Are you ready to spark your students’ curiosity about local food while making learning fun and hands-on? BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation (BCAITC), in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, is thrilled to launch the BC Food Classroom Challenges (October 13, 2025 – May 8, 2026)! This province-wide initiative will deliver 10 exciting BC Food Challenges designed for Grades K-7 to explore BC’s vibrant food systems across English Language Arts, Science, Math, ADST, Art, Social Studies, and Careers.

All eligible classes who submit completed challenge packages will be entered into a randomized draw to win funding to plan and participate in a farm or food production field trip prize package (valued at $500.00). There will be one field trip prize awarded per challenge for a total of ten challenge winners. Fieldtrips must be planned and occur prior to the end of the school year in June 2026. If selected as the winning class, teachers will be contacted by BCAITC directly to assist with coordinating fieldtrip planning for your class. Fieldtrip opportunities may include farm site tours, food production facility tours, agriculture professionals presenting to students in the classroom, or other approved fieldtrip experiences as coordinated and approved by the BCAITC Education Specialist. Register today to secure your spot and bring the story of food to life for your students!

How to Participate in the Challenge:

1. Register your class using our quick online form.
2. Watch your inbox for challenge information, reminders and resource links. For each challenge, teachers will receive a teacher guide including student handouts, plus a slide deck with information on the featured BC food.
3. Complete challenges by their deadlines and submit three photos of your class working on the challengeto be entered in the prize draws. Please note that photo release forms will need to be submitted along with student photos.

The Challenges:

Apple Taste Test

Students will have the opportunity to taste test several varieties of BC apples, and compare and contrast the apple’s appearance, texture, and taste. Students will record their findings using descriptive language on an activity sheet and form conclusions based on their observations regarding their favourite choice.

Pumpkin Patch Puzzle Trivia

Students will learn all about pumpkins using the Grow BC interactive map, and the playing of a Kahoot style trivia game. If teachers have access to pumpkins in their classroom space, they can further the challenge by exploring topics such as pumpkin weight, amount of seeds, and thickness of the pumpkin flesh.

“Bloomin” Green Onions

Students will learn about regenerative growing through sprouting “bloomin” green onion bulbs in water. Students will participate in the steps of the scientific method through making a hypothesis on plant growth, measuring their plants for growth over the 11 days of the challenge, and recording the results via graphing for their records to draw a conclusion about the accuracy of their hypothesis. At the end of the growth cycle, students will be able to use their green onions to make a tasty dip!

BC Potato Stamp Printing

Students will learn about different varieties of BC potatoes, and how they are grown. They will also brainstorm uses for potatoes in the kitchen and beyond[Sv4] .  Students will create a potato snowman or will experiment with using cookie cutters to create negative space potato art effects. 

Get to Know BC Beef   

Students will explore several BC Beef online resources, including the Grow BC Beef stories, and dive deep into learning the different characteristics of beef cattle breeds commonly raised on BC ranches. Students will be able to put their knowledge to the test by creating a series of Beef Breeds ID flashcards, which can be used to play a matching question game similar to “Guess Who?” Students may also be presented with the opportunity to sample BC beef jerky products while learning about the beef cattle industry.

Berry Delicious Smoothies

Students will blend their artistic skills with culinary creativity as they make delicious smoothie recipes featuring frozen BC Berries as the main ingredient. Students will work in small groups to create a visual poster showing the ingredients used in their smoothies, and learn the importance of ingredient measurement, the function of fruit in a smoothie, and how to safely use kitchen equipment to make a healthy sweet treat!

Hands-On Egg-Speriments

Students will move through several stations to perform experiments on eggs and complete a scientist booklet recording their observations. Challenge stations can include a virtual tour of an egg farm, examining and labelling the parts of an egg, testing the freshness of eggs through floating it in a cup of water, testing the strength of eggs, examining the eggs of different species, learning about what factors determine the colour of an eggshell and yolk, and the chicken life cycle.

The Story of BC Salmon

Students will listen to traditional stories of salmon told by BC First Peoples in different parts of the province and will create their own illustrations reflecting story elements such as how salmon are prepared and stored as food by BC First Peoples. Students can also be presented with the opportunity to sample BC candied or smoked salmon products while they are creating their artwork.

Lettuce Make a Greenhouse!

 Students will examine the role of greenhouses in growing BC produce and build their own mini greenhouse from upcycled plastic bottles. Students will compare the effects of greenhouse growing conditions to non-greenhouse environments by planting lettuce seeds both in and outside their greenhouses and monitoring their growth and germination rates over the length of the challenge.

We all Scream for BC Ice Cream!

Students will learn about how BC dairy products are made, and all the different things milk can be used for. They will get to try their hand at processing their own dairy product by making some ice cream in a bag to enjoy with their classmates.

Why Join?

• Cross-curricular connections that align with BC curriculum.
• Engaging, sensory learning that connects kids to local food.
• A chance to win exciting agriculture-focused field trips!

Don’t miss out register now and inspire your students to explore, taste, and celebrate the food that sustains BC!

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia.