What chocolate can teach us about the world

After two weeks of holiday indulgences, you might be surprised that our first story of the year is about chocolate. But chocolate, as our year 3 pupils recently learned in their second IPC humanities unit, is so much more than a sweet treat. It is a starting point to learn about everything from history, to geography, to economics. Their recent trip to the Zotter Chocolate Theatre presented a perfect opportunity to put their learning into context.

In this unit, chocolate was a tangible and relatable way to pique our pupils' interest in the history of Mesoamerica, where the cacao bean has long loomed large in the region's culture. This prompted enquiries into geography. For instance, what's the equator? Where are the tropics? Inevitably, the questioning turns to why we need to be thinking about climate change and sustainability.

"It ties in quite nicely," year 3 teacher Phil Osborne adds, "because Zotter chocolate is organic and Fair Trade, so this is another avenue of enquiry. What is organic? What are chemicals? Why would they be used in food production?"

During their visit, pupils also had the opportunity to learn about the raw materials and processes that go into making chocolate — from harvesting the pods to fermenting and roasting the beans, to melting and moulding the product into bars. This gave them a new perspective into just how much work goes into making this treat and why more producers are adopting the Fair Trade production model.

Of course, they had a bit of fun too. The children became chocolatiers as they worked together to make a massive chocolate bar that they customised with their choice of ingredients. After it cooled, they broke it up into pieces that each of them could take home and enjoy.