Massive March Munch

Whilst March 2020 presented some challenges to life as we know it, a record-breaking 20,328 Western Australian students from 824 classrooms challenged themselves to eat vegies every day for their Crunch&Sip breaks.

Crunch&Sip’s annual March Munch event aims to boost vegetable consumption amongst WA primary school-aged children, addressing the national statistic that only 6% of Australian children meet the recommended daily intake of five vegetables.

The event ran throughout the month, with registered WA classrooms/schools rewarding their students for eating vegies daily during their Crunch&Sip break, while incorporating a range of suggested activities and ideas to make vegies fun. Students received a colour-in calendar card and teachers received a March Munch bingo card, with lots of activities to encourage students to learn about the benefits of eating vegetables and trying new vegetables from all colours of the rainbow.

“We really enjoyed participating in March Munch! The class was in competition to see who could bring the most unusual vegetable. One of my students was particularly keen, she bought a different vegetable daily” – Dawn, Year 2/3 Teacher. 

83% of teachers said more than half of their class ate vegetables each day for Crunch&Sip. Teachers also reported their students tried vegetables they had never tried before such as; brussel sprouts, corn cobs, cauliflower, Chinese cucumber, snap peas, and okra. Classrooms enjoyed graphing their March Munch results, discussing their favourite vegetables, and learning more about vegetables.

Cancer Council WA’s Crunch&Sip^® Project Officer Nicole Toia said: “We’re thrilled to set a new record of engagement this year. It means we are able to reach many Western Australian kids from every corners of the state to establish healthy eating habits early in a fun way.

“Over the years we’ve had a lot of positive feedback from teachers and parents about the event and how it engages students. The prizes and classroom activities that compliment the event are always a crowd favourite”.