Welcome back to our 2nd year as a Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden School!

Last year, we embarked on an exciting new journey of ‘Pleasurable Food Education’ with our Year 3 and Year 4 cohorts. This fun, hands-on approach of learning and connecting through growing food and caring for the environment empowers children and young people to develop practical skills, an appreciation of seasonal produce, and a positive, confident and healthy relationship with food. 

As we were starting from scratch last year, the students played a major role in the reinvigoration of our existing garden, and the expansion of the space to accommodate more beds. Both year levels participated in a ‘seed to plate’ kitchen garden program where they planted seeds and seedlings, nurtured the plants and soil and then harvested ingredients to prepare recipes in the kitchen. Our Stewardship group, the newly formed Garden Gang, contributed to the development of our school wide composting system and assisted weekly to maintain it, as well as the kitchen garden space.  

Coming back after the holidays, it was evident that our well-loved garden had benefited from all the TLC it received in 2024. It managed to survive the heavy rain and heat of summer and even provide us with some delicious produce for our return.  It was a bit of a jungle after the summer holidays, so we dusted off the tools and gloves and got straight to work!  Each Year 4 class has been involved in a gardening session to get it back in order for the start of their Garden Program next term. They’ve cut back the weeds, fed the soil, mixed the compost and added a good layer of mulch to the beds. A few groups of students from 4H constructed climbing towers for the cucumber and snake bean vines that had been finding their way across the garden paths and over other plants. Now the space is much more tidy and the plants appear a bit happier!

Year 4 have already spent some time in the Kitchen these past 3 weeks, creating dishes from their class’s Harmony Week country. Menus from Tonga, England and Italy were prepared and taste tested and the results were delicious! Growing in the garden were plenty of cucumbers, basil, mint, rosemary, snake beans, lemongrass and sweet potatoes to harvest. It is a highlight to be able to pick your fresh ingredients out of the garden and then use them in the recipes! 

When we return in Term 2, it will be the perfect time to get back into the garden with a bit cooler weather and less rain (hopefully). Year 4 will be digging back into their Kitchen Garden sessions, planting and growing a greater variety of produce which we will look forward to cooking with through the term. The garden will be a hive of activity as students learn how to look after seeds and seedlings, how to care for the soil after the wet season and which plants grow well at different times of year in our environment. Learning to grow your own food and develop a greater awareness of the seasons and healthy eating isn’t the only reason a school garden is a great endeavour.

Kitchen garden programs offer many benefits to a school community:

• Connecting Classroom Learning to the Real World: The Stephanie Alexander Program is all about fostering a love for learning by immersing our children in meaningful, hands-on real-world experiences. Our school garden will provide opportunities to reinforce academic learning as well as develop practical skills that will serve them well beyond the classroom.
• Teamwork and Collaboration: The program encourages collaboration and teamwork as students work together in the garden and kitchen, reinforcing the importance of communication and cooperation.
• Parental Involvement: As the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program further puts its roots down into our school community, we invite you to join us on this exciting journey of growth and discovery. We believe that every child's journey is enriched when parents are actively involved. As parents, there are opportunities to assist in the garden and you don’t have to be a green thumb or a chef, you just need to enjoy getting in the garden, eating food, and being with children. If you are interested in volunteering with the program, whether you have one hour or an entire school day, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact knewman1@cns.catholic.edu.au for more information.

We look forward to another year of growth and fun in our Kitchen Garden Program. Thank you for your support as we dig into the vibrant, hands-on world of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program for our 2nd year!