PIES Badge Based Curriculum

🏅 PIES Summary Badge

Area: Cooking and Nutrition
Badge: Cooking and Nutrition Summary Badge

Purpose of This Badge

This Summary Badge provides an opportunity to celebrate everything your child has explored, practised and developed within the Cooking and Nutrition area.

By looking back over completed badges, you can recognise progress, identify strengths and celebrate achievements that may otherwise go unnoticed.

This badge is designed to help you appreciate how far your child has come while looking forward to future growth and development.

Completed Badges Review

✅ Basic Nutrition Understanding

✅ Reading Food Labels

✅ Meal Planning

✅ Kitchen Safety

✅ Basic Cooking Techniques

✅ Food Preparation

✅ Measuring and Estimating

✅ Understanding Food Science

✅ Critical Thinking in Cooking

✅ Time Management in Cooking

✅ Teamwork and Sharing

✅ Confidence and Creativity

Consider revisiting completed Evidence Records, Journey Journal entries, projects, discussions and experiences that contributed to each badge.

Looking Back

Use the completed badges, Evidence Records and Journey Journal entries to reflect on your child's development.

Consider:

• Which cooking or food-related activities did your child enjoy most?

• How has your child's confidence in the kitchen changed since beginning these badges?

• What new responsibilities was your child willing to take on?

• Which cooking, planning or preparation skills developed the most?

• How has your child demonstrated creativity, teamwork or problem-solving?

• What achievements within cooking and nutrition stand out most when you look back?

There are no right or wrong answers.

The purpose of this reflection is to help you recognise growth that may not always be obvious when viewed day by day.

Progress Through the PIES Stages

Reflect on your child's current stage.

🌱 Early Years (0–4)

Children often explore food through their senses, help with simple preparation activities and begin recognising foods, routines and kitchen safety expectations.

🔍 Discovery Years (5–7)

Children often participate in simple cooking tasks, identify healthy foods, help with meal decisions and begin understanding basic safety and nutrition concepts.

🚀 Exploration Years (8–11)

Children often follow recipes, measure ingredients, contribute to meal planning and develop greater confidence in practical food preparation.

🌟 Independence Years (12–15)

Young people often take increasing responsibility for planning, preparing and evaluating meals while applying critical thinking, time management and problem-solving skills.

🎓 Young Adult Years (16–18)

Young adults often demonstrate confidence preparing meals independently, understanding nutrition, applying safe practices and making informed food-related decisions.

Consider how your child is developing within their current stage and whether they are demonstrating increasing confidence, independence and capability.

Knowledge Developed

Throughout this area, your child has had opportunities to develop knowledge of:

• Nutrition and healthy food choices

• Food labels and ingredient information

• Kitchen safety and hygiene

• Meal planning and food preparation processes

• Food science and how cooking changes ingredients

These examples may help when completing your PIES Evidence Record.

Skills Practised

Throughout this area, your child has had opportunities to practise:

• Cooking and food preparation techniques

• Measuring, estimating and calculating quantities

• Planning and organising tasks and meals

• Problem-solving and critical thinking

• Teamwork, communication and creative expression

These examples may help when completing your PIES Evidence Record.

Understanding Gained

Throughout this area, your child has had opportunities to develop understanding of:

• Food choices can influence health and wellbeing

• Safe kitchen habits help protect themselves and others

• Planning and organisation support successful outcomes

• Creativity and experimentation can enhance learning

• Cooking is an important life skill that supports independence

These examples may help when completing your PIES Evidence Record.

Celebrating Achievement

Reflect on the achievements that stand out most during this area.

Consider:

🌟 What has your child achieved that makes you proud?

• Which cooking skill showed the greatest improvement?

• When did your child demonstrate confidence in trying something new?

• What meal, recipe or food project generated the greatest sense of achievement?

• How has your child contributed to family meals or household responsibilities?

• Which badge experience reflected the most growth in independence?

Achievement should not be measured through comparison with others.

Achievement may include consistent participation, increased confidence, willingness to try unfamiliar foods, perseverance when learning new skills, taking responsibility, demonstrating creativity or simply developing a positive relationship with food and cooking.

⭐ Emerging Strengths

Throughout this area, your child may have demonstrated particular strengths.

Consider:

• Which skills appear most naturally?

• Which activities were completed with enthusiasm?

• Which experiences were repeatedly chosen?

• Which achievements stand out most?

• Which areas showed the greatest confidence?

• Which experiences generated curiosity or excitement?

• Which skills would your child happily practise again?

These observations may help identify future interests, talents and areas for further exploration.

Remember that strengths do not need to be exceptional to be valuable. 

Small interests often grow into lifelong passions when they are recognised and nurtured.

Learning Summary

Using your completed Evidence Records, write a summary of your child's development within this area.

Example:

During this Cooking and Nutrition area, my child developed increasing confidence when preparing food and participating in kitchen activities. They explored nutrition, food labels, meal planning, kitchen safety and a range of practical cooking techniques. Through measuring ingredients, solving problems, managing time and working with others, they became more independent and responsible. They showed curiosity about how food works, creativity when trying new ideas and greater confidence contributing to family meals. Throughout the year, they developed valuable life skills that support both wellbeing and independence.

Looking Ahead

Consider what you would like to explore next year.

You might think about:

• new interests

• new experiences

• further challenges

• developing confidence

• increasing independence

You may wish to explore:

• preparing complete meals independently

• learning about world cuisines and food cultures

• developing advanced cooking, baking or food preservation skills

Remember that development is a journey rather than a destination.

The aim is not to achieve perfection, but to continue providing meaningful opportunities for growth, enjoyment and discovery.

Parent Reassurance

Every child develops differently. This Summary Badge is an opportunity to celebrate progress, not perfection.

By reflecting on your child's experiences and achievements, you are creating a valuable record of their educational journey and recognising learning that has taken place throughout everyday life.

The goal is not to compare your child to others. The goal is to recognise, record and celebrate growth.