Following the success of its first two editions, the "Food and Art" workshop returned to the classroom for the 2025–26 school year. Promoted by IBSA Foundation in collaboration with DECS, it involved two fifth-grade classes at Pregassona Probello primary school, bringing together science, drawing and local history.
What did people eat in Ticino in the time of Carlo Cattaneo? This is one of the questions that shaped the 2025-26 edition of the "Food and Art" workshop, part of the Let's Science! project. Following the success of the previous year with classes in Cassarate, the programme was brought to two fifth-grade classes at Pregassona Probello primary school, reaffirming the food pyramid as its guiding thread and enriching it with a new historical and geographical perspective.
The programme opened on 10 October at Carlo Cattaneo House, the Foundation's headquarters, and continued at school across four sessions spread throughout the academic year.
At the heart of each session, once again, was the food pyramid: the model representing a balanced diet, with foods to be consumed most frequently – such as fruit and vegetables – at the base, and those to be eaten in moderation towards the top. Level by level, pupils explored macronutrients, their role in the diet and the origins of what we put on our plates, in a line of thinking that extended from food to health, the environment and the local territory.
The distinctive feature of this edition was the integration of a historical dimension. Starting from the figure of Carlo Cattaneo, the young participants compared eating habits in the mid-nineteenth century with those of today, discovering what the Ticino of that period looked like. Among the examples explored were the reclamation of the Piano di Magadino – which transformed a marshy, flood-prone plain into the Canton's main agricultural area – and the cultural significance of practices such as transhumance, the seasonal movement of livestock to mountain pastures that for centuries defined Alpine rural life.
The local focus did not preclude a global one: the themes of human, animal and environmental health were addressed through the systemic "One Health" approach promoted by the WHO, in language suited to the age of the participants.
The workshop was woven into the school's annual environmental studies programme, becoming a stimulus and added value alongside the curriculum managed by the teachers throughout the year.
No lectures: each module began with an open dialogue in which students asked questions, explored lines of reasoning, and became familiar with even complex scientific terms, often surprising the experts with how much they already knew.
The second part, the most substantial, was dedicated to practical skills, led by subject expert Valérie Morelli. With fruits, vegetables, and starchy foods right before their eyes, participants learned to reproduce biological forms and study color rendering. The increased time devoted to drawing yielded even more compelling results than the previous year, culminating in the creation of actual compositions.
No frontal teaching: every module opened with an open discussion in which pupils asked questions, explored lines of reasoning and grew comfortable with even complex scientific terminology – often surprising the experts with how much they already knew.
The second and longest part of each session was dedicated to practical skills, guided by subject specialist Valérie Morelli. With fruit, vegetables and starchy foods set out before them, participants learned to reproduce biological forms and study colour rendering. The greater time devoted to drawing yielded results even more accomplished than the previous year, culminating in fully realised compositions.
The program concluded with a party open to families, held in the multipurpose hall of the former town hall in Pregassona, attended by nearly fifty students from the two classes, accompanied by their parents, for a total of over one hundred attendees.
An exhibition showcased the drawings created throughout the year, a map of Ticino developed progressively by the classes, and several interactive games, which the children themselves explained to their parents. Among these was the ‘ball of yarn’ game, which illustrates the relationships within a system: when a connection is stressed, the effects ripple out to all nearby elements. There was also a microscope on hand to examine the details of fruits and seeds up close.
To round out the afternoon, there was a musical interlude featuring songs and flute music drawn from the Ticino folk repertoire, serving as a further nod to the culture of the past explored throughout the year.
The programme concluded with a family celebration held in the multipurpose hall of the former municipal building in Pregassona, attended by nearly fifty pupils from the two classes, accompanied by their parents, for a total of over one hundred people.
An exhibition brought together the drawings produced throughout the year, a map of Ticino developed progressively by the classes, and several interactive games – which the children themselves explained to their parents. These included the ball of yarn game, which makes visible the relationships within a system: when one connection comes under stress, the effects ripple through all the neighbouring elements. A microscope was also on hand for close-up observation of fruits and seeds.
To round off the afternoon, a musical moment featuring songs and recorder, drawing on the Ticinese folk repertoire – a further echo of the cultural past explored during the year.
Leading the program, alongside teachers Arianna and Morena, were Valérie Morelli and Nicolò Osterwalder, subject experts in visual education and the plastic arts, and natural sciences, respectively, as part of the collaboration between the Foundation and the Department of Education, Culture, and Sport. In addition to ensuring a high-quality experience for the children, the goal is to gradually transfer skills to the teachers so that the content and methods tested in the workshops can be independently applied in the classroom.
The atmosphere in the classroom was joyful at every session, and the collaboration with the teachers remained strong throughout the year.
At the closing party, the most common question from parents was whether the project would be repeated and brought to other schools as well. This request attests to the perceived value of the initiative and encourages the Foundation to continue on this path, developing educational programs capable of making science accessible and within everyone’s reach, even for the youngest children.
Guiding the programme alongside teachers Arianna and Morena were Valérie Morelli and Nicolò Osterwalder, subject specialists in visual education and plastic arts and in natural sciences respectively, as part of the collaboration between the Foundation and the Department of Education, Culture and Sport. The aim, beyond the quality of the experience for the children, is the gradual transfer of skills to the teachers, so that the content and methods developed in the workshops can be used independently in the future.
The atmosphere in class was one of joy at every session, and the collaboration with the teachers remained strong throughout the year. At the closing celebration, the question parents asked most frequently was whether the project would be repeated and extended to other schools – a response that attests to the perceived value of the initiative and encourages the Foundation to continue along this path, building educational programmes capable of making science accessible to everyone, including the very youngest.