Kitchen Garden Program
‘We are very proud of our Kitchen Garden Program at Brocklesby PS which was established by our school almost 3 years ago. Our fully equipped kitchen with large work spaces enables students to work in small groups with an adult; maximising their involvement and learning experiences.
Our program is targets students across all ages and stages in 1 hour classes that operate on a weekly basis. In each 1 hour class students work to plan and prepare a different dish each which includes wherever possible, fresh produce from the gardens. At the end of each cooking session all students, our cooking teacher and staff sit down and enjoy the dishes that have been created. This creates an awareness of the importance of sitting together with family and friends to both enjoy a meal and engage in conversation, whilst also learning table manners and skills in being able to serve out food. Teachers and students across the school also utilise the cooking centre for special days, such as Pancake Day, Mother’s and Father’s Day and as integration into the learning in the classrooms.
The Kitchen Garden Program aims to help children develop healthy eating habits for life by giving them the exposure to eating healthily in a way that is both engaging and practical and to be able to take this learning from the cooking class into their homes and beyond.
Our program also focuses on concepts such as
•Hygiene and safety in the kitchen
•Knife handling and chopping skills
•Food and nutrition
•Culture and celebrations
Our garden program also runs for a 1 hour period. Students are involved in tasks such as preparing and tending to garden beds, harvesting herbs, fruit and vegetables and learning about water conservation and environmental sustainability. When sufficient produce is available, students also take home their own produce for parents and friends to enjoy or they work in conjunction with the cooking teacher to make soups, salads and sauces.
We are always looking for more helpers to assist in the garden and kitchen programs. If you would like to help then please enquire at our front office.
Kitchen Garden
