1. Perfectly Packaged Keywords
Learning objective: To explore shapes used for packaging food and create suitable packaging to contain their Young Cook dish.
Resources required
A wide range of cardboard packaging which can be deconstructed into nets
Rulers
Protractors
cm squared paper (ideally A3)
Sharp pencils
Polydron (if available)
Pre-drawn shape nets (freely available online)
Mood board (see resources)
Planning board (see resources)
Design review (see resources)
Adult support
Help pairs find a shape net that is not overly complex but sufficiently challenging
Provide another pair of hands for children who find fine motor skills tricky
Follow up activities
Enter the Young Cook competition – see assembly resource for details
Time to market your meal – try the Young Cook literacy lesson
Why not use this project to achieve your Food&Nutrition and Oral Health badge as part of the Healthy Schools Award?
Duration
180 minutes
Theme
Food
Subject focus
Maths – Geometry/DT
Age group
Year 6
Learning outcomes (differentiated)
MUST match basic shape nets to 3D models
SHOULD­ use a 3D model to draw a shape net
COULD use shape nets to design and build a usable container
Starter
Prior to the lesson, invite pupils to collect and bring in a wide range of packaging which can be deconstructed. Start the lesson by asking the children how many pieces of card were used to make a cereal box or Toblerone packaging, for example. Ask them to ‘prove it’ by taking the relevant packaging apart. Continue to disassemble a wide range of packaging into a shape net.
Discuss findings: how many different nets did you find for even simple cuboidal packaging? Which shape nets are most common? Why do you think this is? Can you make any links between complexity of the package and complexity of the net? (If time allows, discussion around how this is reflected in the product value can be useful.)
Engage their reasoning skills: what’s the same, what’s different? e.g. what is the same and what is different about the nets of a triangular prism and a square based pyramid?
Main activity
Part 1
Drawing nets and making 3D shapes from them is challenging. Therefore, if the children need to build up their confidence a period of exploration using pre-drawn nets and/or Polydron may prove useful.
Encourage the children in pairs to select a net to study further; challenge them to make a 2D drawing of their net on squared paper (emphasise the need for accuracy; if the paper is not large enough for a life-sized net support the children to scale accordingly). On completion, invite some groups to show their nets – can the class spot which 3D shape they would make or which packaging they relate to?
Invite the children to cut out their net and shape it into a 3D model. This will make clear the need for accuracy when measuring. Once confident, repeat with a more challenging shape.
Keywords
2 dimensional, 3 dimensional, net, cuboid
Vertices, edge, face

2. Extension tasks Mini plenary Main activity Plenary Reflective notes
Always, sometimes, never: is it always, sometimes or never true that, in a polyhedron, the number of vertices plus the number of faces equals the number of edges?
Mini plenary
One face of a 3D shape looks like this…
What could it be? Are there any other possibilities? Prove it!
Main activity
Part 2
Time to apply all this new-found knowledge to a design project. As budding Young Cooks the children will have a low sugar recipe for both a main meal and a dessert. Their challenge is to design ECO packaging which will enable these to be take away – in ONE parcel.
The Design Process:
Create a mood board (see example in resources)
Consider the eco credentials – is it made using recycled materials or can it be repurposed/reused?
Finalise design and plan process using planning board
Make it – make a prototype first if time allows
Design review (see resources) and improve
Plenary
Evaluate the end product (see resources)
Reflective notes
Curriculum links
Maths
Draw 2D shapes using given dimensions and angles
Recognise, describe and build simple 3D shapes, including making nets
Design Technology
Use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional,
appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups
Select from and use a wider range of materials and components, including construction
materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their functional properties and aesthetic
qualities
Investigate and analyse a range of existing products
Evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the
views of others to improve their work
PSHE
The importance of physical activity and diet for a healthy lifestyle