Innocent Drinks And Their #SowAndGrowUK Campaign

Anyone who knows me will be aware that I am partial to an innocent smoothie post-workout. Therefore, I was delighted when the lovely people at innocent approached me to ask if I would be interested in supporting their #SowAndGrowUk campaign. As a child, I remember helping my Dad on our vegetable patch and later I was delighted when my Nan gave me my own patch of garden at her house. I remember the excitement of planting the seeds, watering them and waiting for them to grow. I also remember feasting on the plums from my Nan’s plum tree.

I loved my fruit and vegetables as a child and I really believe that encouraging children to grow their own vegetables and fruit means that they will be more open to eating vegetables and fruit themselves. I am not alone in thinking this as a new survey conducted by innocent revealed that 84% of parents believe children would be more open to eating fruit and vegetables if they knew where their food came from. However, one in five parents also stated that they have never attempted to produce home grown food themselves. I am one of those parents. I have never attempted to grow my own vegetables with the children. Shameful really as I am a parent to two fussy eaters. Yet, I have always used the excuse that we only have a very small patio for a garden and therefore, it would be impossible for us to grow anything. Innocent have shown me that it is possible to grow vegetables in the smallest of spaces!

As part of their #SowAndGrowUK campaign innocent drinks have partnered with not-for-profit organisation GIY (Grow It Yourself). Their campaign will reach 1/4 of primary schools and no doubt will help engage children in healthy eating. As it is National Gardening Week it seemed the perfect time to encourage my two to find their green fingers! They were so excited when the box from innocent arrived and were very eager to get stuck in.

We had runner beans, baby carrots and cress. There was also a chart to record our observations and an excellent teacher resource as well as some stickers and a badge. Oldest has already started completing some of the tasks. The children were fascinated by the fact that these seeds will produce their food! We discussed healthy eating food options as we planted and they were really engaged and buying into the concept of healthy eating! A first for Youngest. She is a lover of beige food and it can be a battle to get her to eat any vegetables. Therefore, I was delighted when she said that she was really looking forward to trying the vegetables.

The girls had so much fun planting their seeds and really enjoyed squashing the soil and checking to make sure that there were no lumps. They took such care when planting their seeds and it was lovely to see them discussing what vegetable they were looking forward to eating the most! I really believe that the planting of these seeds has changed the girls’ outlook towards eating vegetables. They are now excited to eat them. By planting the seeds they have a greater appreciation for healthy food. Sam Vinney, Brand Manager at innocent said that “9 out of 10 young people are not getting their 5-a-day” That is a shocking statistic and highlights just how important the #SowAndGrowUK campaign is!

The girls really enjoyed this fun Easter half-term activity and it was a lovely way of keeping them occupied on a rainy day. It was also an added bonus that they were learning too. The girls took the planting of their seeds very seriously and were very determined to find the perfect home for them. We discussed where the best place to put the seeds would be and they found various sunny spots around the house. Oldest then announced that to encourage the seeds to grow she would be reading to them. She is now working through her Roald Dahl collection. I did suggest that she read them ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ but she wasn’t amused.

The #SowandGrowUK campaign is a brilliant initiative for teaching children about healthy eating and something that we can all easily do at home and in the classroom. Innocent are hoping that in future years their campaign will grow and their ultimate goal is to get “every primary school child in the country to experience growing their own veg.”

#SowAndGrowUK

I have made a very short (blink and you will miss it) film to show you just how easy it is to grow your own vegetables.

Is your school signed up? If so then upload your photos at https://innocentsowandgrow.com/ to be in with the chance to win monthly prizes from innocent and see your classroom crowned as Sow & Grow champions!

Following the repackage of innocent kids drinks, consumers can also win seed packs by following the instructions on pack. Available nationwide now in most major supermarkets. Good luck!

Disclaimer: Please note that this was a collaborative post with innocent. However, I was not paid for this post.