Burning Energy

19.02.2024

Which has more nutrients? A wotsit or an oat bar?

We had a flaming start to our new science topic in Year 3. This half term we will be learning about animals including humans. In our first lesson, we looked at the 5 different food groups as well as the benefits they have on the human body.

Fruit and vegetables, for example, apples, bananas and broccoli, give us vitamins to keep our bodies working and help our immune system and fibre to help our digestion.
Carbohydrates, like pasta, bread and rice, keep our energy levels up.
Proteins, such as meat, beans, and eggs, build healthy muscles and allow our bodies to grow and repair.
Dairy, like milk, cheese and yoghurt, gives us calcium for strong teeth and bones. Many dairy-free alternatives have calcium added to them too.
Fats and oils, for example olive oil and butter, act as an energy store.

Following this, we wanted to find out whether a wotsit or oat bar was more nutritious for the body. While ensuring the children were safe, the adults used matches to burn both foods to see which one burnt quicker.

The Results:

An oat bar burns slowly. This replicates what happens in your body, it will release energy throughout the day to keep your body going longer.

A crisp burns quickly. This replicates what happens in your body, it releases energy quickly to give you a burst of energy.