sessions are teacher-led and designed to fit into a 20–25 minute lesson.
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Listen: 7-minute story-led lesson.
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Explore: Curriculum-aligned classroom activities.
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Taste: Sensory exploration sessions.
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The Canteen Connection: Weekly food themes for snacks and lunches.
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Share: Home-learning recipes and parental feedback.
95% of children tried & liked iceberg lettuce
1. The Story : Maggie Discovers Lettuce
A playful story that builds children’s confidence to try lettuce and other green vegetables.
'Spring arrives, and Magnolia sets off in search of her family. Along the way, she befriends a rabbit. He tells her about the benefits of green vegetables and why it's important to look after soil. When a fox startles the rabbits, Magnolia follows them into their warren. Lost in the dark, she wonders if she’ll ever find her way out. Luckily, she emerges into the allotments beside a lush patch of lettuce. Munching the crisp green leaves helps her feel calm and relaxed.'
Watch the full Story
2. Classroom Activity: Planting Lettuce
Next, children take part in a simple lettuce planting activity.
This hands-on experience reinforces the story and allows children to explore food through touch, smell and observation. It supports early understanding of how food grows and encourages curiosity about vegetables in a natural, engaging way.
Where planting is not practical, a low-preparation worksheet activity is provided, enabling children to explore how lettuce grows through sequencing and discussion.
3. No Pressure Lettuce Tasting
The children learn about food hygiene and simple food preparation - washing their hands after planting and before tasting.
They are encouraged to look, smell, listen and taste a few different lettuce varieties and to describe their sensory experience. There is no pressure to taste.
All tasting activities are designed to use simple, seasonal and readily available foods.
Schools can adapt delivery using raw, tinned, frozen or kitchen-prepared, depending on their setting. E.g. tinned sweetcorn or fresh.
4. The Whole System in Action
The Challenge: 4-year-old Oliver’s parents had "given up" after he refused all fruit and vegetables at home.
1. The Classroom Spark : Through Hungry Ears stories and low-pressure sensory activities, Oliver moved from fear to curiosity. He began exploring their smell and texture without the pressure to eat.
2. The Canteen Connection : The stories effectively acted as the sales team for the canteen. The same vegetables Oliver explored in class appeared on the lunch menu. This familiarity turned "scary" food into "known" food, encouraging him to try a bite of lettuce. His verdict: "It’s crunchy!"
3. The Home Anchor : Oliver’s parents recieved simple recipes and tips to reinforce the school’s efforts. By aligning the classroom, canteen and home, Oliver shifted from total refusal to regularly trying new foods in all three environments.
5. Continued Learning
at Home
The programme provides simple, low-cost recipes for families to try together, with activities that can be shared with parents and carers to encourage further engagement and discussion.
This reinforces classroom learning and helps children build familiarity and confidence with healthy foods in everyday life.
Teacher Support
Each Hungry Ears session includes a structured lesson plan designed to support confident classroom delivery.
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Step-by-step guidance
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Clear learning objectives
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Required background knowledge
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Full list of resources
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Simple food preparation instructions
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Key vocabulary and discussion prompts
No specialist training is required. A short introductory video provides simple tips to help teachers deliver activities and tasting sessions with ease.
All workshops align with the EYFS and KS1 curriculum and fit easily into everyday classroom practice with minimal additional workload.
Some schools choose to share the video story in assembly or at snack-time as a time-saving option.
Committed to a Healthy Future
Hungry Ears contributes to wider public health priorities by supporting efforts to reduce childhood obesity and address health inequalities through improved familiarity with food and greater confidence.
Designed for Scalable Delivery
Teacher-led and low-cost, the programme can be delivered consistently across schools and scaled without the need for additional staff or training, supporting schools in meeting Well Schools and Healthy Schools objectives.
Testimonials
Parents and Teachers