Learning stories

Off to a strong start at Collingwood College

21-12-2010

Starting students delight in growing, harvesting, preparing and sharing at Collingwood College, our longest-running Kitchen Garden School.

Demand for the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program is high, with Year 2 students eager to get into the garden and kitchen before they officially commence classes in Year 3. These keen beans absorb the excitement through tales from siblings and school friends, tasting delights from the kitchen and exploring the garden before and after school.

By the time they reach Year 3, students are well and truly ready to get going! They start their time in the garden and kitchen with a familiarisation period which includes:

• Learning basic skills in the kitchen and garden, such as safe use of knives, and gaining wheelbarrow and tool licences.
• Preparing a wide variety of dishes including: bruschetta with tomato, basil and roasted red capsicum; banana and berry smoothies; cous cous and sautéed vegetable salad; sesame tofu and silverbeet with a soy dressing; and chicken wontons.
• Growing and harvesting a range of vegetables including: zucchini, tomatoes, warrigal greens, pak choi, eggplant, rhubarb, basil, feijoa, kumquats, rocket, coriander, tarragon and many more!
• Understanding measurement and fractions, using the garden and kitchen as the classroom.
• Learning about cultural celebrations such as Chinese New Year: learning about different cultures in the classroom; growing appropriate vegetables in the garden; creating decorations; and preparing a celebration meal.
• Exploring all these new experiences through journal writing and vocabulary extension.

As part of their reflective learning, the Year 3 students comment on how they felt before starting the Kitchen Garden Program and then how they feel after their experiences. The following digital photo story captures the children's responses and looks at their experiences during their first six months in Program in 2010!

View the Collingwood College Learning Story now.

It's not only the kids who are excited. Parents also speak highly of the benefits of the Program and the transferral of knowledge to the home:

"Our son has shown greater enthusiasm for different foods since he started the Program. He has increased his knowledge of ingredients and can easily talk about the recipes he has learnt. He says he also enjoys the snail hunts in the garden!" Amy

"Our son is fussy but interested in food and the Program has helped extend his tastes. I like the way he thinks fennel is just an ordinary salad vegetable." Rachel

"The most influence I see from the Program is that my kids now have great confidence with ingredients and in the kitchen. They know processes like dicing and blending and presenting food and how to use utensils safely and appropriately. They have suggestions for meals and can follow through and make it. They have more garden knowledge in relation to veggies and between us we have planted a veggie garden - they have chosen what to grow and included borage and calendula in our garden. And they LOVE kitchen and garden days at school - it is a real highlight." Lyn

"The kitchen garden has had a profound impact on the eating habits of my children. They are more open to trying new things and have an appreciation for real food vs. junk food. It's a good thing." Julian

Back to Case Studies