Pomewest support WA Apples and Pears "Crunch and Move" in Schools
The Pomewest WA Apples and Pears school’s activation aligns with the 2026 Harvest and the Crunch and Move curriculum in May.
WA primary schools celebrated Crunch and Move throughout May as a part of the Cancer Council of WA’s ongoing Crunch & Sip strategy. Designed to encourage students to eat more vegetables and fruit, this campaign provides an excellent opportunity to engage with schools early in the apple and pear season.
Fruit consumption is constantly under threat by highly marketed processed snack products. An estimated one in four West Aussie kids are now considered overweight or obese so it is important to teach kids to enjoy fresh healthy fruit.
The program continues to be an excellent positive activity which has achieved strong response from teachers and active integration into classroom programs. Continued support in the future is appreciated by schools to build positive eating habits and awareness with children.
This year Pomewest provided delicious new season Bravo apples supplied with support from WA Farm Direct. Schools are given free creativity to integrate the fruit in any way appropriate for their students and school priorities.
The WA Apples in Schools program has been funded by the local apple and pear industry for over 14 years. This year, 19 metropolitan primary schools participated and involved over 4800 students across 200 classes.
The creativity of teachers and students is always impressive. Evaluation forms, photos and work samples returned by participating classes, confirmed the fruit provided an extremely positive experience for students. The fruit was actively used within classrooms in maths, literature and art programs as well as for walk to school initiatives, breakfast club activities and playground initiatives as well as incorporated into Crunch and Sip celebrations.
Fresh new season pears and Bravo apples were an excellent trigger for discussions on healthy eating, sustainability, seasons and importance of supporting local producers.
Read all the sweet testimonials from select primary schools below:
“Primary school teachers AND students LOVE having apples involved in their school activities. And whilst most kids are apple lovers, the WA Apples and Pears in schools program reminds us that some children have never even tried an apple or pear or come from homes where fresh fruit is not readily available.”
Some schools made the apples the focus of school wide programs and included extensive coverage through their newsletters and parent communications.
Teachers all do very different things with the fruit but the results still have the impact of getting the kids eating them! Comments from teachers provide enthusiastic feedback as to the value of this program in converting children into apple and pear lovers.
Mount Pleasant PS was delighted to receive a generous donation of super delicious Bravo apples, supported by the WA apple industry as part of the Crunch & Move program. Our wonderful canteen used these apples as part of a special promotion, making fresh apple slinkies and homemade apple crumble pots for students to enjoy. This initiative supports our school’s commitment to providing “Green Light” foods in the canteen and encouraging students to make healthy food choices. Fresh fruit is a great snack option because it is naturally sweet, low in added sugar, full of vitamins and fibre, and contains no preservatives. Choosing healthy foods helps children stay energised, focused and ready to learn throughout the school day. Mount Pleasant PS
We completed an activity grid - describe the apple, persuasive poster why apples are good, flow chart of apple farm to plate. This creative activity provided an exciting opportunity for students to enhance their understanding of apples. Eating at the end was the highlight! Bullcreek Primary School
I’d like to first say thank you for the donation of delicious apples. The students LOVED them! We were able to use them to do some meaningful learning about the production of apples, as well as some graphing in the other year 4 class. South Thornlie Primary School.
Apples were used in majority of classrooms as part of Crunch and Move activities. One class used it in their maths fraction lessons. Students explored fractions in a hands-on and delicious way! Before diving into the concept of equivalent fractions, they used the generous apple donation to slice, share, and savour their learning. It was the perfect opportunity to bring real-world maths into the classroom—and no tastier way to understand fractions than with juicy apples in hand! Belmay Primary School, Cloverdale,
We used in cooking lessons connected to our Kitchen Garden program. We also used the fruit to support a community event to assist homeless people. This provides students with both food knowledge and skills and empathy for food security East Fremantle Primary School
We used the apples in multiple ways including classroom learning, artwork and our Breakfast club. We have also used the fruit to supply to students who do not arrive at school with fruit for Crunch and Sip. The students thoroughly enjoyed the activities in class and it is great to have an opportunity to provide healthy food options for our students. We love this support for our school. East Kenwick Primary School
